26 Best Pens and Highlighters for Bible Journaling

Introduction

When I had my first Bible and wanted to highlight some portions, I used a colored pencil—afraid to spoil my precious Bible. However, as I became more comfortable with the idea of marking up my Bible, I started exploring different pens and highlighters that were specifically designed for Bible journaling. In this article, I will share some of the best pens and highlighters that are perfect for Bible journaling.

“Oh! You are writing in your Bible! Isn’t the Bible supposed to be a holy book?” one of my colleagues asked when I was energetically coloring Bible verses during my lunch break at work. Well, God’s Word indeed is Holy, but the Bible is, in fact, ink on paper. His Word is written “not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh, that is, of the heart” (2 Corinthians 3:2-3). So, yes, we may write in our Bibles.  

Writing in a Bible adds an extra dimension to our time with God and His Word. We can color the portions that touch us or where God speaks to us through His Word. Bible journaling is a creative way to engage with Scripture, allowing us to personalize and reflect on the verses that impact us the most.

However, not all pens and highlighters are suitable for this purpose. Some may bleed through the thin pages, while others may fade.

As the kind of pen you use for marking your Bible matters, I curated a list of 26 top recommendations to help you find the best pens and highlighters for Bible journaling.

What kind of pens do you use for Bible journaling?

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When it comes to Bible journaling, the type of pens you use is crucial. You want pens that will not bleed through the thin pages of your Bible and that will provide vibrant colors that won’t fade. Using the right pens for Bible journaling will enable you to enjoy your time studying the Bible for yourself.

Do gel pens bleed through the Bible?

Yes, gel pens can bleed through thin Bible paper if they are not specifically designed for Bible journaling. It is important to choose pens that are labeled as “no bleed” or “Bible safe” to avoid any unwanted bleeding or smudging.

What are the best Bible pens no bleed through

Bible journaling is a creative and personal way to engage with God’s Word. Finding the best pens for this purpose is essential to ensure a beautiful and meaningful journaling experience. You could purchase all types of pens and go through lots of trial. But I wanted to spare you that time and energy, so you could spend your time focusing on God’s Word instead.

Whether you prefer pens with fine tips for intricate designs or highlighters for emphasizing favorite verses, there are options available that will meet your needs. So go ahead, grab your favorite pens, and start journaling in your Bible with confidence and creativity!

Using a journaling Bible gives another extra dimension to your Bible study and Bible journaling! A journaling bible is a diary that has wide margins on the sides so that you can freely jot down notes on the side of the page as you get inspired while reading the Word.

You can also use them while doing your SOAP Bible Study during your personal quiet time with God.

Here is an overview of the 11 best no bleed pens for Bible journaling that do not bleed through the pages:

1. Micron Pens: Micron Bible pens have fine tips and archival ink, making them perfect for writing and drawing in your Bible. They come in various sizes and colors, allowing you to create intricate designs without worrying about bleeding. The ink is fade-resistant and waterproof, making it perfect for long-lasting and vibrant journaling. They come in different tip sizes, allowing for different line thicknesses and styles.

2. Pigma Micron Pens: Similar to Micron Pens, these pens are also archival quality and do not bleed through the pages. They are known for their smooth ink flow and vibrant colors. They are great for adding details and writing in your Bible. You could also try a pigma micron Bible study kit.

3. Sakura Gelly Roll Pens: These gel pens are popular among Bible journalers because they provide bright colors without bleeding through the pages. They are smooth and easy to write with, making them a great choice for highlighting and adding accents to your Bible.

4. Sakura decorese gel pens: these gel pens are another excellent option. They have a unique 3D ink that adds texture and dimension to your work. They come in a variety of vibrant colors that will make your Bible pages stand out. The ink is quick-drying, so there’s no need to worry about smudging or smearing. They come in a wide range of colors, including metallic and glitter options, allowing for creative and eye-catching journaling.

5. Faber-Castell Pitt Artist Pens: These pens have high-quality pigmented ink that is both waterproof and fade-resistant. They come in a variety of nibs and are perfect for detailed illustrations and writing in your Bible without bleeding through the pages.

6. Tombow Dual Brush Pens: Tombow dual brush pens are versatile markers that have both a flexible brush tip and a fine tip. They are perfect for creating beautiful hand-lettering and adding vibrant colors to your Bible journaling.

7. Tombow fudenosuke brush pens: These brush pens are popular because of their flexible brush tips, which allow for precise lettering and artistic strokes. These pens come in both hard and soft tip options, giving you versatility in creating different styles and effects. The ink is smudge-proof and fade-resistant, ensuring that your Bible journaling will last for years to come.

8. Mr. Pen Bible pens: designed for Bible journaling! They have a fine tip that allows for precise writing and drawing, without bleeding through the pages. They come in a set of different colors, making them ideal for adding variety and creativity to your Bible journaling. They are also fade-resistant, ensuring that your journaling will last for a long time.

9. Mr. Pen White Gel Pens: This high-quality ballpoint and gel ink allows for smooth and effortless drawing. A white pen with no smears, feathers, or bleed-through.

10. Staedtler Triplus Fineliner Pens: Staedtler pens are known for their fine tips and vibrant colors. They have a water-based inks that won’t bleed through thin Bible pages. These pens are great for adding small details, underlining, and writing in your Bible with precision.

11. Prismacolor Colored Pencils: If you prefer a softer and more subtle look, colored pencils are a great option for Bible journaling. Prismacolor is a trusted brand that offers high-quality pencils with rich pigments. They are great for shading, blending, and coloring, and adding details to your Bible without bleeding or smudging.

These colored pencils are also perfect for Faith coloring pages for adults.

Test the pens on a separate piece of paper or a less important page in your Bible (like in the back of your Bible) before using them on important verses. This way, you can ensure that they do not bleed or smudge and that you are satisfied with the results. 

Finding the right pens for Bible journaling is essential to avoid any damage to your Bible and to ensure vibrant and long-lasting colors. The pens mentioned above are among the best options available, providing you with a wide range of choices to enhance your Bible journaling experience. Choose one (or more), based on your personal preference.

Do you need special highlighters for a Bible?

Can I use anything to highlight my Bible? With highlighting your Bible, you have a few options. While you can technically use any regular highlighters, there are special highlighters designed specifically for Bible journaling. These highlighters are less likely to bleed through the thin pages of a Bible, ensuring that the text remains legible.

Special Bible highlighters often come in a variety of colors, allowing you to color-code different themes or passages. They also typically have a narrow tip, making it easier to highlight specific words or phrases without accidentally highlighting adjacent text.

If you prefer a more subtle highlighting effect, you can also use colored pencils or mildliners. These options are less likely to bleed through the pages and can provide a softer, more artistic touch to your Bible journaling.

Ultimately, the choice of highlighters or other tools for Bible journaling comes down to personal preference. It’s important to test any new highlighters or markers on a less important page before using them on important verses to ensure they don’t bleed or smudge.

What is different about Bible highlighters?

Bible highlighters are specifically designed for use on the thin pages of a Bible. They differ from regular highlighters because they are formulated with ink that is less likely to bleed through the pages, ensuring that the text remains clear and legible.

Additionally, Bible highlighters are smudge-proof and fade-resistant, ensuring that your highlighted Bible verse will last for a long time without losing their vibrancy or clarity.

Overall, the major difference between Bible highlighters and regular highlighters is their formulation and design, which makes them more suitable for use on the delicate pages of a Bible.

Best Bible highlighters

What highlighters are good for Bibles, you may ask. In choosing Bible safe highlighters for journaling, there are a few options that are considered the best. You can make your choice of Bible markers with amazon bible highlighters, based on the experiences of a friend, or check out these best Bible highlighters.

Here is a list with the 10 best bible highlighters no bleed—they make the best highlighters for Bible journaling:

12. Zebrite Bible Highlighters: These highlighters are specifically designed for use on thin Bible pages. They have a chisel tip that allows for both broad highlighting and precise underlining. The ink is fade-resistant and does not bleed through the thin pages of a Bible.

13. Mr Pen Bible highlighters: These highlighters come in vibrant colors and are smudge-proof ink. They have a fine chisel tip that allows for precise highlighting and underlining of Bible passages. The ink is formulated to prevent bleed-through on thin Bible pages.

14. Pilot Frixion Bible Highlighters: These highlighters are unique because they feature erasable ink. If you make a mistake or want to change your highlighting, simply use the built-in eraser to remove the ink without damaging the delicate Bible pages. These highlighters are available in bright, fluorescent colors and have a slim design for easy handling and precise highlighting.

15. Faber-Castell Bible Highlighters: Faber-Castell offers a range of Bible highlighters specifically for use on thin Bible pages. These highlighters have a smooth glide and vibrant ink that won’t bleed through or smudge. They come in a variety of colors, allowing for color-coding and highlighting different themes or passages. Their narrow tip allows precise highlighting without accidentally covering adjacent text.

16. Sharpie Gel Highlighters: These gel highlighters have an extra fine tip for precise highlighting and come in vibrant colors. They are gel-based, which means they won’t bleed through thin Bible pages. They also have a twist-up design, eliminating the need for sharpening. The ink is fade-resistant.

17. Zebra Mildliner Bible highlighters: They come in a set of soft, pastel colors that are gentle on the eyes and provide a subtle highlighting effect. These highlighters have a double-ended design with a chisel tip for broad highlighting and a fine tip for precise underlining. They have quick-drying ink, preventing smudging and bleeding through the pages.

18. Diversebee Bible highlighters: These highlighters come in a set of bright colors, perfect for highlighting and underlining Bible passages. The ink is fade-resistant and does not bleed through the pages. These highlighters have a chisel tip for broad highlighting and a fine tip for precise underlining. They are also smudge-proof and quick-drying, ensuring clean and clear highlighting in your Bible. Try also their laminated Bible tabs and prayer cards.

19. studio series bible highlighters: These highlighters have vibrant colors and smooth ink flow. They have a chisel tip for both broad highlighting and precise underlining. The ink is fade-resistant and smudge-proof, ensuring long-lasting and clear highlighting on Bible pages. These highlighters are also designed to prevent bleed-through on thin Bible pages.

20. Tombow Dual Brush Pens: While not specifically designed for Bible highlighting, pens are a versatile option that can be used for both writing and highlighting in your Bible. These dual-ended pens have a flexible brush tip for broad strokes and a extra fine tip for detailed highlighting. They come in a wide range of vibrant colors and their water-based ink is blendable and won’t bleed through the pages.

21. Accu-Gel Bible Highlighters: These highlighters feature gel-based ink that glides smoothly across the page. They come in a variety of colors and have a twist-up design for easy use. The ink is specially formulated to resist smudging and bleeding.

When choosing the best Bible highlighters, consider factors such as ink quality, tip design, color options, the ability to resist bleed-through, and whether or not they are smudge-proof and fade-resistant. Ultimately, the best highlighters for Bibles will depend on your personal preference and the specific needs of your Bible journaling.

Best sets with both Bible pens & highlighters

And if you want both pens and highlighters in one set, try a Bible journaling kit. These include both the pens and the highlighters!

Here are the 5 best kits for Bible journaling:

22. BLIEVE- Bible Study Kit With Gel Highlighters And Pens: This Bible study kit by BLIEVE includes gel highlighters and pens specifically designed for Bible study and journaling. The gel highlighters have a smooth application and vibrant colors that won’t bleed through the pages. The set also includes pens with fine tips for precise writing and underlining. The ink is fade-resistant and smudge-proof, ensuring long-lasting and clear highlighting and writing in your Bible.

23. Kosiz 24 Pcs Inspirational Bible Highlighters and Pens: This set has 24 inspirational Bible highlighters and pens. The highlighters come in a variety of vibrant colors and have a chisel tip for broad highlighting. The pens have a fine tip for precise writing and underlining. Both are fade-resistant and smudge-proof, ensuring long-lasting and clear highlighting and writing in your Bible. Each pen/highlighter has an inspirational text on it.

24. Pigma Micron Bible Study Kit: This kit includes a set of fine-point pens in different colors, perfect for highlighting and annotating your Bible. The pens are archival quality and waterproof, ensuring that your highlights will last for a long time without smudging or fading. This kit is perfect if you want to add both precise writing and vibrant highlighting to your Bible study.

25. Shuttle Art Bible Highlighters and Pens: This set has both Bible highlighters and pens. The highlighters come in a variety of vibrant colors and have a chisel tip for broad highlighting. The pens have a fine tip for precise writing and underlining. Both are no bleed, fade-resistant, and smudge-proof, ensuring long-lasting and clear highlighting and writing in your Bible. This set is perfect for Bible study and journaling.

26. Faber-Castell Bible Journaling Kit: This Bible study kit includes highlighters, pens, and pencils specifically designed for Bible journaling. The highlighters have a narrow tip for precise highlighting, and the pens and pencils are acid-free and waterproof. What makes this kit complete are the bonus materials (!): 16 die cuts, 2 sheets mache paper, 46 page Illustrated design guide, 16 stickers, 2 mixed media stencils and 4 Bible journaling stencils.

You can use the same pens and highlighters for your daily devotionals for women.

How to use Bible highlighters?

To use Bible highlighters effectively, follow these steps:

Using Bible highlighters can enhance your Bible journaling experience by visually emphasizing important passages and making them easier to find and reflect upon.

How to use washi tape with Bible journaling

I you want something else, a fun option is to try washi tape for Bible bookmarking and decorative purposes? Washi tape is a versatile and decorative option for Bible bookmarking. It comes in a variety of colors and patterns, allowing you to add a personal touch to your Bible.

To use washi tape as a bookmark, simply tear off a strip of tape and attach it to the edge of the desired page. The tape is removable and won’t damage the pages, making it a great option for temporary bookmarking or adding decorative elements to your Bible.

In addition to highlighters and washi tape, you can also consider using sticky tabs or adhesive flags to mark specific pages or passages in your Bible. These tabs are usually transparent and can be easily applied and removed without causing damage.

Overall, using Bible highlighters, washi tape, and sticky tabs can enhance your Bible study and journaling experience by making important passages stand out, adding visual interest, and providing easy reference points. Experiment with different tools and techniques to find what works best for you and enhances your personal connection with the text.

Conclusion pens and highlighters for Bible journaling

Studying the Bible and using journaling is a great way to engage with God. Overall, using the best pens for Bible journaling, highlighters, washi tape, and sticky tabs can enhance your Bible study and journaling experience by making important passages stand out, adding visual interest, and providing easy reference points. Experiment with different tools and techniques to find what works best for you and enhances your personal connection with the text.