Manuscript Bible Study Method

Manuscript bible study method:

This method is one of the most effective way of studying bible. You can really dig deeper into the word of God and find treasures. In the next few paragraphs, I will show you how to use Manuscript bible study method. I am not very strict in following the method and have modified it a bit. I have been blessed in my quiet time and personal bible study (check out: How do do your Quiet Time). I hope and pray that this may be useful to you.

Things you need:

• Wide-margin manuscript of biblical book (You can print the bible passage with wide margin on both sides, if you don’t want to write in your bible.)
• Colored pencils or pen
• Bible dictionary (If available) (Free Bible Study Resources Online)
• Bible concordance (If available)

Observation:

• Look for and write down: (Highlight with different colors)
• Read the passage 2-3 times as you start marking.
• Repeated words and ideas (Assign different colors, symbols)
• Repeated themes (‘Son of God’ etc)
• Contrasts
• Metaphors
• Key words such as ‘therefore’, ‘but’, ‘then’, ‘because’ etc.
• Setting of writing or event
• Time of day, month or year
• Characters
• Cause and effect
• Use Bible dictionary when words, places or peoples identities or customs are unclear.

Interpretation:

• Make connections
• Write down your ideas
• Ask yourself why the author decided to tell the details
• Feel free to draw lines, arrows between different words
• Find out the main message of the passage
• Give few interesting titles for the passage

Application:

• How can you apply what you have learned in your daily life?
• How can you relate to the event or teaching in the passage?
• There can be many applications depending upon the passage you are studying. I will post some of my manuscript bible study. This is the basic method for the manuscript study, you can also add many more things to it.

Check out How to Study Your Bible: The Lasting Rewards of the Inductive Method