Bible Study Tools
Inductive Study
Inductive study is learning how to exegete (explain or critically interpret) the Bible for all it is worth.
Though the methods for inductive study are extensive, the basic format is as follows.
 Ask: Who, What, Where, When, Why, and How. These simple questions will help you
figure out most all that you need to know about the text. For Example: Who wrote the
letter? Who is it addressed to? What conflict or situation was happening at the time?
Where was the letter written? Where are the characters located when something is
happening? When did a particular event happen? Why did it happen? Why did people
respond in a certain way? How did something happen?
 There are four main methods to keep I mind when studying the Bible.
o Observation – What does it say? What is the text saying exactly? This could be
literal, a figure of speech, a parable, etc. Try to understand what it is saying at
face value.
o Interpretation – What does it mean? Take what the text is saying and determine
what the implications (meaning, significance) are for the intended audience (the
audience the book was written for at the time).
o Application - How do I apply it to my life now? Now that you know what the text
is saying and what it meant for the original audience, you must now figure out
what it means for your own life. Not everything will be transferable to our
modern lives. However, though the situations may vary slightly, the truths
presented are eternal.
o CONTEXT – Context is KING when it comes to studying the Bible. Context is
the background, circumstance, situation, framework, and perspective of the
passage. Remember, our Bible was written thousands of years ago over a period
of hundreds of years by over 40 authors. When each piece was written, it was by
someone in a certain time, with a certain background and culture and lifestyle, in
a different language, to a specific audience, for a specific reason. When studying,
one of the most important things you must do is keep in mind the context. Also,
when looking at a verse, word, or passage, look at the verses before and after the
one you’re studying in order to clarify what is being said and why.
For a further, more in depth look into how do an inductive study, check out these sites:
http://preceptaustin.org/inductive_bible_study.htm
and
http://preceptaustin.org/
Bible Thesaurus
A thesaurus is similar to a dictionary in that it lists the definitions of people, places, words, themes,
and events. It differs significantly in that it specializes in listing words in groups of synonyms and
related concepts. For example, if you want to search for the concept of divine love, you could look
up “love” in a Bible Thesaurus and follow its suggestions to find other passages with the theme of
love. This is useful when trying to understand: a theme presented in a particular book, a theme
presented in multiple books, and how a theme is presented throughout scripture.
Online Resources:
http://biblethesaurus.org/
http://bibleencyclopedia.com/
Real Books:
 Roget’s Thesaurus of the Bible – A. Colin Day
Bible Dictionary
A Bible dictionary is a reference work containing definitions and explanations of people, places,
things, customs, doctrine, and language. This is useful when studying in greater detail the history,
origin, purpose and explanation of any particular topic. Bible dictionaries can very in their
specificity, ranging from: broad coverage common topics, to customs, to beliefs to people, or places.
A Bible dictionary is one of the most indispensable tools one can have in their library.
Online Resources:
http://www.biblegateway.com/resources/dictionaries/
http://preceptaustin.org/Bible_Dictionaries.htm
http://bibledictionaries.com/
Real Books:
 Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary – Charles W. Draper, Chad Brand, Archie England
 Zondervan Illustrated Bible Dictionary – J.D. Douglas, Merrill C. Tenney, Moises
 Silva Nelson’s Student Bible Dictionary: A Complete Guide to Understanding the World of
the Bible – Ronald F. Youngblood, F.F. Bruce, R.K. Harrison
 Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of the Old and New Testament Words: With Topical
Index – W.E. Vine, Merrill F. Unger
Bible Commentary
A commentary is verse by verse study and in-depth reflection upon the Bible. They are usually
written by one scholar per book of the Bible. Commentaries range from studies of individual books
of the Bible to systematic studies of the whole Bible. Commentaries are useful when wanting to get a
different or deeper view on a familiar or difficult passage. They can also be used to confirm a view
or idea you have made about a passage. Lastly, certain commentaries, such as background
commentaries, can be used to get a better understanding of the context surrounding a passage. It is
easy to become too reliant upon commentaries when forming a view on a passage. As such, they
should be used secondarily, after you have already done a study of a passage without the aid of a
commentary.
Online Resources:
http://biblecommenter.com/
http://preceptaustin.org/tool_commentary.htm
http://www.soniclight.com/constable/notes.htm
http://www.biblegateway.com/resources/commentaries/
Real Books:
 The MacArthur Bible Commentary – John F. MacArthur
 Know Your Bible: All 66 Books Explained – Paul Kent
 Believer’s Bible Commentary – William MacDonald, Arthur L. Farstad
 The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament – Craig S. Keener
 The IVP Bible Background Commentary: Old Testament – John H. Walton, Victor H.
Matthews, Mark W. Chavalas
Bible Concordance
A concordance is a systematic collection and numbering of every single word in the Bible. This
comes in handy when you want to see how a certain word is used in difference parts of the Bible, in
order to see what it means in relation to the rest of scripture. For example, the word “Love” can refer
to God’s love, the love of Jesus, the love of a father for a child, neighborly love, etc. A concordance
can help you connect the dots for how it is used, and therefore help clarify the meaning of a passage.
Also, if you are looking for a particular verse, but can only remember one or two words, a
concordance will list every single use of that word, narrowing down your choices and helping you
find it.
Online Resources:
http://biblos.com/
Real Books:
 The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible – James Strong
Apologetics
Apologetics is giving a reason for why you believe what you believe. An apologist attempts to give a
rational defense of the Christian faith. The English word “apologetics” comes from the Greek word
apologia which means “to give a reason or defense” (1 Pet. 3:15).1 Apologetics looks at the
historical, philosophical, theological, and scientific support for faith in God.
Online Resources:
http://carm.org/
http://www.reasonablefaith.org/
1
http://carm.org/apologetics-outline
http://theresurgence.com/
http://www.gotquestions.org/
http://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/
Real Books:
 The Case for Christ:


A Journalist’s Personal Investigation of the Evidence for Jesus – Lee
Strobel
Evidence That Demands a Verdict/The New Evidence that Demands a Verdict – Josh
McDowell
The God of the Bible and Other Gods – Robert P. Lightner
Other Resources
These are link to solid pastors and organizations that can help broaden your view and deepen
your faith and understanding. One of the best ways to grow in your faith and understanding of
God is to listen to those who are closest to him.
http://theresurgence.com/ - Mark Driscoll and others
http://www.sdrock.com/messages/ - Miles McPherson
http://www.desiringgod.org/ - John Piper
http://www.rickwarren.com/ - Rick Warren
http://www.ligonier.org/learn/teachers/rc-sproul/ - RC Sproul
http://cornerstonesimi.com/special/media_player.html - Francis Chan
http://www.thesimpleway.org/shane/ - Shane Claiborne
http://www.rzim.org/ - Ravi Zacharias
http://www.theopedia.com/Francis_Schaeffer - Francis Schaeffer
Books:
Passionate Conviction: Contemporary Discourses on Christian Apologetics, Paul Copan (Editor),
William Lane Craig (Editor), Contributors: N. T. Wright, Norman Geisler, Lee Strobel, Gary Habermas, Charles
Quarles, L. Russ Bush, Francis J. Beckwith, Published October 1st 2007 by B&H Academic
Creation and Change: Genesis 11-2.4 in the Light of Changing Scientific Paradigms, Douglas Kelly,
Published March 1st 2000 by Mentor
From God To Us Revised and Expanded: How We Got Our Bible, Norman L. Geisler, William E. Nix,
Moody Publishers; New Edition edition (August 10, 2012)
A General Introduction to the Bible, Norman L. Geisler, William E. Nix, Moody Publishers; New Edition edition
(August 8, 1986)