What follows in this article relates mainly to the New Testament, although the general principles will apply equally to the Old Testament also
PURPOSE The purpose of Bible study is to increase and deepen our understanding of what God has said to us through it and, indeed, what he continues to say to us.
The various translations available to us are very competent works and, to a large extent, the one we use is a matter of personal choice. But which translation we opt for, it is bound to be imperfect. Remember the old adage: "The Greeks have a word for it"? Well, they always do, but very often we do not have a corresponding word in English. Translators therefore have to select their best option, and very often they choose different ones. Sometimes it would take several English words to express adequately what is meant by one Greek word, but translators usually have to pick one.
Then again, the meaning of a word or phrase might be strongly affected by time and culture. So the same word today might not be understood in the same way. The purpose of Bible study is, therefore, also to uncover these differences in meaning.
THE TOOLS There are a number of tools available to those of us who are not acquainted with New testament Greek. These can be very helpful in taking us to new depths of understanding. Moreover, the range available offers to us different depths of study, depending on how far we want to go. It might be useful, therefore, to indicate, say, three levels and the kinds of tools which can take us to them.
Level One: a study/student's bible; a popular type of general Bible commentary. Level Two: a more scholarly Bible commentary; special commentaries on Bible books of particular interest (e.g. Luke's gospel); an inexpensive concordance; two or three different translations of the Bible. Level Three: a Parallel New Testament In Greek and English; Strong's Concordance; one or more Bible word studies.
The nature of some of these might not be known to every reader. A study Bible has the usual text of the Bible (in whatever translation) plus very detailed notes on the text. The notes explain various aspects, such as the meaning of some words or phrases, the context or culture in which they were used, references to the people who wrote the text and their attitudes, etc. Obviously, as soon as we move away from the Bible text itself, we have to be aware that the commentator will himself have particular values and judgements which influence the way he writes and what he says.
The latter remarks clearly also apply to Bible commentaries. On the other hand, much study and expertise lies behind the expositions which are given in commentaries. So we need also to be aware of the degree of scholarship which lies behind these works. However, what we have called "popular" commentaries do not go into too much depth and hence are relatively quite short and inexpensive. At Level Two we are considering commentaries which do go into considerable depth, are much longer and relatively more expensive. They may also be rather more difficult to understand. Special commentaries come in a range of sizes, levels and sizes, so one need to have a good look at the shelves in bookstores or libraries before buying.
A concordance lists all the words in the Bible. Some are extensive, some are complete in what they include. Cruden's is an inexpensive, though complete concordance. Strong's Concordance is worth its weight in gold -- and that is a very great deal of weight! But it is exhaustive, and every word has a specific number and there are definitions of them all as well as cross references relating to how they were derived.
Word studies concern themselves with a limited selection of words which the author considers to be particularly important or problematic or which need special explanation of their context and the way they were used at the time.
A parallel New Testament in Greek and English is a really good buy and very useful. For example, "The Zondervan Parallel New Testament In Greek And English" comes with three versions of the New Testament, including a literal translation of the Greek which is placed under the Greek text itself so one can see much more easily and more exactly what is being said.
BUYING FROM THE INTERNET It may sound very expensive to acquire all these volumes, and so it can be if all are bought new. But it is usually possible to obtain many, if not all of them, from sites such as Amazon and Abe's Books as used copies. These are often in very good condition.
In Part II of this article we shall look at the methods for using these various tools
In Part I we looked at a variety of different books which constitute tools for studying the Bible These are especially useful for those without a knowledge of Greek but who want to improve their understanding of what the Bible actually says. In Part II we shall be looking at how to use these tools. In the first part we also noted that one can study the Bible at different levels, so it will perhaps be most useful to use that categorisation as the structure here.
LEVEL ONE This level uses a study/student's bible and a popular type of general Bible commentary. The procedure here is quite simple. We choose a book, letter or section which acquires particular interest for us. For the sake of argument, say, this is the eleventh chapter of the Letter to the Hebrews. To study that chapter we might first read it several times to digest what is being said. We could then divide it into several sections, say, vv 1 - 3; 4 - 7; 8 - 11 and so forth. We might then try to summarise in our own words what we think each of these sections is saying to us.
Having thus completed the chapter, we can then consult the notes in our study Bible and amend those we have made if needed. Similarly, we can then consult our Bible commentary and go through a similar process. Comparing our first set of notes with the last set might reveal a quite clear progression in our understanding of Hebrews 11.
LEVEL TWO At this level we are using a more scholarly Bible commentary which goes into greater depth. Similarly, we have a special commentary (e.g. on the Letter to the Hebrews). We can follow a similar approach as in Level I but now the process will be more time consuming.
In addition, we have an inexpensive concordance and two or three different translations of the Bible. The concordance will be useful for looking-up various words of interest. Cruden's gives a definition for a limited number of words which, where they occur, can be quite useful. Thus Hebrews 11 is all about faith and Cruden's gives a definition of, and a short discussion on faith. More generally, such a concordance is useful because one can compare all the occurrences of that word in the Bible to assess its (perhaps different) meanings.
The principle word (e.g. faith) is quoted in italics within the phrase in which it occurs and in different contexts. (Related words will then also be given e.g. faithful, faithless, etc.). Thus one can come to a greater understanding of a word by considering the various contexts and ways in which it is used.
Our understanding will be further increased by comparing two or three (or more!) different translations of the Bible because it is often not possible for a translator to give a word which precisely mirrors the Greek (or Hebrew in the Old Testament). Choices will differ as between translators and the differences can be very reveling. However, be sure in this connection to use only those translations which seek to give as precise as possible a translation. More colloquial translations (such as the "Good News Bible") are fine for beginners seeking to understand difficult part more easily but are not really suitable for our present purpose. But if you have such a copy do, of course, consult it. What it says can be quite surprising.
LEVEL THREE In addition to the above, for this level one also needs a Parallel New Testament In Greek and English; Strong's Concordance; one or more Bible word studies.
These were explained in Part I, so here we need to see how they can be used. Initially one might follow the general approach already outlined above, making one's own notes on the passage being studied. But leave a margin at either side of the page for any subsequent notes that qualify or change what you have said. Then consult the word study to see what is said about the passage. This can often be very enlightening as to the proper understanding of words or phrases; often they are not what one thought! "The Zondervan Parallel New Testament In Greek And English" will also give an NIV and King James Version so it is easier to see what the message is and how different translators render it.
"Strong's Concordance" will come in for heavy use. Every word in the Bible is given a number. In its Main Concordance all these words are given in English, along with the Scripture references. The word "faith", for example, in Hebrews 11.1 is 4102. This can be compared to other places in which a word occurs, so that one can see the context in which it is being used in different instances. Moreover, one can then turn to the Dictionary for either Hebrew or Greek. In, say, the Greek Dictionary, one uses the word's number, such as 4102, to find the word. The Greek version of the word is given first, then possibly another reference (e.g. to number 3982) when the word is the derivative of another. This, of course, can sometimes throw much additional light on its meaning. There will then follow one or perhaps more possible definitions of the word. Comparing these with information from word studies and/or commentaries, one often comes to a much fuller understanding of what a scripture is seeking to tell us.
CONCLUSIONS Bible study is often quite demanding, but it is exciting and worthwhile. If one has a pastor who has the requisite skills and knowledge, it will often be worthwhile to consult him on what you have developed as an understanding. One might also become keen to learn a little Greek. Jim Found's self teaching book "Basic Greek in 30 Minutes a Day" is a great and uncomplicated introduction. In any case, hopefully, once you have started on your own Bible study, the enthusiasm will come to keep it going.
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