BIBLE STUDY METHODS

INTRODUCTION:

There are many commentaries written on the different books of the Bible. Some are good, useful
and worthwhile. However, it would be better if each of us would dedicate ourselves to studying
the Bible thoroughly, trying to extract the biblical truths for ourselves.

The definition of the Biblical Study Method could be considered as that process by which we
learn through the observation of a series of facts, to obtain a general conclusion as a result,
starting as a reference standard from the specific to the generic.

Next, we will look at six methods of systematic Bible study that will help us when we want to do
such particular studies.

These are:

To extract data: To reason:

- SYNTHETIC - INDUCTIVE
- HISTORICAL - THEOLOGICAL
- BIOGRAPHICAL - DEVOTIONAL

1. THE SYNTHETIC METHOD:

Explanation of the method

The word SYNTHESIS comes from the Greek word "PUT TOGETHER"; therefore, when we
synthesize a piece of writing, we are summarizing the content of its parts in short sentences, in
order to see the broad outline of the content of that writing.
In this way, this method consists of determining the literary generalities of the text and outlining it
systematically.
The development of this method includes the following steps:

a. Determine the MAIN THEME of the text in question:

Advantages of knowing the subject of a writing:

1. Knowing where the author is aiming:
2. Knowing why certain writings were included or not.

b. Determine what was the PURPOSE for which it was written:

The purpose is closely related to the subject. If I know the purpose, I will better
understand the content of the letter or writing.

When Mark wrote his gospel, he wanted to introduce Jesus Christ to the Romans. We therefore
see that his letter, brief and dynamic at the same time, adapts to the way of life of his recipients
(men of action); presenting an active Christ, transforming his environment for the better as he
goes.

c. Determine what the KEY PHRASE OR TEXT is:

Where the author presents or summarizes (so to speak) the topic he is going to discuss. As an
example we can cite the case of the book of Judges, where the key phrase or text is the oft-
repeated verse: “At that time there was no king in Israel, each man did what was right in his own
eyes.” (Judg. 17:6; 21:25)

d. Determine what the ATMOSPHERE or environment was in which the book was
written:

In this case, the aim is to find out the state of mind in which the book was written. This can
be:
Desperation, enthusiasm, reference, urgency, joy, humility, fear, tension, persuasion,
condemnation, questioning, worry, encouragement, etc.

e. Determine the TONE the author uses when writing his book.

This consists of determining the way the author chooses to present the topic. Tone can be
developed in the form of:
didactics (i.e. teaching)
polemical (i.e., to produce discussion)
devotional (that is, to inspire greater dedication to God)
historical (that is, to narrate an event)
One aid in finding the tone of a writing is to look for key words that are repeated. For example,
throughout the book of Hebrews the word "better" is repeated, leading the reader of the writing
to have a devotional attitude toward the subject of the writing. In this way we determine that the
tone of the letter to the Hebrews is devotional.

f. Determine the LITERARY STYLE that the author chose to develop his writing.

In this step we define the writing style used by the author to develop the material.

As a reminder, we can find the following literary styles:

 Poetry:
It is deeply emotional and personal. It doesn't rhyme. The length of your lines doesn't
matter. It is built around an elaborate design. It relies heavily on the use of parallelism.
For example, the psalms.

 Prose:
It is a biography or history. It is described in chronological order.
Appeals to emotion or imagination. It includes interesting details that should not be
milked for spiritual truth. Example: 2 Chron. 17

 Speech:
It attempts to strengthen a truth, in a logical and reasoned way, appealing to the intellect.
Example: Acts. 7:2-53

 Parable:
For example, the parables of Jesus.

 Revelation:
It is the most difficult to understand. It is generally rich in rhetorical figures (especially
symbols and types). Describes visions according to the eye of the beholder.
Example: Dan.7

 Drama or dramatic prose:

It is generally narrated in the first person, appealing to emotions. Example: Ez.
16:3-34
 g. Locate the different ANNOUNCEMENTS CONCERNING THE CONTENT that may be
throughout the writing.

Many times the author says something or states, as if it were a title, what he will later
develop. An example of this we see in Mat. 1:1.

h. Find the LITERARY STRUCTURE on which the author developed the writing.

The Bible books are not a disorganized collection of unrelated thoughts. In writing, the author
selected and organized the material, conveying a train of thought as clearly as possible.

To do this, we will need to extract the structure of the writing, which is the skeleton, the
framework that gives unity to the book, that is, the outline or set of main ideas that the author had
in mind when beginning to write his book.

Application of the method:

Next, we will apply the synthetic method to the book of Philemon.

(Make a first reading of the epistle in question)
From this reading we conclude that:

to. THEME: T h e t h e m e o f t h e b o o k c o n s i s t s o f a r e q u e s t b y P a u l f o r
Onesimus,
b. PURPOSE: and that Paul's purpose is for Philemon to treat Onesimus well when he
returns with him.
(Perform a second reading of the epistle in question)
From this reading we conclude that:
c. DEVELOPMENT: the key text is in vs. 10 ay 12 b;
d. ATMOSPHERE: t h e m o o d i n w h i c h t h e b o o k i s w r i t t e n i s o n e o f
humility, but written with persuasion, recommending a course of
action to be taken by Philemon
and. TONE: a n d t h e w a y P a u l e m p h a s i z e s t h e t h e m e i s i n
the form of teaching.
(Perform a third reading of the epistle in question)
From this reading we determine:
F. LITERARY FORM: the type of writing used:
poetry, it is not;
prose, either;
speech, may be...; parable,
no;
revelation, no
and drama.... neither....
Therefore, we conclude that the type of writing chosen is ...discourse.

g. and the ANNOUNCEMENTS CONCERNING THE CONTENT: which, in this case,

do not exist.

h. OUTLINE: Finally we try to outline the book.

The result would be something like this:

YO. Paul greets the recipients of the letter (vs. 1-3) II.
Virtues of Philemon (vs. 4-7)
 TO. Recognition of those virtues (vs. 4-6) B. His
influence on others (vs.7)
III. Request regarding Onesimus (vs. 8-21) A.
Presentation of the request (vs. 8-12)
B. Reasons for ordering (vs. 13-16)
C. Final call to heed the request (vs. 17-21) IV.
Request for accommodation (vs. 22)
V. Farewell (vs.23-25) A.
Greetings (vs.23-24)
B. Final blessing (vs. 25)

2- THE HISTORICAL METHOD:

Definition:
"It is the discovery of the historical background in its broadest form."
That is to say, through this method we try to know in depth the culture, geography and history of
the time in which the text we want to study was written.

Why is it necessary?
It often happens that we misinterpret some biblical facts, because we do not know their historical,
cultural or geographical environment.

To illustrate this, two examples suffice:

In Gen. 31:19, we find the story where Rachel secretly takes her father Laban's idols. At first glance we
would judge that Rachel was an idolater, and we would end up not understanding Laban's attitude in
getting so angry. However, if we knew the historical context of this story, we would discover that, among
the customs of the time, the son who kept his father's idols was the one who inherited all of his father's
possessions.

The same thing happens with Luke. 10:4, where we find Jesus ordering his disciples not to greet anyone
on the road, an attitude that seems somewhat rude at first glance. However, with this command Jesus
was urging them to make good use of their time (given the importance that preaching had for him) and
not to waste time on long rituals that lacked importance (as was the custom of greeting at that time).

How to get the information?

To discover this historical background, the student must begin in the very book of the Bible he is
studying, paying attention to any information that the book might provide.
Then, using a good concordance, look for historical data in other books of the Bible that provide
information. For example, in the historical books of the Old Testament, we can find information
that helps us understand the content of the prophetic books; or in Acts, we can find data that
helps us in our study of any of the Pauline epistles.
Finally, it will help us to research encyclopedias, Bible dictionaries, compendiums, history,
geography or archaeology books, Bible manuals and books on customs from Bible times.

Items included:
A good development of the historical method of a biblical book may include:
to. the date it was written.
b. the place where it was written.
c. the occasion on which it was written, that is, what its author was experiencing at the
time of writing it.
d. the identity of the author
and. the characteristics and problems of the recipients.
F. the literature that existed at that time
g. the customs of that time
 h. the beliefs and religions of that time.
Yo. the social, political, geographical and spiritual environment of the author, the recipient
and the people involved in the writing.

3. BIOGRAPHICAL METHOD:

Introduction:

In this study method, a biblical character is selected and details about his or her character and life
are sought in the Scriptures. When one studies biographically, one comes into contact with a
person, becoming an experience that causes changes in life through which we can identify with
said characters. The application of this study comes when we examine our own lives in light of the
study, expecting God to help us make positive changes in character and other areas of
personality. This results in maturity and spiritual growth.

Types of biographies:
When God allowed data about a person's life to be related in the Bible, it was because He had
a purpose in mind for it.
If we look for reasons for including a biography in the Scriptures, we can find four, namely:

to. Simple narration. To detail the facts as a recording material relating them to the biblical
character. An example of this can be found in 2
Sam. 18, where the death of Absalom is recounted.

b. Narrative Exposition. To teach a historical lesson, that is, to use a man's life to teach a
lesson.
Joshua chapter 7 is an example of this, where we are taught what happened to Israel
when it sinned (although it was only Achan who did it) and trusted in itself (by not
Joshua consulted God on the strategy to take Ai).

c. Character Exhibition. To teach a person's spiritual progress.

Such is the case, for example, of the inclusion of practically the entire life of Jacob.
Throughout her history we can see the fruit of God's dealings with her life.

d. Argument. To convince or present evidence to support a statement made.

Stephen in his defense (Acts chapter 7), is a good example of what we are talking about.

Development of the method

For the development of this method the following steps are recommended:

to. Data collection b. Data interpretation c. Data organization:

TEN STEPS to conduct a biographical study:

to. SELECT the person to study
b. MAKE A LIST of references (Concordance)
c. WRITE your first impressions (1st Reading)
d. MAKE A CHRONOLOGICAL OUTLINE (2nd Reading)
and. START studying the person (3rd Reading)
F. IDENTIFY your qualities and character (4th Reading)
g. OBSERVE other truths that illustrate his life
h. SUMMARIZE the main lessons you have found
Yo. WRITE a personal application
j. ORGANIZE your study to be able to communicate it.
 4. INDUCTIVE METHOD:

Definition of the term:

The "Larousse" dictionary tells us that induction is: "A way of reasoning that consists of
drawing general conclusions from particular facts."
This form of reasoning goes from the particular to the general.

The inductive method is "discovery study"

The student, as he reads, must discover (not invent) the truths contained in the Scriptures.
This was Paul's prayer in Eph. 1:17,18. To do this, the student must draw out the spiritual
truths for himself (without the help of commentaries). Reading should not be superficial or
careless, but with prayer, asking the Author who inspired them (the Holy Spirit) to open our
eyes.

The inductive method is one by which a biblical passage is subjected to research, in

order to obtain general conclusions about its content, and is based on three simple
steps:

1. Observation: look in detail at everything related to said passage, its historical-cultural

context, who said it, to whom it was said, when it was said, etc.
2. Interpretation: Tries to give meaning to everything that has been discovered in order to
reach the relevant conclusions. In the first step, the student has been concerned with what
the author says. The second step is to discover what the author means; that is, to try to
correctly exegete the text in question.
3. Application: Evaluate the areas where everything discovered can be applied.
After doing the exegesis of the text, we do the hermeneutics itself, seeking the
application of the text to our lives.

Let's see an example of the application of this method:

Applying the inductive method to Ezra 7:10 we can obtain the following results: “For Ezra had
prepared his heart to seek the law of the Lord, and to do it, and to teach statutes and judgments in
Israel,” (Ezra 7:10).

Base Text Observation Interpretation Application Another Text that

reinforces
For Ezra A man Ezra was a priest All Christians should (Ezra 7:6).
had named Ezra who returned from imitate Ezra's
prepared prepared his deportation to attitude regarding
his heart heart Jerusalem after the the emphasis he
Babylonian exile and gave to the word of
had prepared his God.
heart to begin a
reform through the
word of God.
to inquire I prepare The first step he took We must, like Ezra, (John 5:39).
into the law your heart to was to prepare his prepare our hearts (2 Peter 3:18).
of the Lord study the heart to diligently to diligently study
word of God study the word of the Bible.
God.

and to fulfill I prepare my The second step he We must strive to (James 1:22-25).
it heart to fulfill took was to put into live according to the
it practice the law he statutes of God's
had learned. word.
and to I prepare Finally, he prepared We must be diligent (2 Timothy 4:1-2).
teach in your heart to his heart not only to in teaching the word
Israel his teach you live what he had of God to other
statutes learned, but to teach people.
and others the word of
judgments God.

5. THEOLOGICAL METHOD:

This method is applied by choosing a key word and studying the biblical development that this
word has in the book being considered or in the entire Bible.
That is, it is the systematic study of what the Bible or a biblical book tells me about a given topic.
This may or may not be exhaustive, depending on the time and the particular desire to carry it
out.
A concordance will be a good tool to help us carry out this method. But the best thing is to
READ, looking for indirect references to the chosen topic, which may not be found in a
concordance.
Below we will see the procedure that can be followed:

1. Divide into three columns:

Reference Content Observation

(Biblical Quote) (What it says in the quote) (Conclusions I arrived at)

As we read, write down the reference and what it says in that place, directly or indirectly in
relation to the chosen words.

2. Define words carefully depending on the context.

Let us be very careful with preconceived ideas!

3. Group the different references by ideas, assigning them a title. This can be done by using
different cards for each new idea.

4. Make an organized outline on the chosen topic

5. Summarize the original ideas in one sentence.

6. Analyze them carefully with prayer, meditating on these truths in relation to yourself.

7. Synthesize the sketch made in a final composition.

6. DEVOTIONAL METHOD
All of the methods studied are paramount to effective Bible study, but the "crown of all study" is the
devotional method, by which the truths discovered are brought in and applied to the needs of the
individual believer. In other words, the devotional method PERSONALIZES Bible study.

The word "devotion" means:

- Love for God and his Word. - Bow. - Sincerity. - Stillness.

One author offers this definition for this method:

"Devotional study is not so much a technique as it is a spiritual study. It is the spirit of fervor
that seeks the mind of God, it is the spirit of humility that decides to loyally fulfill the will of
God, it is the spirit of worship that wants to remain and remains in the presence of God."

The devotional method allows for much flexibility, and can be applied to a single word, a verse, a
phrase, a chapter, or an entire book of the Bible. However, the plan is basically one, and
includes six steps:

Structure of the devotional method

1. Central idea of the text

2. Key verse
3. Main teachings
4. Personal application of the text
5. Parallel or related passages in the text: (Use a concordance to strengthen teaching.
6. Outline (Homiletics Question): Divided into three paragraphs.
 Brief introduction
 Main theme
 Applications: Final conclusions.

Example of the devotional method

BIBLE READING: Mark 3:1-6

1. Central idea of the text: What is lawful to do?

2. Key Verse: “And he said to them, ‘Which is lawful to do on the Sabbath days, to do
good, or to do evil: to save life, or to kill it? ’ But they kept silent” Mark 3:4

3. Key teachings:
 Love your neighbor as yourself
 We must have mercy on others, helping them regardless of what they will say,
 Choose to do good and refuse to do evil.
 Put aside “religiosity” (rituals) and practice love towards our neighbor (Values)

4. Personal application of the text: What should be my attitude from now on?
 Love our neighbor as ourselves
 Just as Jesus had mercy on this man, so we too must have mercy on others.
 Teaching others to understand God's will when faced with a dilemma, that is,
what God wants us to do.
 Not to practice “religiosity” but to put into practice the most important thing, love
for our neighbor.

5. Passages parallel to or related to the text.

 To the text Mt. 12:9-14 Lc. 6:6-11
 Love Mr. 12:30-31
 Mercy Mt. 5:7, 9:36, James. 3:17
  Do not practice religion Mt 5:17. Lc. 11:42-52, Mt. 23:3

6. Sketch: “________________________________________”

Key Verse: “And he said to them, ‘Which is lawful to do on the Sabbath days, to do
good, or to do evil: to save life, or to kill it? ’ But they kept silent” Mark 3:4

1. Brief Introduction (Motivation that comes from the central idea)

2. Central Theme: Main Teachings (Include parallel texts)
3. Application and conclusion: Questions may be included

Literature

1. L. Berkof, 2005. Principles of Biblical Interpretation.

2. Ernesto Trenchert. Interpretation systems.
3. “Educational Resources for Sunday School Teachers” [Link]