Start with the words that are written.
Read the whole statement carefully. Notice the individual words, repeated expressions, contrasts, conditions, and connecting words. Do not add an idea that the verse itself does not say.
Read · Consider · Apply
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A place to begin
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Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.2 Timothy 2:15 · KJV
A careful approach to Biblical study
Work the Word with care.
Begin with what is written. Follow the context, identify who is being addressed, compare related Scriptures, and use research tools only to help illuminate the Biblical text—not to replace it.
Follow the context.
Read what comes before and after. Follow the subject, the argument, and the development of the record so that one verse is not separated from the thought surrounding it.
Identify who is being addressed.
Ask who is speaking, who is being spoken to, and where the passage fits in the Biblical administration. Interpretation and application depend on keeping the audience straight.
Let clear Scriptures shed light on difficult ones.
Do not build a conclusion on an obscure statement alone. Compare it with clear passages and with other Scriptures dealing with the same subject.
Study Biblical usage.
Look at how a word or expression is used elsewhere in Scripture. A modern English definition may be helpful, but Biblical usage and context must govern the study.
Consider culture and figures of speech.
Manners, customs, orientalisms, and figures of speech can clarify expressions that may be unfamiliar to a modern reader. Treat this background as research and keep the Scripture itself primary.
Ask disciplined questions.
What is the passage saying?
What is it not saying?
What is being emphasized?
What would the original hearers have understood?
How does this fit with the rest of the subject in Scripture?
How does the truth apply today?
Use the tools
Move from observation into research.
Open the surrounding chapter, compare related passages, check the BLB interlinear and concordance, explore the Research Center, and keep your notes together as you work.
This is a local study guide for God’s Word Tampa. It is not presented as an official class outline or publication of The Way International.
Scripture: KJV. Selected passages are included with the site; additional references use Bible API. Text and source information.