How to Study a Bible Book
1. Prepare
Start with prayer. The Holy Spirit guides us into all truth (John 16:13). So, you might argue, if that’s true, why study? God doesn’t reveal the truth to those who are lazy. Study to show yourself an approved worker, needing not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of Truth (2
Put the commentaries away for now. How are you going to judge who is right if you don’t know the Scriptures yourself?
Read the Bible through in many reliable versions: KJV, NKJV, NASB, HCSB, ESV, NIV 1984, and others. Consult a reputable Bible teacher or pastor to guide you to the best versions. They should be similar in content.
Read the Bible book you want to study at least ten times so you know the content well and can outline it. Ten times? What about big books like Isaiah and Jeremiah—should we also read them through ten times? At least peruse it and then read particular sections ten times.
If you remember nothing else, remember these three words so you will be faithful to God: Context, Context, Context. Pay attention to the context of their world, the context of the Bible verses, and the immediate context—God’s word is important. We must give an accurate presentation of God’s Word.
2. Observe
- Observe the Genres:
Is the Bible book poetic? It will have an emotional appeal and use symbolism and comparisons.
Is it wisdom literature? What sounds like a promise is usually a maxim.
Is it prophetical? Signs will need interpretation from the text or correlation passages. It is a mistake to interpret anything literal that is clearly symbolic, and vice versa.
Narrative books and historical books usually follow a chronological order of events. Examples of these are Genesis through Esther, Ezra, and Nehemiah, the gospels, and the book of Acts.
Doctrinal letters help us understand what the Bible teaches about God and ourselves. This is followed by practical principles to apply.
- Outline the chapters and their divisions so you can see the forest before the trees. It’s diverting to get lost in the details, so refrain from doing so.
- Notice any obvious chronological statements and write them down.
- Authorship: Who wrote the book and why did he write it?
- Notice the emotion in the Scripture passages. What evidence suggests the reason(s) for it?
- Is there a clear theme? What is it? Remember, the goal of our chronological approach is not to break themes; we transition to parallel events and narratives when there are natural breaks.
- Consult or make your own timeline. What is going on in the world and in Biblical history when this event or Scripture occurs?
- Consult or make your own maps. Where is this event taking place? What is the significance?
- Sometimes, a deep dive into the text, complete with Word studies, might be necessary.
3. Interpret
Ask Interpretive Questions. These are questions to help reveal the meaning in a Scripture passage. This is not asking the question, what does this text mean to you? It is the question, what does this text mean? Write down what, where, why, and who questions and seek to answer them from the text. Consider these things: What did it mean to the original recipients? You can often find the answer in the surrounding texts. To understand the people, it may be necessary to study their culture and languages. You don’t want to mess up an idiom by infusing your own cultural standard of it.
With prophecy, there is a near partial fulfillment and a distant complete fulfillment. This may require a thorough analysis and textual comparisons.
Interpretation preferences: First, see what one writer may have said about his own work. Second, consult other Biblical writers to see what they may have said. Let the Scriptures interpret the Scriptures. This is true with all the Bible and is especially important for interpreting prophecies.
4. Correlate Related Texts
The Scriptures weren’t written in a vacuum. Who else wrote about similar events?
5. Consult Commentaries.
Now, go to the commentaries with convictions but an open mind to see what other scholars say about the text you are working on. Yes, even after all this, you may have made a mistake, or the scholar did.
6. Apply the Word
This last step is not, “what does this text mean to you?” The proper question is, “how does God intend for us to apply his Word and be faithful to its message?” Is there a command to obey or a principle to follow? Apply this to yourself, and if you are a teacher, help your students see the applications.
Determine its Chronological Order
If you follow the above steps, you’ll be able to study a Bible book and determine its chronological order. Still, there are some pesky passages where further investigation is needed. In such cases, here is what I do:
Sometimes the author states the chronological order or the date of the events. (See Daniel 1:1, Ezekiel 1:1 and Luke 1:1-4). Direct revelations from God leave no guesswork. At other times, the people, events, and internal evidence in the Scriptures help determine the sequence.
I must admit (especially with some of the Psalms and some minor prophets like Joel), it’s not possible to identify where a particular passage belongs.
After lengthy consultations with Bible commentators and God, I made my best guess.
Here is an example. When the chronology of some psalms aren’t clearly stated, if the author doesn’t mention clear Biblical history, I assume he is writing when the events haven’t happened. If there is a temple and he doesn’t mention it, perhaps it hasn’t been built yet, and vice versa. Otherwise, why not mention it? Then, to make a better guess, I look at Biblical Timelines and ask, when might these events have occurred? This makes the date and corresponding event probable or at least possible.
There are differences of opinion between Bible scholars about the chronology of some passages. This explains why every chronological Bible and every guide is different. This minor concession does not take away from the value of studying the Bible chronologically.
Advice for the Bible teacher. Study diligently but also apply the Word. Do it sensitively and creatively but apply the Word. There are many teacher training conferences to help you. Many people want to be led. Lead them into the truth, but don’t overwhelm them. Help that person discover the joy of discovery and think for himself. Use gentle instruction methods, and value their opinions. You can see examples of these things in our interactive Bible studies. [1] Ask questions and invite their responses. Don’t be a “know-it-all.”
The Bible has amazing storylines, truths, and transparent emotions. Don’t make the Bible boring in the way you teach it. Prepare well and think of your student’s needs. Care for your students, and let them get involved in taking part in the Bible study. The old saying is true: “People only care about what you know if they know you care.” The teacher should communicate with the students (Galatians 6:6). He should share and be vulnerable, applying the Word to himself first.
One last piece of advice: Don’t be too serious. Yes, the Word of God is serious, but have fun. Even Jesus had fun with his disciples. Make the learning experience enjoyable for you and your students. Leave them coming back for more.
[1] https://www.chronologicalbiblestudies.com/BS_menu.htm