Study of a Verse

Inductive method of study the Bible has three main steps:
1. Observation
2. Interpretation
3. Application

This method can be used in several ways:
1. Study of a verse
2. Analytical study (the study of a paragraph or a chapter)
3. Synthetic study (the study of a book of the Bible)
4. Thematic study (the study of a theme of the Bible)
5. Biographical study (the study of a character of the Bible)

So, the study of a verse is an application of the inductive method to study one verse of the Bible. This study also has the same three steps: observation, interpretation, and application. The study of a verse is the most simple way of inductive study.

The following material is based on the books:
1. Walter Henrichsen, Gayle Jackson Studying, Interpreting, and Applying the Bible
2. Understanding the Bible (published by ICI)

The study of a verse is the study of one verse in its nearest context.

1. Read the verse carefully several times and think of a title for it. This will help you to understand the main idea of the verse.
2. Read the verse again and mention all the facts you can find. Find clear and hidden facts. Give answers to questions (you may not be able to find answers to some of them):
1) Who? (Who are the people mentioned or implied here?)
2) Where? (Where do the actions take place?)
3) When? (When do the actions take place?)
4) What? (What is going on here?)
5) Why? (Why did that happen?)
6) How? (How did the actions take place?)
3. Consider what this verse means and how you can apply it.
4. Find the context of the verse. If you use an edition of the Bible where verses are grouped into paragraphs, you can take a paragraph as the context of the verse.
5. Write down all the facts you can find in the context.
6. Think of the main idea of each verse.
7. Define the main idea of the paragraph.
8. Write down the main contents of the paragraph in one sentence.
9. Consider the connection between the verses.
10. Think of the title for the paragraph.
11. Find the parallel verses for each verse that contain similar ideas. You can find them in concordance.
12. Consider how you can apply this paragraph.