Passage Study Guide

Remember to pray before, during, and after reading Scripture as we need the Holy Spirit to understand.

1. Pray for the Holy Spirit to reveal God's truth to you

2. Context

1. Author?

2. Audience?

3. Time period?

4. Location?

5. Genre?

3. Read

1. Look at the book outline

2. Read at least previous passage, selected passage, & next passage

1. Summarize Previous passage?

2. Summarize Current passage?

3. Summarize Next passage?

3. Read the selected passage in at least 2 other translations

1. Translations?

4. Read again in translation that seemed best

1. Best Translation for this passage?

4. Examine

1. Cross References

1. How do they expand your understanding: passage, context, or certain words?

2. What stands out?

1. Questions:

2. Anything that disproves what is commonly said or I believe about this passage?

3. Noticed:

3. Relevant to this passage…

1. Author bio?

2. Audience bio?

4. What are your prejudgments?

1. What is your culture telling you about this passage? What is the passage really saying instead?

2. What other stories does this remind you of?

5. Does this pattern/story repeat in Scripture multiple times?

1. Which passages?

6. Words

1. Repetitive?

2. Contrast/Comparison?

3. List?

4. Cause & Effect?

5. Figures of Speech?

6. Conjunctions? (and, but, therefore, for)

7. Verbs?

8. Pronouns? (our, us, I, you, she, it, this)

7. Engage the senses

1. Feel?

2. See?

3. Hear?

4. Smell?

5. Taste?

8. Trinity

1. Where is God the Father?

2. Where is Jesus?

3. Where is the Holy Spirit?

9. What has changed from the beginning at the end?

1. Does this story really end well or does a future passage show otherwise?

10. What is left out of the story? Look at the gaps, events announced, and then already happened, but skip the occurrence.

11. Is the author or character being sarcastic? Try different tones.

12. Are they doing the opposite/differently than what they're telling you? Don't take it at face value. Look for irony.

5. Look at 3 commentaries best for this book and add notes above.

6. Purpose

1. Original Author's

1. Concerns/Problems?

2. Goal?

2. God's

1. How is it about Jesus?

2. What problems or promises can only Jesus solve?

7. Application

1. What do we share in common with the original concerns/problems?

2. How does this text point to Christ as the solution to these concerns/problems?

3. What should we do or believe differently because of this text?