Peter Krol | Knowable Word

God’s Majesty on Earth in Psalm 8

April 8, 2026 By Peter Krol

I think you’ll find much benefit in this brief study of Psalm 8 by Daniel Stevens. Stevens models many great OIA principles, such as:

Observing repeated words and phrases
Comparison and contrast
Gospel connection
Implicational questions and answers (What I call “so what” questions, though Stevens doesn’t use that exact verbiage)
Head application

Here is a taste:

What I want us to pay attention to as we look at this passage is first the framing of it, how we begin and end with the same words, “Oh LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!” This is ultimately, first and foremost, a psalm of praise for the majesty of God. Within that, however, we’re going to find sets of contrasts and possibly even a story that moves along. When we look at the first stanza, and indeed the second and the third, what we’re going to want to see is the ways in which contrasts are used to show God’s glory and his kindness to us. In the first we find the high and the low, the great and the small. His glory is above the heavens. We are brought into the realm of all of the cosmos, the stars in the sky, and his strength is in the mouth of babies and infants. The grand stars of the heavens and the smallest infant, both together show the glory of God.

Check it out!

Cosas para observar: Estructura

April 7, 2026 By Peter Krol

This is a Spanish translation of a post from our archive. For the original post in English, please click the “Publicación original” link at the top of the post. For further explanation of why we’re posting articles in Spanish for a season, see this announcement.

————

Publicación original de Peter Krol, traducida por Sarah Oiler

————

Geddy Lee, el cantante de rock de la banda Rush, dijo: “Eso es lo que me intriga: la composición y la estructura de la canción y la expresión.” Como alguien con una licenciatura de música, estoy de acuerdo con él.

Mucha música se basa en una estructura ABA. Empiezas con una idea musical, desarrollas esa idea (o continúas con una segunda idea), y después vuelves a la idea principal. “Tres Ratones Ciegos” es un buen ejemplo de esto, la línea “tres ratones ciegos” representa la sección A, y las cosas del medio son la sección B.

De manera similar, cuando aprendemos cómo estudiar la Biblia, una buena habilidad que debemos desarrollar es observar la estructura. Es otra cosa podemos observar, después de las palabras y la gramática.

Observemos Lucas 2:1-24 como ejemplo. Veamos el flujo del relato:

A La pompa del gobierno romano y el censo

B José y María tienen un hijo

C Los pastores vivían en el campo

D Un ángel se apareció con un mensaje sobre el Señor

E Un ejército de ángeles se apareció, alabando a Dios, diciendo:

F “Gloria a Dios en las alturas, y en la tierra paz” (2:14, NVI)

E Los ángeles salieron y volvieron al cielo

D Los pastores creen el mensaje del Señor, van y lo comparten

C Los pastores regresan a su campo, glorificando y alabando a Dios

B El hijo se llamó Jesús

A La humildad de la familia de Jesús (que no podía comprar una oveja para sacrificar)

Un resumen así, donde la segunda mitad es un reflejo del primero, fue súper común en la literatura antigua. Escribían así porque era más fácil escuchar el pasaje al leerlo en voz alta. Podrías escuchar cómo la historia fluye hacia el clímax y luego refluye de nuevo.

Nos ayuda mucho observar cosas así porque el clímax de tales estructuras usualmente se ubica en el centro. En este caso, vemos que Dios está interesado en su propia gloria (en contraste con la gloria de Roma) y usará a Jesús para ocasionar la paz entre él mismo y aquellos a quienes está complacido.

Otras partes de la Biblia usan estructuras más lógicas. Por ejemplo, mira Hebreos 2:17-7:28.

Jesús es un sumo sacerdote fiel y compasivo – 2:17-18
1. Jesús es un sumo sacerdote fiel – 3:1-6
2. Aplicación – 3:7-4:14
3. Jesús es un sumo sacerdote compasivo – 4:15-5:10
4. Aplicación – 5:11-6:20
Jesús es un sumo sacerdote como Melquisedec – 6:20
1. Explicación: cómo Jesús es como Melquisedec – 7:1-28

Este resumen cubre solamente una porción del libro de Hebreos. El libro entero se estructura de manera semejante: una idea se expone y después se explica y se aplica.

Observar la estructura es un paso en nuestro estudio. Cuando la vemos, nos equipamos mejor para identificar las secciones así que podemos interpretarlas y aplicarlas.

Ahora, hemos tenido tres artículos acerca de habilidades de observación específicas: observar las palabras, la gramática y la estructura. ¿Te has dado cuenta de que cada artículo tuvo una estructura común? Míralos de nuevo y usa tus habilidades recién descubiertas al estudiar la Biblia.

Congratulations to Winners of the Drawing!

April 3, 2026 By Peter Krol

Many thanks, and great job to all who participated in this year’s 90-day Bible reading challenge. This year, we had 34 people complete the Bible reading challenge—22 of them for the first time. With the bonus entries granted for those who recruited others to complete the challenge, there were 42 total entries.

Patti M. won the grand prize of a premium book rebinding from Pro Libris Rebinding. Many thanks to Pro Libris for providing this year’s fabulous grand prize! You can view samples of Pro Libris’s amazing work at their Facebook and Instagram pages.

With 34 participants, we had three additional prize packages, offered to the following folks:

Steven S.
Jeanette M.
Linda R.

I have emailed each of these winners to notify them of their prize. If your name is on this list, and you haven’t seen an email from me, you may want to check your spam filter. Or email me at peter.krol@knowableword.com to double check. If I don’t hear back from you by April 8, new winners will be selected to receive the prize.

What People Thought

As usual, there were a variety of perspectives on the rapid reading experience. Some loved it:

Someone who completed the Bible in 24 days: “It serves well, as a companion, with other bible reading I do the rest of the year. Two things stood out to me, neither of which was anticipated. Early, while reading the OT, I began to notice things about “covenant” I had not really seen before. I, then, began paying more attention to things about covenant throughout the rest of the reading. The other was the book of Isaiah. I have never really understood what was going on in Isaiah, and still don’t for that matter. However various parts, here and there, caught my attention, and started to become little pegs in the larger book that I could begin building a better understanding of the book.”
89 days: “While it was challenging, this is one of the most formative experiences I have had. I have always been a Bible reader, but there is something about reading such large chunks of the Bible in context in one sitting that seems to allow for better understanding of what is happening. I’m not sure this is a sustainable practice for me, because I had to take some Saturdays and do multiple readings when I got behind, but I can see myself doing it again. Maybe once a year.”
89 days: “Last year was my first to participate in the 90-day challenge and I loved it. This year was even better.”

Others were not as enthusiastic, but still endured through the challenge:

69 days: “It’s good and I’ll be glad to read more slowly again.”
49 days: “Refreshing in one sense, but also a ‘dutiful’ sense in needing to keep moving without lingering. Almost a burden.”
81 days: “Great for the bigger picture but hard to enjoy the parts I’m already familiar with.”

Perhaps my favorite response came from a first-timer, who completed the Bible in 84 days:

For starters I am Orthodox, my primary is the NKJV, I decided to give the CSB a try, and was amazed about how smooth the reading experience was. It was hard to put down, lol. This led me to order the CSB Ancient Faith study Bible (my next project, very excited about that).

Thanks

Thanks for the great time in God’s word. May it set you up for a profitable time the rest of the year, as you continue delighting in the Spirit-inspired scriptures handed down to us.

Please keep the ideas coming for future Bible reading challenges!

The Benefits of Waiting to Use Commentaries

April 1, 2026 By Peter Krol

Colleen Searcy believes it’s in your best interest not to reach for commentaries too quickly in your Bible study. Ryan and I tend to agree with her. As do Stephen Kneale and John Piper, among others.

Searcy compares commentaries to Google Maps, highlighting how much more knowledgable we become of an area from a paper map vs. a GPS app. And in the process, she keenly identifies three major benefits of not using commentaries too quickly.

Holding off on commentaries encourages engagement with God and with others.
Doing the work helps you remember.
You learn to recognize landmarks and patterns that are woven throughout the Scriptures.

There is much here worthy of your consideration.

Check it out!

Cosas para observar: Gramática

March 31, 2026 By Peter Krol

————

Publicación original de Peter Krol, traducida por Sarah Oiler

————

El filósofo Wittgenstein escribió: “Como todo lo metafísico, la armonía entre el pensamiento y la realidad se encuentra en la gramática del idioma.” Mi profesor de inglés de la secundaria diría que iba por buen camino.

Sin la gramática, sería difícil comunicarse. Por ejemplo, no tendrías los verbos. Solamente sujetos. Todo el tiempo. Sin acción. Quizás objetos. Frases breves. Mucha confusión. Histeria colectiva. Necesidad de claridad. Poco hablando. Ay, no podía hacerlo.

Después de observar las palabras de un texto bíblico, puedes seguir observando cómo el autor las ordena en frases. Eso significa que observamos la gramática.

La palabra “gramática” puede dar miedo. Puede hacernos pensar en los años que solían llamarse “los buenos tiempos” de la preadolescencia, evocando recuerdos de las espinillas, los bravucones y la presión parental. Sin embargo, estoy aquí para decirte que la gramática puede ser divertida. La gramática puede ser emocionante. De hecho, la gramática puede ser la puerta a la observación provechosa de la Biblia.

Usemos Lucas 2:1-21, NVI como nuestro texto otra vez. Observemos solamente el sujeto y el verbo de cada frase (o sea, miremos un poco de gramática básica). Mira lo que puedes ver:

Augusto César decretó
se levantara un censo
Este primer censo se efectuó
iban todos a inscribirse
José…subió
Fue a Belén
se le cumplió el tiempo
dio a luz…lo envolvió…y lo acostó
había unos pastores
un ángel del Señor se les apareció
la gloria del Señor los envolvió
se llenaron de temor
el ángel dijo
- No tengan miedo
- Miren
- ha nacido
- que es Cristo
- esto les servirá de señal: Encontrarán
apareció…una multitud de ángeles del cielo
los pastores se dijeron
- Vamos a Belén…a ver
fueron de prisa y encontraron
contaron
se asombraron
María…guardaba todas estas cosas
los pastores regresaron
todo sucedió tal como
lo llamaron

¿Para qué fue este ejercicio? Simplemente al sacar los detalles y observar la estructura básica de la frase (el sujeto y el verbo), terminamos con un resumen bastante bueno del relato de Lucas 2. Antes de continuar con la interpretación (comprender lo que significa el texto), necesitamos observar lo que dice el texto. Una forma de identificar lo que dice el autor es observar la gramática. Esta habilidad es importante cuando aprendemos cómo estudiar la Biblia.

Observar la gramática no es solamente para el género narrativo, como el relato de Lucas. La gramática también ayuda en otros géneros.

Por ejemplo, mira Filipenses 2:5-11 (NVI). Al reducirlo a la gramática básica, tenemos:

La actitud de ustedes debe ser como la de Cristo Jesús
- Quien no consideró el ser igual a Dios como algo a qué aferrarse
  - Por el contrario, se rebajó
  - Se humilló a sí mismo
- Por eso Dios lo exaltó

¿Qué quiere Pablo que hagamos aquí? Sé como Jesús. Cuando renunciamos a lo que merecemos (nos rebajamos) y asumimos lo que no merecemos (nos humillamos), no sabemos lo que Dios podría hacer en nuestra comunidad.

Detailing the Consequences of Immorality

March 27, 2026 By Peter Krol

This week we continue our study of the illusion of sexual freedom.

And now, O sons, listen to me,
And do not depart from the words of my mouth.
Keep your way far from her,
And do not go near the door of her house,
Lest you give your honor to others
And your years to the merciless,
Lest strangers take their fill of your strength,
And your labors go to the house of a foreigner,
And at the end of your life you groan,
When your flesh and body are consumed,
And you say, “How I hated discipline,
And my heart despised reproof!
I did not listen to the voice of my teachers
Or incline my ear to my instructors.
I am at the brink of utter ruin
In the assembled congregation” (Prov 5:7-14).

Notice that the command to listen is repeated once again (Prov 5:7). Don’t let its familiarity cause you to hurry past it. Let it remind you of your need for help from outside yourself. Ask any recovering addict: You will not win this battle on your own.

Rochelle Hartman (2011), Creative Commons

Avoid immorality at all costs (Prov 5:8). Otherwise it will cause you to:

Lose your best years (Prov 5:9). The springtime of life could be spent on serving the Lord and growing his kingdom. Don’t give that up.
Squander your strength and the fruit of your labor (Prov 5:10). You’ll spend all your energy coping with your sin. Wouldn’t you rather have something else to look back on as your life’s work?
Regret all the waste and its wreckage (Prov 5:11). The night before I graduated from college, a hall mate asked if I had any regrets. I looked back over those four years, and with full honesty said, “No.” I hadn’t done everything perfectly, but the Lord had given me rest in him and in his work in my life. That night, I committed to living the rest of my life with the end in mind. I don’t regret that choice one bit.
Stagger from all of the guilt (Prov 5:12). You’ll finally identify the foolishness in your heart and the damaging behavior it led to. The weight of it will sink in.
Cower beneath all the shame (Prov 5:13). You’ll realize the problem wasn’t that you didn’t have enough information, but that you didn’t have enough conviction.
Despair at the public disgrace (Prov 5:14). You could be “that guy who ran off with the girl” back at your home church. I regret many indiscretions of my teen years. One particular incident came to light just before my high school graduation and crushed the respect a younger sister in Christ had for me. Her parting words – “How could you?!” – remain etched in my memory.

I want to make two things very clear. First, we must not minimize the consequences of our sin. Consider: Is it worth it? Decide now, not when temptation happens. We also must not buffer others from the consequences of their sin. God saves sinners – I am foremost! – by breaking all their hope to pieces, leaving none but Jesus (Mat 21:42-44, Rom 7:7-12). Don’t hinder any work of God by boxing out the truth.

Second, if this passage has discouraged you, please remember Proverbs 4: There is always hope that we can grow. Solomon depicts the end of immorality on purpose. He does it so we might change course before the end arrives. If you’re reading Solomon, it’s not too late for you. Just do nothing, and you’ll ruin all. Fear the Lord, and anything can change.

Share your struggles with pastors or wise leaders. Ask them to help you figure out what you desire (since what we do is always a result of what we desire). Many people turn to sexual immorality out of a desire for control (when life feels out of control), escape (when things are difficult), or acceptance (when they feel rejected by those they care about most). Identify what God desires for you instead (that you know him and find long life, peace, pleasantness, etc.), and ask him to help you change. Then turn from your sinful desires and grasp new, godly desires. Once wisdom changes who you are, it will flow into everything you do.

This post was first published in 2013 and is part of a series walking through Proverbs 1-9.

Last Chance to Enter Drawing

March 25, 2026 By Peter Krol

We are nearing the end of our 2026 Bible Reading Challenge. Up for grabs is a premium book binding (generously provided by the good people at Pro Libris Rebinding), and some additional prize packages.

For the complete set of rules, see this post. If you meet the eligibility guidelines, please be sure to complete the form below to enter the drawing. I will leave the form open until approximately 10am (Eastern Daylight Time) on April 1. Later that day, I will conduct the drawing and email the winners.

Many thanks to all who participated with us this year, and may the Lord use it to fortify a lifelong love for Christ and his word.

Cosas para observar: Palabras

March 24, 2026 By Peter Krol

————

Publicación original de Peter Krol, traducida por Sarah Oiler

————

Doug Wilson escribió, “Palabras son los ladrillos con los que tú construyes. Compra los ladrillos antes de empezar a construir el muro” (Wordsmithy, Moscow, ID: Canon, 2011, p. 104, [traducción mía]). Él aconsejaba a los aspirantes a escritores que estudiaran la etimología y los idiomas antiguos. Tomaré prestada su idea para animar a los que estudian la Biblia a que comiencen al comienzo.

Los libros de la Biblia se compusieron de relatos. Estos relatos estuvieron formados por episodios. Los episodios surgieron de colecciones de párrafos. Los párrafos destripados producen frases. Las frases se diseccionan en palabras. Las palabras son nuestros ladrillos. Observémoslos para empezar.

Usaré Lucas 2:1-21, NVI como muestra de texto. Es un texto común para muchos cristianos, así que trabajaremos duro para observar bien.

Primero, fíjate en el tema de las palabras clave en los primeros versículos:

censo
Augusto
César
todo el Imperio romano
Cirenio
gobernaba
Siria
ciudad de David – 2 veces
descendiente del rey David
hijo primogénito
Señor – 4 veces
gloria
Salvador
Cristo
una multitud de ángeles del cielo

¿Qué se destaca? Hay un tema fuerte sobre el poder, la gloria y la autoridad gobernante. También hay un poco de tensión entre la autoridad imperial (se representa en César y sus subordinados) y la autoridad de Dios (se representa en su hijo).

Continuemos viendo otra clase de palabras:

José
Nazaret
Belén
María, que estaba comprometida para casarse con él
se encontraba embarazada
se le cumplió el tiempo
lo envolvió en pañales — 2 veces
lo acostó en un pesebre – 3 veces
no había lugar para ellos en la posada

Este grupo se presta a otro tema: la humildad impredecible.

Mencionaré una última colección de observaciones sobre la elección de las palabras en Lucas 2:11:

Hoy ha nacido en la Ciudad de David un Salvador
que es Cristo
el Señor

El narrador, por el ángel, comunica un montón de información simplemente por su elección de palabras.

¿Qué es un “Salvador”? Alguien que salva. Un héroe. Un rescatador. No es el tipo que sale corriendo de un edificio en llamas para salvar su propia vida– es el tipo que corre al edificio en llamas para salvar las vidas de otras personas.
¿Qué es un “Cristo”? Necesitamos un poco de ayuda contextual para esta pregunta, pero “Cristo” es la traducción griega de la palabra hebrea “Mesías,” que significa “El Ungido.” ¿Qué es un “ungido”? ¡Ya no tenemos estos! Piensa en alguien investido y juramentado. El narrador quiere que sepamos que Jesús tiene un trabajo, y ha sido autorizado por Dios para ejecutar ese trabajo.
¿Qué es “el Señor”? Es lo que los judíos de antaño llamarían Dios a sí mismo. Hojea tu Antiguo Testamento y ve cuántas veces la palabra SEÑOR aparece en mayúsculas. Eso representa ocasiones en las que el nombre personal de Dios (algo como Yahweh, pero no podemos saber con seguridad cómo se pronunciaba) se usó en el texto hebreo. Sin embargo, la traducción que la tradición nos ha legado simplemente es “SEÑOR.” El narrador quiere que, a través de la proclamación del ángel, sepamos que Jesús en realidad es Dios.

Estoy empezando a interpretar, así que esperaré hasta que hablemos de ese paso del proceso OIA. Por el momento, la conclusión es esta: la primera parte de cómo estudiar la Biblia es observar (no simplemente ver, eso sí, pero verdaderamente observar) las palabras en la página.

The Death of Immorality

March 20, 2026 By Peter Krol

Sexual freedom is an illusion, because immorality is not as pretty as it seems.

But in the end she is bitter as wormwood,
Sharp as a two-edged sword.
Her feet go down to death;
Her steps follow the path to Sheol;
She does not ponder the path of life;
Her ways wander, and she does not know it (Prov 5:4-6).

Last week, we saw that the “adulteress” is an image of all sexual immorality. Immorality has a sweet candy coating, but inside it’s a bitter pill (Prov 5:4). “Wormwood” is a plant with a bitter taste, and that’s what immorality is once you move past first impressions. I know a guy who works for a chemical company that works on both drugs and candy. He told me that the outer shell on an M&M is the same thing as the shell on an Advil. Next time you have the chance, I dare you to bite into the Advil.

Immorality leads only to death (Prov 5:5). The last thing it has in mind is our good (Prov 5:6a). In fact, it’s not even aware of the harm it causes (Prov 5:6b). Immorality is full of passion, but it’s clueless and self-defeating, like a pimply freshman inviting the homecoming queen over for video gaming.

How does this apply? Sexual immorality promises life, but the wise know it really gives death. We ought to be ready, especially for the battle of words. We have to expose immorality’s sweet-talk. We must remind ourselves of the truth. We need to discuss it often with others, to warn them. We unhinge its power when we strip it of its secrecy.

Consider just one major issue in our day: online pornography. Note how broad are the battle lines and how widespread is the death:

The porn industry makes around $97 billion per year.
87% of men report watching porn at least weekly.
It’s not a “guy issue,” though. It mostly just goes unreported among women.
Half of all teenagers have seen online porn by age 15.
Though only 4% of all website are pornographic, those sites draw 13% of all web searches and 20% of all mobile searches.
About 40 million Americans visit porn sites regularly.
About 68% of the general population report using porn. Among Christians, about 54% report porn use.
All this despite the accessibility of published research demonstrating the correlation of porn use with poor mental health, declining sexual fulfillment, increased divorce, and domestic violence.

Death surrounds us, and it’s covered in pretty makeup and stage lighting. We must discuss it frankly yet graciously, for no one who indulges in it will go unharmed.

This post was first published in 2013 and is part of a series walking through Proverbs 1-9.

Developing a Culture of Discipleship

March 18, 2026 By Peter Krol

While learning how to study the Bible is one crucial part of Christian discipleship, it is not the only part. So I’m happy to zoom out from my usual narrow focus on learning how to study the Bible to highlight this article about how to cultivate a culture of discipleship in the local church.

The concept of “discipling” is often shrouded in mystique, and Jeffrey Wiesner does a wonderful job making it more accessible. He covers the following topics: