This posting is designed to answer some of the Frequently Asked Questions that people ask concerning Bible Study methods and tools. Please distribute this FAQ as widely as possible. It will be reposted at the beginning of each month.
PLEASE NOTE THAT FOR TECHNICAL REASONS, I DO NOT MAINTAIN A MAILING LIST OR MAIL THIS FAQ OUT TO INDIVIDUALS.
Suggestions for this FAQ should be sent to me at:
sabigail@sympatico.ca
Most of the principles, tools, etc. that are presented in this FAQ will be acceptable to most Christian denominations and groups. However, readers should be aware that the author is from a conservative, evangelical, Protestant and non-charismatic background. Most (if not all) of the books, etc. recommended in this FAQ are presented from an evangelical position which accepts the inerrancy of the Bible. As such, some of the books, etc., might be unacceptable to those holding liberal theological views, or those considering the Bible solely from a comparative religions viewpoint.
http://www.brethrenonline.org
2) What translation should I study from?
3) What translations should I own?
4) What about a Study Bible?
5) What Study Bibles are available?
6) What is a Concordance?
7) How can I use a Concordance?
8) What are Strong's Numbers?
9) Are there different types of concordances?
10) Are there disadvantages to using a concordance?
11) What is Vine's Expository Dictionary?
12) What about Topical Bibles?
13) How valuable are cross references?
14) Where can I get more information on using these tools?
15) What other books exist on Bible Study?
16) Should I use a Bible commentary?
17) What commentaries should I consider buying?
18) Why should I read the Bible?
19) How can I read the Bible?
20) What principles will help me interpret the Bible?
21) What other principles of interpretation exist?
22) Do special principles exist for interpreting prophecy?
23) What books exist on Bible Interpretation?
24) What types of Bible studies exist?
25) How do I handle Bible contradictions?
26) Where can I learn more about resolving contradictions?
27) What about the Holy Spirit and Bible Study?
28) How do I apply my Bible study?
29) Can computers help me study the Bible?
30) What videotapes can teach me about Bible study?
31) What about Christian correspondence courses?
32) Do I need to learn all of the big words in the Bible?
33) What is the best way to learn about the big words?
34) How can I apply the Bible to my life?
35) What books exist on Bible application?
36) What is a Bible Handbook?
37) How many different types of study Bibles are there?
Many people feel the NASB is a good translation for word studies because it is very literal to the original languages (although "Young's Literal Translation" is even more literal). Many study tools are keyed to the KJV, and so it is useful to have. The NIV often captures the thought of a passage.
Again, let me stress, regardless of what translation you prefer to read, you should use several translations in your studying. Some of the worst mistakes I have seen have come people who have obviously only studied one translation.
Other translations that I like to consult are Young's Literal Translation (YLT) and the Darby Translation (JND). I also like to have a look at what some paraphrase translations have to say (e.g. Good News Bible or the Living Bible). Some people like to consult the Amplified Bible.
Those from a different theological background may wish to use some other translations, but the translations I have recommended should be acceptable to most Christians.
The Ryrie Study Bible - my personal favorite. It has all the features I want in a Study Bible, I like the notes, and it has an excellent summary of theology at the back. Also, I find the print easy to read. Available in KJV, NKJV, NASB and NIV. I believe a Ryrie Study Bible is one of the first things a new Christian should purchase (but of course, this is just my opinion). An Expanded Ryrie Study Bible has now been published. It is available in KJV, NIV and NASB and should prove very popular. Note that the revised NASB is now available.
The New Scofield Reference Bible - for many people, this is THE Study Bible (mostly because it was one of the first). Available in KJV, NKJV, NASB and NIV.
The Thompson Chain Reference Bible - the strength of this Study Bible is its special set of chain references, which lead you through references to various topics. Available in KJV, NASB and NIV. A NKJV Thompson Chain Reference Bible will soon be published.
The NIV Study Bible - a large number of notes, many of which were written by translators of the NIV. Where differing opinions exist on the meaning of a verse, this Study Bible attempts to present all views. Available in NIV only.
The Newberry Reference Bible - the strength of the Newberry Bible is the fact that it has special symbols beside the verbs to tell you what tense they represent in the original language. This Bible is available in KJV only. Note that a variety of editions are available. Some have clearer type than others.
Is not A the Levite thy brother......Ex 4:14
And the LORD said to A, Go into......Ex 4:27
Moses told A all the words of the....Ex 4:28
etc.
So, the first reference in the Bible to "Aaron" is Exodus 4:14. The second is Exodus 4:27, and so on.
Another problem is the fact that a concordance lists entries by English word, and not the original languages. If you want to find every reference to the English word "church", you can use a concordance. With many concordances you can also find out that the English word "church" is a translation of the Greek word "ekklesia". But "ekklesia" could be translated a number of different ways. An English concordance will not help you find all references to "ekklesia".
Fortunately, there are concordances of the original languages. Since each Bible translation may use a slightly different Greek text for its New Testament (due to slight variations in manuscripts), there are different Greek concordances for different manuscripts. Probably the best known Greek concordance for the TR (the Greek text behind the KJV) is Wigram's concordance. A concordance of the text behind many modern translations (UBS 4) is also available. Wigram also produced a concordance of the Hebrew Old Testament.
Going a step beyond Vines Dictionary are the "Theological Dictionary of the New Testament" (the 1 volume edition is known as the "Little Kittel") and the "Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament".
"How to Study the Bible" (R.A. Torrey) - a 95 page booklet that has become a classic. Torrey was a great evangelist and later, the president of Moody Bible Institute.
"How to Study the Bible for Yourself" (Tim LaHaye) - more detailed than Torrey's book, this book covers most aspects of Bible study.
"Dynamic Bible Study Methods" (Rick Warren) - this book lists 12 different types of Bible studies that you can do.
"How to Read the Bible for all its Worth" (Gordon Fee & Douglas Stuart) - a much more detailed book, with an emphasis on how to read various types of Biblical literature.
"How to Study Your Bible" (Kay Arthur) - uses the same techniques as the International Inductive Study Bible.
The Believers Bible Commentary (William MacDonald) - one volume for the New Testament and one for the Old Testament, I feel that this is the first commentary a new believer should buy.
The Bible Knowledge Commentary - like the Believers Bible Commentary, this series has one volume for each Testament. The commentary was written by faculty at Dallas Theological Seminary, and has been very popular.
The Tyndale New Testament Commentary - this would probably be the first set of commentaries that a new believer would purchase. This set is one of the most inexpensive you will find.
The Expositors Bible Commentary - 12 hardcover volumes covering the whole Bible. This set is a major investment, but I believe worth the money. This series is based on the NIV.
What the Bible Teaches - published by John Ritchie publishers in Scotland, this series will eventually comprise 11 volumes covering the New Testament and is based on the KJV. Loizeaux Brothers publishers distribute this series in North America.
Matthew Henry's Commentary - 300 years of popularity should say something about this book. It is more devotional than doctrinal.
H.A. Ironside's Bible Commentaries - Ironside was a Christian
worker for many years, and for 18 years was the pastor of Moody Church.
His commentaries are collections of expository sermons he gave over the
years. He wrote commentaries on all the books in the New Testament, and
a number of the books in the Old Testament.
Literal Interpretation - interpret the Bible literally unless the Bible itself gives you reason to adopt a figurative interpretation. When two Christians come to a different interpretation of what a verse in the Bible means, it is usually because one (or both) of them has started to interpret the Bible figuratively. Of course, the principle of literal interpretation does allow for figures of speech.
Plain Sense Meaning - consider the plain sense meaning of a passage. Yes, there are deep matters discussed in the Bible, but the conclusions we reach from doing an intensive Bible study should not be different than what the Bible plainly says.
Interpret from what you Understand - if you have 2 passages and the meaning of one is quite clear, and the meaning of the second is unclear, don't adopt a fanciful interpretation of the doubtful passage and then try to force the clear passage into a different meaning.
Compare and Contrast - compare things that are alike and contrast things that are different.
Israel and the Church - there is a clear distinction between Israel and the church (1 Cor 10:32). God is not finished with Israel and still has great plans for them. However, some people take the view that the church has replaced Israel in God's program. I, and many other Christians, believe that God still has plans for Israel. We believe the Bible makes the most sense if we consistently interpret "Israel" as meaning "Israel". Distinguishing between Israel and the Church, in my opinion, allows for more consistent literal interpretation of the Scriptures.
Prophetic Past Tense - sometimes, God makes reference to an event in the future, and to indicate how certain it is, He talks about it as if it has already happened (e.g. we are said to currently be glorified in Romans 8:30)
Double Fulfilment - sometimes a prophecy will have an immediate partial fulfilment with a full and complete fulfilment yet to come.
In his book, "Things to Come", J. Dwight Pentecost devotes the first 65 pages to the interpretation of Bible prophecy.
Biblical Hermeneutics (Milton Terry) - this book was first published over 110 years ago, but is still a classic. The modern reader might find this book a little tough to get through, and I don't agree with his view on prophecy, but this is probably the most comprehensive work available.
Protestant Biblical Interpretation (Bernard Ramm) - this book was first published in 1950 and is still a standard textbook in many Bible colleges. A weakness (in my opinion) is the fact that Ramm has an Amillennial view of Bible prophecy.
Basic Bible Interpretation (Roy Zuck) - although not yet a classic, I think this book will be adopted as a textbook by many Bible schools. Although I don't personally agree with all of Dr Zuck's interpretations, I do recommend this book as a starting point.
The Interpretation of Prophecy (Paul Lee Tan) BMH Books, Inc. Distributors. King's Highway Winona Lake, Indiana 46590, 1974. The publisher is included because it is from a small publisher.
Introduction to Biblical Interpretation (W. Klein, C. Blomberg,
and R Hubbard Jr.) - up-to-date but rather technical.
Topical Study - this study seeks to study a topic by looking at all the passages that deal with a particular topic. A topical Bible and a set of cross-references will help you in this type of study. The Thompson Chain-Reference Bible would be a huge help with this type of study.
Word Study - this type of study looks at all the references to a particular word in the Bible. An exhaustive concordance is required for this type of study. Decide which word you wish to study (e.g. "church" or "worship") and look this word up in your concordance. Then look up each reference to this word and ask yourself what each reference teaches you. A more serious word study will use a concordance of the original languages.
Thematic Study - this is similar to a topical study, but a little more abstract. For example, you might want to study the testimony given by Christ's enemies, spiritual revivals, or men of God who met lions. A concordance and a topical Bible will help you with this type of study, but of course, a good working knowledge of the Bible gained through daily reading will also be an immense help.
Doctrinal Study - we can also do studies on the various doctrines in the Bible. For example, we can study the Trinity, or ask ourselves what is involved in a person becoming a Christian. A topical Bible would be helpful, as well as a book on theology. The Synopsis of Doctrine at the back of the Ryrie Study Bible would be a big help.
Biographical Study - an examination of the life of a particular person in the Bible. Here, we seek to see what we can learn from the life of a man or woman in the Bible. What mistakes did he make and how did it affect him? A concordance should be sufficient to do a biographical study.
Character Trait Study - instead of looking at a person, we could look at a character trait such as pride, humility or faithfulness. A concordance will be useful in this type of study.
Geographical Study - in this study, you pick a place (city, mountain, river or country) and look up all the references to that place in a concordance.
The Authors Were Not Idiots - we have to give the ancient writers (and the Holy Spirit) a bit of credit. If the writer writes something, and a couple of verses later seems to contradict himself, it's probably not because he forgot what he had written 2 minutes ago.
Specific Exceptions to General Rules - just because a general rule is given doesn't mean specific exceptions do not exist. For example, Romans 3:23 tells us that "all have sinned". 1 Peter 2:22, speaking of the Lord Jesus, tells us, "He committed no sin". Is there a contradiction? Of course not! This is a rather obvious example, but it does illustrate a point.
Calendars Differ - differences in dates can be reconciled in a number of ways. First, some places in the Bible use the Jewish dating system, and some use the dating systems of the nations around them. Second, a king's reign counted his first year as being from when he took the throne to the start of the new year. For example, if I became king on Dec 17th, my first year on the throne would run from Dec 17 to Dec 31. January 1 would begin my second year of reigning. We should also be aware that some of the reigns of Jewish kings overlapped.
Repeated Presentation - often, similar events would occur. For example, there were 2 feedings of the multitudes recorded in the Gospels. Each time, the disciples seemed very surprised. If one of the Gospels had not presented both feedings in it, people would line up to say this is a contradiction in the Bible!
Names - some people have several names (and so do most people today). Sometimes, what seems to be a name is actually a title. Also, different people in history can have the same name.
Fragmentary Presentation - sometimes, parallel accounts will each give part of the story. Also, some parts of the Gospels are not written in chronological order.
The Study Partner - a 2 hour videotape divided into 6 lessons. This tape can be ordered through "Scripture Student Seminars", 79 Pinemeadow Cres, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, N2T 1A6. The suggested donation is $30.
Emmaus Correspondence School - offers over 75 popular level courses. Regional offices in 105 countries with courses translated into 110 languages. The address of the head office is: "Emmaus Correspondence Ministries", 2570 Asbury Road, Dubuque, IA, USA, 52001-3099
Toronto Baptist Seminary - offers 9 courses for college credit, including New Testament Greek. Write the seminary at 130 Gerrard Street East, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5A 3T4
Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary - offers 25 courses at the
graduate level. Requires an undergraduate degree. Courses may be audited.
Write: "Ockenga Institute", Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, 130 Essex
Street, #251, South Hamilton, MA, USA, 01982-2359
Our Applications are not Inspired - we must understand that while the Bible itself is the inspired and infallible Word of God, our applications may not be.
Specific Events can give us General Principles - when we look at a specific event or statement, we can often discover general principles. However, we cannot authoritatively apply these principles in ever situation. For example, the Bible says " Let all things be done decently and in order." (1 Corinthians 14:40). The immediate context is concerned with speaking in tongues. It is valid for us to develop the general principle that God is concerned about all things being done in a decent and orderly manner. It is an incorrect application to say, "God wants us to be orderly, and that means the men should wear ties, we should have pews instead of chairs and all the hymn books should be black!"
Apply Passages Within Their Contexts - considering 1 Cor 14:40 again, we can make a valid application that churches that believe the gift of tongues is still around today must seek to follow the same guidelines as applied to the 1st century church.
Consider Who This Passage Applies To - again, while a passage can help us to develop general principles, we must be careful to see who a passage is applying to. For example, in Exodus 23:26, God told the Israelites that if they were faithful to Him, He would prevent miscarriages among their women. A valid application is that God will reward faithfulness among His people in all generations. However, it was specifically the Israelites that were promised the protection from miscarriage as a reward for faithfulness. God promised His earthly people earthly blessings and Christians today must be careful to not claim all the specific physical blessings God promised to Israel.
Applying the Bible - J. Kuhatschek, IVP
Understanding and Applying the Bible - Robertson McQuilken, Moody Press
The Joy of Discovery in Bible Study - Oletta Wald, Augsburg Press, 1975
popular. Here is a more complete listing:
Full-Life Study Bible (Zondervan) - NIV (for charismatics)
International Inductive Study Bible (Harvest) - NASB, NIV
Life Application Study Bible (Tyndale) - KJV, LB, NIV, NKJV,
NRSV
Harper-Collins Study Bible - NRSV with Apocrypha
New Geneva Study Bible (Nelson) - NKJV
New Student Bible (Zondervan) - NIV
NIV Study Bible (Zondervan) - NIV
Parenting Bible (Zondervan) - NIV
Quest Study Bible (Zondervan) - NIV
Ryrie Study Bible (Moody Press) - KJV, NASB, NIV
Scofield Study Bible (Oxford) - KJV, NIV
Serendipity Bible (Zondervan) - NIV
Small Group Study Bible (Harvest) - LB
Spirit Filled Life Study Bible (Nelson) - NKJV (for charismatics)
Word Life Study Bible NT (Nelson) - NKJV
Orthodox Study Bible NT (Nelson) - NKJV
Oxford Study Bible
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Abigail, Shawn G., "Bible Study FAQ, Version 1.2.6, February 2002, Distributed on The Internet by Shawn G. Abigail (sabigail@sympatico.ca)"
(c) 2002 by Shawn Abigail