How to Study the Bible—Some Practical Tips

 

These are simply suggestions that might help you get more out of your personal Bible study. You may not need to cover every point every time you study a verse, but if you keep these in mind you may find yourself having much more meaningful studies!

 

 

1.         Ask for God’s wisdom and leadership and understanding.

2.         Read the passage several times. You may wish to use more than one translation.

3.         Read the immediate context of the passage (verses both before and after the verse).

4.         Try to paraphrase the verse. (Reword it in your own words to make sure you understand the meaning of the verse.)

5.         What questions come to mind that might help me understand this passage?

6.         Identify difficult words or words that could have more than one meaning.

7.         What is the main idea of this verse?

8.         What is the key word or key phrase of this verse?

9.         What are the truths given in this verse?

10.       Are there any commands in this verse?

11.       Are there any promises in this verse?

12.       Are there any principles I can apply to my life?

13.       What are some practical applications for me personally that might be indicated by this verse?

14.       Determine the possible Greek or Hebrew meanings of the key words in the verse. (Use other translations, commentaries, lexicons)

15.       Make a list of other verses where the Greek or Hebrew word is used and compare the use of the word in those verses with the use in the current verse.

16.       Realize that Hebrew and Greek words may have more than one meaning, depending on the context. (Just like English words!)

17.       Run cross-references from the verse. List verses that are particularly relevant.

18.       Familiarize yourself with basic principles of sound hermeneutics (principles of interpretation).

19.       Maintain a spirit of humility about your conclusions (you may decide later that you were wrong!)

20.       Keep a teachable spirit before God.

21.       Acquire and use some of the more significant Bible study tools (e.g., Online Bible software, Strong’s Concordance, commentaries, “The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge,” a good Bible dictionary)