Bible Study Tools

Learn to Study the Bible Well

Two of the best and most enjoyable resources for learning to study the Bible are listed below.

Living By the Book: The Art and Science of Reading the Bible

The gift of Bible study was given to me at Grace University in Omaha Nebraska. Our textbook was this classic by Howard Hendricks.

Hendricks’ method of Bible study has proved to be not only effective, but also accurate and transformative. When I learned how to study the Bible, I couldn’t help but be amazed by God. Reading my Bible ceased to be a chore and a checklist item. It became a delight. My Bible became the window through which I observed my powerful, gracious Father demonstrate his holiness and extend his inexhaustible grace.

Over the years it has stirred in me an affection—an actual feeling emotion—for God. I need him, of course, but I also love him. Not so much because I learned to study the Bible, but because in studying, reading, trying, obeying, failing, repenting and falling into his arms of grace, I got a clearer picture of his extravagant love for his people. Even for me.

Searching the Scriptures: Find the Nourishment Your Soul Needs

Swindoll dedicates his book to his lifelong friend, mentor, former professor, Howard Hendricks since much of the material in Swindoll’s book is derived from Hendricks’s. But in his inimitable way, Chuck Swindoll serves it up in a fresh way. He says, “When you get serious about doing your own Bible study, you will no longer be satisfied to sit with only a Bible in your lap.” (Searching the Scriptures, p. 213) Which is not to say the Bible isn’t enough, but that it’s so full and interesting you’ll be compelled to learn as much as you can about the Author, His writers, their world and their original audiences.

To help you get those tools in your lap, so to speak, I’ve curated the following list:

Free, Online Bible Study Tools

{These are my favorites, and the resources I use most often in personal study and writing.}

Biblehub.com: For word studies, type the reference into the search bar. Click on INT or Interlinear. You will see each word from the verse and it’s Greek or Hebrew counterpart. Click on the number to the upper left of the word. That will lead you to the original word, definition, how it was used in other literature at that time etc. Hint: there is a load of information at Biblehub. Don’t be overwhelmed. Use what is helpful to you. Explore the site as you have time.

Biblegateway.com: A Bible concordance. Type the word you want to look up, choose the version you’re working with, and search. Biblegateway will list all occurrences of that word in that version. Hint: check other versions.

Easton’s Bible Dictionary: Even a regular dictionary has provided insights for me in Bible study. This Bible dictionary is helpful in additional to a regular dictionary. Hint: Not all Bible words are included in Easton’s, but many major words are.

Biblegateway Commentaries: Free, online Bible commentaries!

Biblehub Commentaries: More free online Bible commentaries! Hint: Many of them are very old, and the reading is both challenging and beautiful.
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{This page includes affiliate links to books on amazon.com, which means if you buy the book(s) through one of these links, amazon will pay me a few cents for letting you know about these books, but you will not be charged any extra.}