Bible Study preparation has been part of my life since my teens.
I didn’t become a Bible study leader until I graduated from college in the Dark Ages.
It was hit or miss–depending on where the Navy sent us–for a few years.
But I’ve been a leader almost every year since 1993.
More than thirty years.
This is how I prepare to lead a Bible study.
Bible Study Preparation: Begin with the text
While I almost always use a prepared study–I like those put together by Concordia Publishing House, or Intervarsity Press–I need to understand the text before I can lead the discussion.
I have a degree in English Literature from UCLA–which was basically textual analysis.
That means my professors taught me how to analyze a text–English literature in their case.
I knew how to take apart Shakespeare, Milton, and the romantic poets. I wrote papers on what I understand from examining it.
But, I used those same skills in Bible study, even in college. (It was my initial reaction after seeing Star Wars for the first time!)
My small group Bible study friends–including history, engineering, and poli-sci majors–often watched, amazed, as I tore about the Scriptures.
I wanted to know the why, the how, what the words meant, and how it all fit together.
Sometimes I may have become a little . . . over-zealous, shall we say?
Tearing apart the verses and examining the words
How do you do that?
Piece by piece.
Here’s how Kay Arthur’s Precepts classes taught me to examine the words closely. (I didn’t start this way, but I loved it when I took a Precepts class).
This is how I scribbled on the opening to Romans 8 (ESV) as my first pass:
Note how I marked the repeated words in symbols and colors.
God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit are blue triangles. “You” is circled and greenish. To my surprise, Paul used “flesh” nine times in the first paragraph.
Do you think it might be an important word/concept for this passage of Scripture?
If I hadn’t marked it, I’m not sure I would have noticed how often it appeared–though you’ll note God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit appeared 13 times.
I then asked myself several questions–I usually scribble them into the margins.
- What is this passage about?
- What are the themes?
- How many times are specific words used?
- Why?
And so forth.
I usually apply the famous 5 Ws and an H–who, what, when, where, why, and how.
Once I’ve grasped what the passages is talking about, I move along.
Sometimes I answer the questions in my Bible study book.
But sometimes I don’t–particularly if my word study produces questions.
Bible study preparation, for me, always includes the commentaries.
I try to match my Bible to what my churches uses, to keep things easier.
My Lutheran Study Bible is perfect for the Lutheran church.
After I do my overview, I read through the passage in the Bible, again, and then examine the notes at the bottom of the Bible.
On tricky topics, I move along to another commentary.
Over the last few years, I’ve used the Enduring Word commentary put together by Pastor David Guzik of Calvary Chapel, Santa Barbara.
I also like Concordia Publishing House’s The People’s Bible Commentary–which is mostly out of print now.
Beyond all these, Bible study tools abound. We have an entire shelf of them at our house!
Greek or Hebrew word explanations
When I’m leading a study that doesn’t include a workbook (as I did when I led a woman’s retreat last summer), I need to look at the actual Greek or Hebrew word meanings.
Fortunately, the Blue Letter Bible provides all the Bible study preparation I need to understand what the words mean in their original languages.
We used to own a Strong’s Concordance, but using online tools is much easier and faster than paging through a thick book, at least for me.
Logos provides many materials as well, including books.
I often use a straight dictionary, and frequently compare different translations/versions to more fully grasp a word’s meaning.
Auxiliary Books and Videos
Depending on what I’m teaching, I like to look beyond the Bible itself for background material.
As a researcher/historian, I’ve taken notes from books, done indepth research of my own (turned into blog posts), and often just take my ladies through the Scriptures themselves, line by line.
I’ve even used novels to get a better sense of what “normal” life might have been like during the Biblical period. (See novels by Lynn Austin, Connilyn Cossette, and Tessa Afshar).
I read books by friends like Latayne Scott or even biographies set in Israel. There’s always the Bible Project videos, too.
I’ve written a lot of posts about Bible studies. You can examine them starting here.
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