Bible 101Study MethodsBasic study approaches and resources for understanding and applying the message of the Bible.

Selected Topics and Methods

• Study Questions • Translations• Resources: Print and Internet• Methods:

• Inductive • Book • Chapter • Verse • Word • Character or Topic

Bible Study Questions help us understand a passage

They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common.

Acts 2:42-44

1. What are your first impressions about the relationship of this passage to your life and the lives of others?

2. What are the main ideas of the passage?

3. Who are the main characters, and what is their relationship to the text?

4. Where and when did events related to this passage take place?

Bible Study Questions for Overview and Context

1. What are your first impressions about the relationship of this passage to your life and the lives of others?

2. What are the main ideas of the passage?

3. Who are the main characters, and what is their relationship to the text?

4. Where and when did events related to this passage take place?

Bible Study Questions for Overview and Context

They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common.

Acts 2:42-44

Bible Study Questions forFacts and Purposes5. What words or phrases should be

defined to make the passage easier to understand?

6. What is being revealed about God?7. What was the basic purpose and

message of the passage to those who first received it?

Bible Study Questions forFacts and Purposes5. What words or phrases

should be defined to make the passage easier to understand?

6. What is being revealed about God?

7. What was the basic purpose and message of the passage to those who first received it?

They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common.

Acts 2:42-44

Bible Study Questions forApplication and Response8. How should we respond to the

passage? Worship? Prayer? Praise? Examples to follow? Commands to obey? Sins to forsake? Promises to claim? Truths to believe? Behaviors to change?

9. Summarize in your own words God's message for others in your group and for you personally?

Bible Study Questions forApplication and Response8. How should we respond

to the passage? Worship? Prayer? Praise? Examples to follow? Commands to obey? Sins to forsake? Promises to claim? Truths to believe? Behaviors to change?

9. Summarize in your own words God's message for others in your group and for you personally?

They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common.

Acts 2:42-44

Selected Topics and Methods

• Study Questions • Translations• Resources: Print and Internet• Methods:

• Inductive • Book • Chapter • Verse • Word • Character

Literal Translations

A literal translation (also referred to as a “word-for-word” translation) seeks to represent the original text in a more word-for-word manner. King James Version New King James Version American Standard Version New American Standard Version Revised Standard Version Young’s Literal Translation

Literal Translation(Word-for-word)

Dynamic Translation(Thought-for-thought)

Free Translation(Paraphrase)

Dynamic TranslationsA dynamic equivalent is a translation that seeks to strike a balance between literal and free translations. The goal of this type of translation is to render the idea conveyed by the original language into that of the target language (like English). New International Version New English Bible Revised English Bible Good News Bible Contemporary English Version

Literal Translation(Word-for-word)

Dynamic Translation(Thought-for-thought)

Free Translation(Paraphrase)

Free Translations (Paraphrases)A paraphrase (also referred to as a “free” translation) is one which is not as concerned with original word order or sentence structure as it is the idea of the passage. This type of translation seeks to render the ideas in the original text as accurately as possible in the target language (like English). The Clear Word The Living Bible The Message

Literal Translation(Word-for-word)

Dynamic Translation(Thought-for-thought)

Free Translation(Paraphrase)

Translation Styles – Proverbs 10:11

The mouth of the righteous is a well of life, but violence covers the mouth of the wicked. (KJV, 1611, literal)

The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life, but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence. (NASB also NRSV, 1960, literal)

The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life, but violence overwhelms the mouth of the wicked. (NIV, 1978, dynamic)

The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life,

but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence. (TNIV, 2002, dynamic)

The mouth of a good person is a deep, life-giving well, but the mouth of the wicked is a dark cave of abuse. (Message, 2002, free)

Selected Topics and Methods

• Study Questions • Translations• Resources: Print and Internet• Methods:

• Inductive • Book • Chapter • Verse • Word • Character

Bible Study Tools: Print Resources• Study Bible: summary of the background and contents

of each book, cross references, explanatory notes, concordance, and maps.

• Bible Atlas: maps and explanations of the geographical and historical setting of Bible lands and places.

• Bible Commentary: a theologian's explanation of and insights into the meaning of a Bible book or books.

• Bible Concordance: an alphabetical index of key Bible words with references to their locations in the Bible.

• Bible Dictionary: a dictionary of Bible topics with articles on persons, places, and things in the Bible.

• Bible Handbook: a reference book that provides background information on the Bible; surveys Bible passages and ideas, and summarizes Bible books, often including their chapters.

Bible Study Tools: Internet ResourcesBible Gateway:

http://www.biblegateway.com/

Christian Classics Ethereal Library:

http://www.ccel.org/

Textweek:

http://www.textweek.com/

Studylight:

http://www.studylight.org/

Selected Topics and Methods

• Study Questions • Translations• Resources: Print and Internet• Methods:

• Inductive • Book • Chapter • Verse • Word • Character

Inductive Study

• Observation: What does it say? What are the facts?

• Interpretation: What does it mean? What did it mean to the original recipients? What do we understand the passage to mean today?

• Application: What does it mean to me? How does this apply to my life?

Book Study• Read the book in a recent translation.

• Write down impressions of the book and important details.

• Do a background study of the book (author, purpose, recipients, date, style, etc.).

• Make a horizontal chart of the book's contents. A horizontal chart is a pictorial representation of the book on one or two sheets of paper and which allows you to visually grasp the general details of the book.

• Make a preliminary outline of the book.

• Write a personal application of ways in which the message of the book speaks to your life.

Chapter Study• Chapter title:• People involved:• What is happening? Where? When?• Major themes:• Key words:• Key verses:• Information about Jesus, God, Holy Spirit:• Contrasts and comparisons:• Personal thoughts and lessons:• Personal application:

Verse Study• Grammar: sentence make-up• Type of content: history, teaching, poetry,

etc.• Facts: who, what, when, where, why, how• Comparison of words in several versions:• Outline the verse:• Words to study:

Word Study• Select an English (biblical) word. • Write it’s most common meanings and root

meanings from several dictionaries.• Compare it’s use in several translations.• Look up other occurrences of the word in the

Bible.• Summarize it’s biblical meaning.• Make personal application to life.

Character and Topical Study

• Select a Bible character or topic. • Make a list of all the references.• Write down your first impressions.• Summarize primary characteristics.• Identify Bible truths that are illustrated in the

person’s life or the topic.• Describe life-lessons that can be learned from

the person or topic.

Bible Study Methods for You• What approaches, resources, or

methods have been most helpful to you in the past?

• Which of the topics from this presentation would you like to pursue further in the future?