You can answer 75 percent of your questions about a passage when you read the text. Five clues (called “the five C’s”) can help you determine the author’s main point(s): Answering the questions that arise during observation will help you in the process of interpretation. Interpretation is discovering the meaning of a passage, the author’s main thought or idea. The answers will also enable you to use your imagination to recreate the scene you’re reading about.Īs you answer the “Wh” questions and imagine the event, you’ll probably come up with some questions of your own.Īsking those additional questions for understanding will help to build a bridge between observation (the first step) and interpretation (the second step) of the Bible study process. Who are the people in this passage? What is happening in this passage? Where is this story taking place? When is it in time (of day, year, history)?Īsking these four “Wh” questions can help you notice terms and identify the atmosphere. Be sure you notice the mood or tone or urgency of the writing.Īfter considering these things, you are ready to ask the “Wh” questions. The author had a particular reason or burden for writing each passage, chapter, and book. Considering the type of literature makes a great deal of difference when you read and interpret the Scriptures. The Bible is literature, and the three main types of literature in the Bible are discourse (the epistles), prose (Old Testament history), and poetry (the Psalms). For example, “You have heard that it was said…but I say to you…” ( Matthew 5:21). Questions and answers: “Who is the King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty” ( Psalms 24:8). Ifs and thens: “If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and forgive their sin and heal their land” ( 2 Chronicles 7:14). Cause-and-effect: “Well done, good and faithful servant you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things” ( Matthew 25:21). Pay close attention, for example, to certain relationships that appear in the text: One reading of 1 Corinthians 13, where the author uses the word “love” nine times in only 13 verses, communicates to us that love is the focal point of these 13 verses. This is another way an author demonstrates that something is important. The amount of space or the number of chapters or verses devoted to a specific topic will reveal the importance of that topic (for example, note the emphasis of Romans 9 and Psalms 119). You can discover the content of the author’s message by noting and understanding each paragraph unit. A paragraph is a complete unit of thought. If you look at your Bible, you will see that the text has units called paragraphs (indented or marked ¶). However, when you read, “That tree has a very large trunk,” you know exactly what the word means, which makes it a term.) (For instance, the word trunk could apply to a tree, a car, or a storage box. Words can have many meanings, but terms are words used in a specific way in a specific context. As you read the Bible text, you must look carefully at what is said and how it is said. Observation is the first and most crucial step in how to study the Bible. Let's dive into each step of studying the Bible. Step 3: Application-What will I do about what the passage says and means? Step 2: Interpretation-What does the passage mean? Step 1: Observation-What does the passage say?
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