Can you point me in the right direction of a exegesis method? I have an above average working knowledge of scripture but I’ve always done topical studies and follow chain references. But I’d like to get a routine of daily study that’s organized and effective. Should I use commentaries? Should I avoid commentaries? how should I set my goals and time frames for each section of scripture on studying before I move on to the next chapter with the next couple verses?
Discussion
26 comments
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Try the Inductive Biblestudy Method, and check with a good basic commentary like Matthew Henry.
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Inductive method is great
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Grab yourself a decent and respected book on hermeneutics. I learned off of Bernard Ramm’s Protestant Biblical Interpretation: A Textbook of Hermeneutics.
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1. remove chapter and verse separations. they are not part of scripture and lead to misunderstanding and make it all too easy to ignore context and pretend that verses do exist and are standalone, context-free, doctrinal statements, which they are not.
Psalms can retain the chapters and proverbs, by and large, the verses, but the rest of scripture cannot.So, once you have full, complete writings, you can read them as written to see what was meant in the natural flow.
Of course, get some good Bible help programs or books, because some parts are horribly translated.
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There are basically three types of study. Verse by verse Book studies. Topical studies. And Systematic Theology studies. Sermons all can be categorized this way, also. All of these can start with the basics of who, what, when, where, why and how. Researching historical idioms and customs helps, plus Greek and Hebrew word definitions. Deeper study leads into Chiasms. It is good to deliberately and systematically study in more than one way.
I have purchased two kinds of Bible software. First, I have SwordSearcher with the Understanding The Bible commentary by David Sorenson. This is an Independent, Fundamentalist, Dispensational study set, not a Reformed set. Second, I have WordSearch with the Preachers Outline and Sermon Bible commentary, which is from the Reformed, Calvinist viewpoint. It is good to study more than one Biblical worldview. eSword is the free Bible of choice for download.
Online, I watch Andy Woods at the Sugar Land Bible Church in the Houston, Texas area. There are many archived sermon series, and ongoing current studies. And I also listen to an audio Bible on my computer, and I listen to religious .pdf books being read to me, also.
I do recommend using primarily the King James. There are some archaic words, but the translation is still the closest to what the Autographs were. No modern version compares, and in fact, modern versions invariably push an agenda on top of the intent of the Autographs. Most also remove and deliberately change texts, which is easily researched online. Bad translations are one thing to avoid, but even worse are the paraphrases. For the English language, the KJV is still the best to learn from.
It is also good to sometimes put aside the technology, and to just sit and read a Bible in your lap, with prayer and contemplation.
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I have the olive tree Bible app with close to $2000 of material. My biggest issue I guess is method
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And I have a ESV study Bible I understand your appreciation for the King James but I just don’t hold the same values for it
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But method is my main issue. Cuz it seems like the one topical studies it’s way too easy to take ideas and verses out of context
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But I have really no idea how to go about study doing a verse by verse and be effective
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And not take forever
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So I guess what I’m gathering is I just take a section of a book let’s say a Matthew chapter 1 and just take a section of verses out of there and then I guess I need a list of questions to answer I once I get those questions answered I just move on the next one?
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Something like this? https://www.logos.com/how-to/inductive-bible-study
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When I started studying the bible, I did it my way and it was the only way that worked for me. What I did was I started at the beginning, Genesis 1:1, I took detailed notes of who each person was, family tree, events, and events connected to that person. And as I read book after book, I added onto the people/events and now had more details. I did use cross reference. And I also referenced original language to try and understand the most appropriate translation of the word. I used BlueLetterBible.org and app to help with that. I tried reading commentaries, but depending on who wrote it, sometimes it confused me even more. One person says one thing in regards to a particular passage, and another says another. So I stayed away from those. It took me a very long time to get through the bible, but as I was jotting down notes, it also helped me remember a lot. Before that, I have tried topical studies, etc. But for me personally, this way, MY way worked best. I’m also a little OCD so organizing, color coding, and going in order of the books in the bible made best sense to me.
It also helped me understand certain things better as I could refer back to my notes and past passages read. -
use commentaries to check your finished product.
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I would avoid strict adherence to a “methodology”. For personal study, I enthusiastically recommend Logos Bible Software — arrange your various translations and commentaries, dictionaries, related sermons/writings/theology etc.., and sync them all so all resources scroll with your bible reading. original languages, sentence diagrams, word studies — all literally a mouse click away for every word and phrase in the biblical text. Fantastic! Just read through text and let the Spirit lead your mind and feed your soul.
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Studylight.com is a great free online source with every known bible translation as well as commentary from 107 well respected scholars from the last 600 years..
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Dr. Chuck Missler has expositional studies on the entire bible. Good stuff to get started.
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I’m going to do a read-through of Genesis to Revelation in 90 days. now after that read through I’m going to start in Genesis 1:1 and do an exegetical study verse by verse all the way through. I’m going to take it a section of verses at a time and I’m going to have a list of questions and once I have all those questions answered then it’s time to move on to the next section. So I’m going to do this with a physical Bible and a pad and paper and basically as I’m doing it I’m going to write down the answers to all my questions my general synopsis and my interpretation of that particular passage. I’m gathering a list of questions I need to ask myself and answer right now. Also there’s a dear brother who’s a pastor he works here at the program I’m in and he has this method that he teaches a class on the class is called connection with Christ. Usually he does it in Psalms or Proverbs but each verse we read we answer question about Jesus in the format of “Jesus is my _______, replacing my _______ and offering me _______”
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So I’m going to incorporate that as well and keep a separate Journal
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What i would like to suggest is:
Read your bible verse through verses, and ponder upon the w o r d s. Note down what comes in your heart. When you finish a certain section of paragraph, review those words and rearrange the thought and straigthen it into subject wise or topic wise. This is very helpful in order to start an exegesis.
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