How to Study the Bible

Ways in which we can study the Bible

We can study the Bible in many different ways. Rick Warren’s 12 Bible Study
Methods lists a number of ways to study the Bible in addition to the following:

Devotional Bible study

Every Christian should read the Bible as part of their personal devotional time.
When you read the Bible as part of your devotional time, read slowly and stop to think
about things that impress you. Devotional Bible study should be coupled with prayer.

Word study
Using a concordance, check the number of times a word is referenced in the
Bible. If you have a Greek-English Bible dictionary or Hebrew-English Bible dictionary,
you can see what Greek or Hebrew word was behind different instances of an English
word. If you don’t have these resources, the Amplified Bible provides an expanded
translation that gives more insight into the traditional reading.

Observation, interpretation, and application

The first thing people often ask themselves when reading the Bible is, “What does
this mean?” The problem in answering this question is that we often interpret Scripture
according to our own background (21st century, culture, Christian tradition) without
considering what the author intended or what the intended audience read into that
Scripture.
For example, when we read Jeremiah’ prophesies we need to understand that God
was warning the Israelites and other nations through Jeremiah. Only after we understand
who was talking, who the audience was, and what the issues were, can we properly
interpret the Scripture to mean something for ourselves.
There are three steps we should follow in order to properly read a portion of
Scripture. Taken together, these steps are the inductive method of Bible study:

1. Observation
This is evidence-gathering. First, we need to know something about the
context of the passage. If you have a study Bible, you can get this by reading the
introduction to the Book. That will usually tell you the author, date, audience, and
purpose of the writing.
Next, read the passages before and after the particular part you are focusing
on. Try to understand for yourself what is going on. Who is talking to whom? What is
the author trying to say? Ask the questions who, what, when, where, why, and how.
Read the particular passage in question. Note the words that stand out for you,
using a separate piece of notepaper, if needed. Is there a turning point to the passage?
What words are repeated? What are the metaphors or themes used? (For example: a
wayward wife, a courtroom scene, a shepherd and his flock, a master and his slaves, a
field or harvest, etc.) Why are those themes used—what is the key characteristic that
is conveyed?
 If you have a Greek word dictionary and are reading in the New Testament,
such as Vine’s Expository Dictionary, you should use it to look up the full meaning of
interesting words. Another way to do more in-depth word study is by examining
different English translations, especially translations that are very different from the
one you usually use. The New Living Translation often has good paraphrases that are
easy to understand, whereas the New American Standard Bible offers a very literal
reading.

2. Interpretation
This is the part where we start figuring out what it all means … but first only
what it meant for the author and the intended audience! If we’ve done a good job
observing, the interpretation part should not be too difficult. Try your best to think
about why these words and images were used. Who was angry, sad, or happy, and
why? What did they do?
Only after you’ve tried your best to determine the intent of the author and the
meaning for the audience, then you can reference your commentary in the study Bible
or in a separate commentary. (A commentary is a book where someone has observed
and interpreted the passage.)

3. Application
The final step is to determine what the passage means for your own situation
—here and now—based on what it meant to the author and audience then and there.
What are the similarities between the audience (or author, sometimes) and yourself?
Usually, by this time, you’ll have already figured out the application.
Oftentimes, it’s very difficult to keep from doing application during the previous
stages. But if you are patient and methodical, the wait will be worth it.

General guidelines for Biblical interpretation

Do
1. Read entire chapters together
2. Check cross-references (or end-of-
paragraph references) to make sure your
interpretation does not contradict other
parts of the Bible.
3. Reference several interpretations to get
the full meaning of a verse.
4. Research the background of a book,
including the author, cultural setting, and
historical context.
5. Remember that God is the hero of the
story and that people in the narratives are
not necessarily good examples to follow.
6. Realize narratives can teach us
principles.
Don’t
1. Read a sentence in a way that ignores or
contradicts the context.
2. Ignore obvious contradictions between
your interpretation and other teaching of
the Bible.
3. Write off certain Bible interpretations as
without value—they have different
purposes.
4. Assume that all stories can apply in
every circumstance.
5. Think that we should follow every
example simply because it is recorded in
the Bible.
6. Forget the different between explicit
teaching and principles taught implicitly.
7. Try to understand the intent of the 7. Ignore questions of audience and intent.
author for the entire book.