Brown’s Bible: The Self Interpreting Bible with an Evangelical Commentary

5RR Reverend John Brown. London: Printed for Thomas Kelly, 1819. In Two Volumes. Folio 425x255mm

Notes

Brown’s Bible, formally titled The Self-Interpreting Bible, was compiled by Rev. John Brown of Haddington, an 18th-century Scottish theologian and minister in the Secession Church. First published in the 1770s, the work was designed to make Scripture more accessible to ordinary readers, especially those without formal theological training. Brown's Bible includes the full text of the King James Version (KJV) of the Bible alongside extensive marginal notes, explanations, cross-references, and commentary designed to clarify difficult passages. His approach was both devotional and doctrinal, shaped by a Reformed, evangelical worldview that emphasized personal piety and the authority of Scripture.

What set The Self-Interpreting Bible apart was Brown’s goal to allow the Bible to explain itself—hence the title. Rather than relying heavily on external theological tradition or speculation, his notes guided readers to compare Scripture with Scripture, reinforcing the Protestant ideal of sola scriptura. The Bible was often published in large family editions, making it a fixture in many Scottish and English-speaking Protestant homes throughout the 18th and 19th centuries. It became not only a religious text but a cultural artifact, reflecting and reinforcing evangelical beliefs in a time of growing lay literacy and spiritual self-examination.

Description

Two Volumes in Brown full tree calf leather with gilt decorations to the spine and framing the boards. Illustrated throughout both volumes with full engraved plates. New Testament has a separate title page dated 1820 facing which is an engraved frontispiece portrait of John Brown. Slight marking to the boards and some cracking to the joint with the upper cover of volume one. Excellent condition internally. Two blank preliminary pages have been torn out and there is some staining to the bottom edge of the first few leaves of volume two but a very nice example of a rarely found edition of Brown’s Self Interpreting Bible.