Bible Study 101
Bible Study 101 is your essential guide to understanding and studying the Bible with confidence. Learn the foundational skills to explore Scripture, discover the best study tools, and master how to use them effectively. Whether you’re a beginner or looking to deepen your study habits, this resource will equip you to engage with God’s Word in a meaningful way.
Bible Study 101: Categories
Click the photo to browse the articles in each category.
Theory
How Tos
Genre
Study Tools
Biblical Greek
Greek Word Studies
Bible Study 101 Latest Articles
How to Use Bible Background
Background is your flashlight, not your steering wheel. Use it to illuminate the author’s path. Then keep walking where the paragraph leads
How to Use Commentaries
How to Use Commentaries wisely: when to open them, which ones to read, and how to compare, without replacing your own study.
How to Study Psalms & Proverbs
How to Study Psalms & Proverbs made simple. Spot parallelism, read in stanzas, and apply God’s wisdom with simple, clear steps.
How to Cross Reference
Learn how to cross reference Scripture with a simple method: start near, test relevance, and let clear verses explain hard ones. Tools, examples, FAQs.
How to Study Epistles
Learn a simple six-step method to study New Testament epistles: trace arguments, define key terms, and apply Scripture with confidence. Free checklist.
Bible Study 101: Must‑Read Books for Confident Scripture Study
Start your Bible study journey with these must-read books. Build confidence, gain insight, and grow in your understanding of Scripture.
Greek Reference Books You Can Access Online for Free
Greek Reference Books Online: Where to find free online biblical Greek dictionaries, lexicons and concordances from WednesdayintheWord.com
Understanding Jesus
When I was a new believer, the words of Jesus were baffling. Thankfully, I’ve grown to understand him. I have reached two conclusions about the teaching of Jesus.
Online Bible Dictionaries & Lexicons You Can Access Free
After gathering an idea of the word’s meaning from your own study, it’s a good time to check the conclusions of other scholars and reference works. Here are some free online places to look.
50 Modern Bible Commentaries You Can Read Online
You’re probably aware that many classic commentaries are free online, but did you know many modern commentaries (written after 1970) are also online?
How to use e-sword to parse a word
Even if you don’t know biblical Greek or Hebrew, you can do a lot with the original languages, if you understand some basic grammar and have a few good tools.
Unlock Bible Passages by Analyzing Their Structure
Watch for these things when you’re making an analytical outline.
10 rules for interpreting the Bible + an example
Wayne Grudem’s 10 rules for how to interpret the Bible. The first 3 rules are the most important.
Understanding Biblical Greek Punctuation & Accents
Even if you’re using an interlinear Bible, it’s helpful to understand the basic punctuation marks and accents.
How to use e-sword as a concordance
One of the basic parts of a word study is finding and comparing the uses of the word in the rest of Scripture. Before the internet, we used a physical concordance. Here’s how to locate quickly accomplish this task using my favorite Bible study software: e-sword.
How to use a concordance
Suppose the internet is down and you want to study your Bible. You want to study the word “blessed” in the beatitudes, but you’ve forgotten how to use your physical concordance. Here’s a refresher.
How to find Strong’s number
Strong’s numbers have become the “industry standard” and many other biblical reference works are keyed to Strong’s numbers. Here’s how to find them.
Understanding Biblical Greek Cases
The different functions words can perform in a sentence are called cases. In Greek, case — not word order — indicates the word’s function in a sentence, making it important to understand cases.
Understanding Biblical Greek Prepositions
Here’s my running summary of Greek prepositions and their main meanings depending on case.
Grammar Made Simple for Bible Students
One way to understand Biblical Greek is comparing and contrasting it with English grammar. Lack of knowledge of English grammar can be an unexpected obstacle to learning biblical Greek. Here are some basics you may want to review before embarking on learning biblical Greek.
Understanding the Gospels
The gospels are unique in content, although they are similar in form to ancient biographies.
Understanding Apocalyptic Literature
Apocalyptic literature is a sub-category of prophecy. The name comes from the Greek word apocalypsis which means uncovering or unveiling.
Should I learn Biblical Greek & Hebrew?
After a few years of Bible study, students often begin asking, “Should I learn biblical Greek and Hebrew?” While the tools for English readers continue to improve and less people are learning the original languages, knowing the original languages can be helpful. You can learn enough to widen the tools available to you and/or learn to read Scripture in the original language.
Interpretation Terms Defined: The Bible Study Glossary You Can Actually Understand
Exegesis, eisegesis, hermeneutics? Wondering what all those terms mean? Here’s the definitions.
Augustine’s 9 Principles of Interpretation: A Practical Guide
Learn how Augustine interpreted Scripture. A practical guide to reading the Bible from one of church history’s greatest thinkers..
Word Study Shortcuts
While I recommend you learn how to do your own word studies, here are some shortcuts you can take to save time, to get past “study block” or compare your ideas with someone else’s.
20 Online Resources for Deeper Bible Study
Online resources to help you study: maps, charts, outlines, key words, etc. On this one page, you’ll find links to websites and Bible study software.
Understanding Biblical Greek Verbs
Bible Study software has made biblical Greek more accessible for those who never learned the language. Now with 1 click you can access the Greek word and its conjugation but what are you looking at? Here’s a helpful primer on Greek verbs.
3 Tips for Bible Study in a Post-truth World
3 Tips for Bible Study in a Post-truth World. We may be more interested in emotion than facts, but good Bible study methods haven’t changed.
16 things to do while your Bible study is on break
Make the most of your Bible study break with these practical and enriching ideas. From organizing past notes to preparing for your next study or exploring something new, discover meaningful ways to stay engaged in Scripture.
Understanding Hebrew Poetry
The key to understanding Hebrew poetry and Wisdom Literature is knowing that the “rhyme” of ideas is more important than the sounds. This “rhyming” of ideas is called parallelism.
Mastering Bible Study Interpretation
After you’ve done your observation, word studies, outlining and answered the questions you generated, it’s time to start putting it all together. In this step, you want to collect, refine and organize all those details you observed into a coherent meaning.
Figurative Language in the Bible: How to Read Imagery & Metaphor Well
We use figurative language all the time: “I’ll have to face the music.” “I’m bored to tears.” “She has a green thumb.” “Don’t let the cat out of the bag.” “He died of embarrassment.” Biblical writers also used figurative language and vivid imagery. How are we to understand it?