Helpful Tips for Studying the Bible

Reading the Bible is a necessary part of our faith, but it’s no easy feat. With so many books to read, verses to memorize, and themes to comprehend, we understand why many people consider it more of a reference guide than a daily companion. To make your studies easier, consider some of our helpful tips for studying the Bible.

Choose a Translation That’s Best for You

Here’s where it all begins. With dozens of translations of the Bible to choose from, all taking translational approaches on a continuum between word-for-word translation and paraphrasing, finding the right one can be a challenge. While the breezy voice of a paraphrasing may be good for sporadic consultations, a devoted Bible study calls for the truest possible translation of the texts’ original Hebrew and Greek. That’s the King James Bible of 1611, the volume in which the KJV Store specializes. The KJV uses formal equivalence, sacrificing a degree of clarity in order to preserve the original intent of the authors. It’s the next best thing to reading the original texts.

Take Thorough Notes

Taking notes as you read is fundamental to a rewarding Bible study experience. Because there’s so much information to process and synthesize, it’s all but required for you to write out pertinent observations, connections, and themes. While keeping a notebook at your side is a good way to take notes, it’s not the only way. Special study editions tie together themes across books, facilitating your study. While the thin pages and agate print of a traditional edition can make annotation a challenge, a large-print KJV Bible may allow for more space and easier reading.

Schedule Your Studies

Let’s look for a moment at another imposing tome: David Foster Wallace’s 1996 novel Infinite Jest. Celebrated and ridiculed in equal measure for its over 1,000 pages of dense text, it’s anything but a breezy read. But the “Infinite Summer” reading group made it digestible by instructing readers to tackle 15 pages a day. By breaking it up and making it a daily routine, those pages flew by. The same principle goes for the Bible. Schedule a time to read and allot yourself a reasonable assignment. When it becomes a part of what you do each day and isn’t such an undertaking as to dissuade you from reading, studying the Bible isn’t insurmountable after all.

Embrace a Study Method

If freeform Bible study seems too difficult to embark upon, a preexisting study method may make your reading much easier. From the SOAP method to the “sword” method to journaling and verse-mapping, scholars have devised ways to help you get the most from your reading with strategies that you can replicate across study sessions. You can learn more about these different study methods and their own helpful tips for studying the Bible throughout our blog.