Table of Contents

Inductive Bible Study - 7 Steps to an Inductive Bible Study

  1. Background
    Who is the author? Why was it written? Learn the historical background, dates, key people and so on. Some Bibles have summaries at the beginning of each book that will provide some of this information. A Bible dictionary or online commentary can also be helpful for an inductive Bible study.

  2. Personal Paraphrase
    Write out each verse or section of verses in your own words. This helps you understand each verse in wording that makes more sense to you.

    Example: Original Verse: “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope … ” (1 Timothy 1:1, NIV).

    Personal Paraphrase: Paul, a proclaimer of Jesus Christ, obeying the instructions of God who is the One who saves us, and of Jesus Christ who is our hope.

  3. Questions and Answers
    Write down and then answer any questions you have about the passage or any confusing terms.

    Example: (Q) What does the word “apostle” mean? What does it mean to be one? (A) The Greek word apostolos comes from the verb apostello, which means “to send forth.” So to be an apostle means to be someone who is sent forth—in this case by Christ to spread His message.

  4. Cross References
    Make note of any similar or related passages that come to mind while you’re reading, paraphrasing, and asking questions about the passage. Consult a concordance, study guide, or footnotes to collect additional related passages.

    Example:
    Apostle: 2 Corinthians 1:1
    God my Savior: Titus 1:3
    Christ our hope: Colossians 1:27

  5. Insights
    If you observe something that relates to any part of the passage, write it down. After completing your own thoughts and analysis, consult a Bible commentary for additional insight.

    Example: Paul was commanded by God to be an apostle. It wasn’t something he decided to do on his own.

  6. Personal Application
    Example: (1 Timothy 1:1): Just like Paul, I need to see that I’m tasked with being Christ’s ambassador, authorized and sent out with a divine message. I’ll only be effective in my mission if I’m aware of my status as a divinely appointed witness.

  7. Title and Summarize
    After completing a verse-by-verse analysis of a chapter, give it a title and identify a key verse or verses. This helps solidify the chapter’s message in your mind. Write a summary paragraph outlining the chapter’s thesis. Repeat the process for each chapter until the book is completed, and then give it a collective title.

PaRDeS

PaRDeS refers to (types of) approaches to biblical exegesis in rabbinic Judaism or to interpretation of text in Torah study. The term, sometimes also rendered PaRDeS, is an acronym formed from the initials of the following four approaches [wikipedia]:

  • Peshat (פְּשָׁט‎) – “surface” (“straight”) or the literal (direct) meaning.
  • Remez (רֶמֶז‎) – “hints” or the deep (allegoric: hidden or symbolic) meaning beyond just the literal sense.
  • Derash (דְּרַשׁ‎) – from Hebrew darash: “inquire” (“seek”) – the comparative (midrashic) meaning, as given through similar occurrences.
  • Sod (סוֹד‎) (pronounced with a long O as in ‘lore’) – “secret” (“mystery”) or the esoteric/mystical meaning, as given through inspiration or revelation.

Peshat (פְּשָׁט‎) – “surface” (“straight”) or the literal (direct) meaning. (See PaRDeS).

Word Study

The following is from logos.com/how-to/bible-word-study.

1. Set Expectations

Word studies are helpful because they can illuminate the significance of biblical concepts like justification or repentance. But you can’t just search for the word “joy” to find every time the Bible employs the concept of joy. Psalm 150, for example, is a psalm bursting with joy, but the word is never used. Studying the use of a particular biblical word is helpful, but we must be careful not to derive too much meaning from a word study. Ultimately, we are interested in concepts. Word studies are merely a means for understanding biblical concepts, and the results of our study must be considered in light of the overall biblical witness concerning a given concept.

2. Choose a Word

As you are studying a biblical text, look for words that might deserve a closer look. For example, let’s say you’re studying Matthew 4 and you come upon verse 4:

“But [Jesus] answered, ‘It is written, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.”’”

As you’re reading through this verse, you wonder “Is there any significance to the use of the phrase ‘every word‘?” This is an example of the kind of question that may lead to a profitable word study.

3. Research Biblical Word Usage

Once you’ve chosen a word for your word study, you need to examine word usage. There are three steps you’ll need to take to accomplish this:

  1. Research Word Occurrences and Translation
    You want to see how many times and where your word appears in the Bible. You can do this with a concordance (which can take quite a while) or do it in a couple clicks with Logos.
  2. Research Lexicon Entries
    “Lexicon” is just another word for a specialized dictionary. In this case, a dictionary on Greek or Hebrew words. Keep in mind that dictionaries don’t determine meaning, they are simply a quick reference that captures how words are used.
  3. Research Senses of the Word
    Words can be used in many different ways; they have a range of meaning. Logos has a built-in tool called the Bible Sense Lexicon that shows you all the different senses a word might have in Scripture. Consulting this will help you better understand possible translations for your word.

[VIDEO: on Logos website]