Knowable Word

Helping ordinary people learn to study the Bible

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Why Paragraphs Matter

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Some older editions of the Bible used to put every verse on a new line, communicating that each verse was an independent unit of thought. Thankfully, the practice is rare in modern Bibles, and Mark Ward demonstrates why it matters.

Often editors need to guess where the best paragraph divisions should go. And different translation committees will disagree. But that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t try.

In his article “How Paragraph Breaks Can Help You Understand the Bible,” Ward gives two examples of how paragraph breaks in Matthew led him to ask interpretive questions he might not otherwise have thought of. In particular, the paragraphs caused him to ask, “Why does this sentence follow what came before? How does it fit with the flow of thought in this section?”

When we move away from reading Bible verses as isolated aphorisms, and we read them as building blocks in a larger argument, we are well on our way toward proper understanding.

Perhaps you can relate to Ward’s experience. Check it out!

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Now is the Time to Plan Your 2018 Reading

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reading on bench

Laëtitia Buscaylet (2017), public domain

As we near the end of one year, it’s natural to think about our goals for the next. And whether it’s saving money, losing weight, building relationships, or learning a skill, we need plans to meet our goals.

You may not think of your reading list as goal-related. You may want planning as far away from your books as possible. But what we read has an enormous effect on our thoughts, our emotions, our worldview, and our souls.

In twelve months, you’ll be a different person than you are now. What you read between now and then will shape what kind of person you will be.

Connection to Bible Study

This might seem like a strange post to read on a blog all about Bible study. But these topics are vitally connected.

We have a finite amount of time, and without a plan we may not using our time well. When we’re tired or sad or frustrated, it’s easy to fall into bad patterns and spend time in unproductive or unrefreshing ways.

In particular, we don’t often drift into reading or studying the Bible. The Bible makes demands of us, and it’s much easier to camp out in a novel or on social media. But the word of God is our life! By it we see ourselves and everything around us accurately. We put ourselves in spiritual danger when we neglect the Bible.

Without making a plan, we won’t read much of the Bible. And planning to read the Bible means planning not to read anything else at the same time. As we set reading goals for 2018, let’s do so with the Bible as our highest priority.

Making Plans

We can break down our reading plans into at least five areas.

  1. Plan to read and study the Bible. For Christians, this is non-negotiable. Through the Bible we hear the truth from God that we so easily forget. We hear commands, we receive encouragement, we are equipped for battle against the evil around and within us. We need this book! Plan to read the Bible. Plan to study the Bible. If you read nothing else in 2018, read the Bible.
  2. Plan to read other Bible-based books. While the Bible is in a class by itself, there plenty of other books that teach biblical truth. Consider books in the categories of theology, biography, memoir, and Christian living, and find some trusted sources for recommendations. (Start with your pastor and elders and move on to friends and other trustworthy sources.)
  3. Plan to read for development. Whether you want to grow personally or professionally, there’s a book for that! Plan to read books related to skills you’d like to develop or topics you’d like to learn about.
  4. Plan to read for refreshment. God has made us to work and to rest, and we acknowledge and submit to our Creator when we plan times and activities for refreshment. If you are renewed and re-energized by reading fiction or comic books or graphic novels or humor, plan for it. We love God and our neighbors better when we have fuel in our tanks, and reading can fill us up.
  5. Plan other media consumption. Television, movies, video games, social media, and other internet-related activities—none of these are inherently bad. But they suck us in; we blink and 45 minutes later wonder what happened. Seek out these media with intention, mindful of your weaknesses and temptations.

Why Now?

December offers down time that January does not, so if possible, it’s best to make plans for the new year now.

Take some time in December to think and pray and lay your 2018 reading before the Lord. Talk to friends about the books and priorities on your list, and commit to praying for one another and following up.

Another advantage of planning your 2018 reading in December is the abundance of “best/favorites of 2017” lists that appear. Prayerfully consider the titles on some of these lists. I suggest balancing new books with older ones, but these lists can point you toward some of the best new books to read. Life is too short and too important to read bad books.

Leave Room for the Unplanned

While I suggest you plan reading for 2018, you shouldn’t feel locked in by your list. There will be other suggestions and opportunities that come up, and these may be worth your time! I usually plan about 75% of my annual reading and count on filling in the other 25% as the year develops.

As we tumble toward January, plan to read the Bible in the new year. And plan your other reading so that it glorifies God and helps you to walk faithfully as his disciple.

 

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NIV Sola Scriptura Bible Project: Reading the Bible in 4D

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There is a new style of movie theater, called 4D film, where moviegoers endure a complete sensory viewing experience. 3D picture, fog machines, strobe lights, sprays of water, and gusts of wind. Have you ever wondered what it might be like to read the Bible in 4D?

This Is It

The NIV Sola Scriptura Bible Project is a new 4-volume reader’s edition of the Bible that does everything possible to improve the reading experience. All clutter—chapter and verse numbers, section headings, footnotes, and cross-references—is removed from the page. The paper is thick and bright, and the binding is sturdy. The font is beautiful. The margins are more than adequate. Spacing is just right. Headers and footers give enough information to enable basic navigation, but they otherwise remain discreet.

So much, so good. But how is this any different from the other reader’s Bibles on the market? How does the NIV Sola Scriptura Bible Project stand out?

Imagine having the text organized by its internal literary divisions instead of traditional “chapter” divisions. This is it. Some study Bibles print book outlines in a separate introduction. But the Sola Scriptura set doesn’t need outlines. The outlines are visible on the page while you read. The major sections of a book are marked by a four-line break and a large capital letter. The next divisions have a three-line break. Further subdivisions have two- or one-line breaks. In other words, the text is presented to you in the structure that would be noticeable if read aloud. The structure intended by the author. This is remarkable.

Even further, imagine if book divisions were unaffected by ancient scroll-length limitations. You know, don’t you, that 1 Samuel and 2 Samuel were always meant to be a single book? But that it was too long to fit on one scroll? And that our Bibles have been forever stuck in printing this text as two books, even though modern printing technology doesn’t need to be limited by the length of ancient scrolls? And let me blow your mind even further: 1 Kings and 2 Kings are merely parts 3 and 4 of the same story. Now, in the Sola Scriptura set, you can read not only the book of Samuel as one book. You can read the complete epic of Samuel-Kings as one long and glorious tale of the rise and fall of the kingdom of Israel. Also, you get Chronicles-Ezra-Nehemiah as another epic tale of the rise, fall, and rebuilding of that same kingdom.

But wait; there’s more! Imagine if the books of the Bible were arranged in the best possible order to stimulate not only reading but also understanding. What would it be like to read Luke and Acts as two parts of one story, without being so drastically detoured by John, as in standard canonical order? And then picture going from Acts right into Paul’s epistles. But now they’re not put in order from longest to shortest (as in canonical order), but from earliest to latest so you can see the development of Paul’s thought over time. The rest of the New Testament is arranged here in a similar way, which is very similar to the way I’ve recommended would best promote deeper understanding.

In reading the New Testament, we see that the Bible of Jesus’ day consisted of three sections: the Law, the Prophets, and the Psalms/Writings (Luke 24:44). What is that all about? If you were to study biblical Hebrew, you would buy yourself a Hebrew Bible and see this order to the books. Stick Lamentations, Esther, Daniel, and Chronicles-Ezra-Nehemiah with what we call the “Wisdom Books,” and you’ve got “The Writings.” The Law has Genesis through Deuteronomy. Now we see that “The Prophets” consists not only of Isaiah through Malachi (minus Lamentations and Daniel), but also Joshua through Samuel-Kings. This is a different way to read, but it is the way the Jews conceived of these books.

On top of that, let’s re-arrange our prophetic books by chronology instead of by length. This sets us up to walk ourselves through the late history of Israel to keep things in context. What was it like to live during the final days of the northern kingdom? Read Jonah, Amos, Hosea, Micah, and Isaiah. What about those in the southern kingdom watching the fall of their northern cousins? Read Zephaniah, Nahum, and Habakkuk. Want to go into exile (or watch the exiles go)? Read Jeremiah, Obadiah, and Ezekiel. Time to return and rebuild? Read Haggai, Zechariah, Joel, and Malachi. Each book makes a little more sense when read with the others addressing the same situation.

With other reader’s Bibles, I’ve had only three complaints. The paper is impossibly thin. The chapter numbers need to go along with the verse numbers (into the dust bin). And please, oh please, drop the stage cues in the Song of Solomon! Please let us enjoy the poetry and immerse ourselves in it without being told exactly who must be speaking!

The NIV Sola Scriptura Bible Project is the only edition I’ve found that addresses these complaints. And it does so much more to address the complaints I never realized I could have.

What It Could Do Better

So what criticism can I offer about this marvelous edition? Some may not prefer the NIV translation, but I find it a delight to read at length.

Other than that, I could say that the four volumes fit very tightly into the slip case. It’s not easy to grab a volume from the set when I want to read it.

Any edition of a reader’s Bible will not serve you if you need to flip constantly and find particular sentences. And a four-volume set isn’t something to carry around with you wherever you go. You’ll need something else if you need an on-the-go Bible.

But that’s about all the criticism I can muster.

Conclusion

The NIV Sola Scriptura Bible Project solves every complaint I’ve had with other reader’s Bibles. And it solves all the other complaints I didn’t realize I could have had. If you like to read, and you want to get into reading the Bible, this set is for you. Every production decision was made with the reader in mind. I highly recommend it.

Disclaimer: Amazon links are affiliate links. If you click them and buy stuff, you will feed our addiction to extended Bible reading at no extra cost to yourself.

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Why Would Chronicles Whitewash David’s Sins?

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Logos has a short article from Michael Heiser in which Heiser wonders, “Did the Write of Chronicles Try to Scrub Away David’s Dirty Past?” In his brief article, Heiser does a great job showing how to compare parallel stories (such as Chronicles and Samuel) to understand the author’s agenda. Heiser also explains the historical circumstances for the audience of 1-2 Chronicles, which circumstances warranted a high, though not deceptive, view of King David.

I’m not going to answer the question from my title. As you compare the passages and consider the background Heiser explains, see if you can figure it out for yourself.

Check it out!

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NIV Reader’s Bible: For Readers or Not?

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Paul charged the church in Thessalonica to “have this letter read to all the brothers and sisters” (1 Thess 5:27, NIV). When was the last time your church read one of Paul’s letters in full during a worship service? He expected his letters to be read and taught in this way, but we’ve grown accustomed to dealing with only a few verses at a time.

Now I’m not saying it’s wrong to read or teach the Bible a few verses at a time. But I would suggest this practice shapes us to think of the Bible only a few verses at a time. And we should at least be aware this is not the only (nor perhaps the best) way to read.

Which is why the recent flood of reader’s Bibles is such a delightful turn of events. I recently received a review copy of the NIV Reader’s Bible from Zondervan in exchange for an honest review. How does it hold up?

What It Does Well

As with other reader’s Bibles, the NIV Reader’s Bible gets most of the man-made clutter off the page. There are no verse numbers, cross-references, study notes, or section headings. Chapter numbers are moved out of the text block and into the margin, in a discreet light blue font.

The text presents in a single column, just like the novels and books of poetry we’re used to reading. Scenes with dialogue give a new paragraph to each character that speaks, just like the other narratives we read in our day. This is quite welcome.

Line breaks are placed carefully, being sensitive to the literary flow of the text. This Bible’s editors laudably show no special concern for traditional chapter divisions. They put the line breaks where the text warrants them. For example, in reading Judges, we get a solid block of text from Judges 1:1 all the way to Judges 2:5. Along the way, we wave to an unobtrusive little “2” in the margin that marks the coming and going of Judges 2:1. But we don’t stop to make the acquaintance of that little 2. We drive right by it until we park where the text itself parks, at Judges 2:5. Then we calmly sip our tea, take a breath, and move to the next phase of the story, beginning with Judges 2:6. But we don’t really know it’s verse 6; all we know is that the next round of literary glory awaits us.

And so on, through poetry, prophecy, genealogy, inventory, and letter. This Bible does just fine presenting a clean text that expects to be read and not mutilated.

What Could Be Better

Unfortunately, a few features substantially distract the eager reader.

  1. The margins are too small. With 1/2″ margins all around, the page simply looks like it has too many words on it. There is no buffer, no rest for the eye. When I try to read this Bible for more than a few minutes, I just can’t do it without my eyes bugging out. And I usually have to use my finger to keep my place on the page.
  2. End notes. I do not understand why there are end notes in this Bible. The end note markers either tease or annoy, depending on the reader’s mindset. But either way, they distract from the simplicity of reading. The notes themselves are placed at the end of each Bible book, creating a feeling that you haven’t really read the book unless you’ve spent the time flipping pages back and forth to read them all.
  3. The book is fat and sharp. It has a shorter page height and a wider page width than some other reader’s Bibles. This both adds to the feel of too many words on a page and increases the page count, making the physical book quite fat. In addition, the corners of the spine are sharp, giving the book a distinct rectangular look when sitting on the table. Most books we read have rounded corners to the spine. The fatness and sharpness combine to make this book difficult to hold for extended periods of time. (In its favor, the book lays very flat on a table. But how often do you lose yourself in a book you’re reading on a table?)

Also, this Bible comes with a slip case made from card stock. It’s not really a case, but just a promotional carton for shipping. So if this Bible gets significant use, it will deteriorate quickly.

Conclusion

The NIV is a great translation for extended reading. But unfortunately, the NIV Reader’s Bible does more to distract from the reading experience than to encourage it. This one’s not for me.

Disclaimer: Amazon links are affiliate links. If you click them and buy stuff, this blog will receive a small commission at no extra cost to yourself. Thank you for supporting our Bible reading habits.

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Another Way to Think About Application

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Matthew Harmon has a helpful article with help for Bible interpretation and application. Beginning with Jesus’ explanation of the two greatest commandments to love God and love neighbor (Matt 22:37-39), Harmon then uses these two commands to shape his advice for both interpretation and application.

Harmon gives four interpretation questions to ask of any Bible passage:

  1. What do I learn about God?
  2. What do I learn about people?
  3. What do I learn about relating to God?
  4. What do I learn about relating to others?

Then he gives four application questions:

  1. What does God want me to understand/think?
  2. What does God want me to believe?
  3. What does God want me to desire?
  4. What does God want me to do?

Unfortunately, in the realm of interpretation, I find Harmon’s list a bit reductionist. Though they are great questions that certainly come from the two great commandments, they may in fact lead you to read such questions back into the text and thus miss the author’s main point. You might end up with a list of glorious theological truths that are sub-points alongside the main thing the author intends to communicate. So as you interpret, don’t neglect the structure and train of thought so you can arrive at the author’s true main point (which may or may not be easily categorized into one of the two great commandments).

But in the realm of application, this categorization works marvelously. Since the two great commandments summarize all the obedience God wants from his people, these categories fit more naturally here. And Harmon does a great job showing that “application” has to do with much more than simply “doing” (though, of course, it includes “doing” as the fourth question).

Harmon’s four questions put in different words the model we propose here of head, heart, and hands. Those questions could gain a dimension by considering the two great commands (which we call the two “directions” for application). Thus, we can ask not only “What does God want me to understand/think?” but also “How can I help others to understand/think this truth as well?” And so on, into the application matrix.

So if you’d like a more visual approach, check out our application matrix. If you’d benefit more from a list of questions, Harmon’s article does a nice job explaining them.

Check it out!

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CSB Reader’s Bible: A Good Ride

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There seems to be a growing movement among Bible publishers to recognize that the way they present the Scriptures will shape the way people read them. When verses are presented piecemeal on a page, interspersed with frequent interpretive sound bytes, it leads people to read the Bible as a series of disconnected aphorisms. But when they present a clean and unembellished text, they give us permission to take up and read. They communicate that we hold something worth reading. And this direction in Bible publishing is to be celebrated.

The CSB Reader’s Bible takes a noteworthy step in this welcome direction.

What It Does Well

The CSB Reader’s Bible contains the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments, typeset just like a novel or book of poetry. With just a single column of text and no chapter or verse numbers, it’s easy to get lost in here. And I mean that in the best possible way. With an edition like this, we’re likely to lose track of time, forget life’s busyness, and simply enjoy the ride.

The CSB Reader’s Bible does a great job helping us to navigate our way. Page footers show which chapters are present on each page, making it easy to find a particular spot. The text also signals new chapters (according to their traditional divisions) with a line break and a large blue first letter, which keeps the text from appearing too monotonous.

And with this volume, Holman Bible Publishers employ a few notable features I’ve not seen before in a Bible:

  1. Prose is not fully justified, but only left-justified. As I read, I find this prevents my eye from skipping lines.
  2. Lines of poetry are all indented the same. Most Bibles try to show the Hebrew parallelism by indenting the second line of each couplet further than the first line. But this often causes lines to wrap to the next line, which gets even more confusing. The CSB Reader’s Bible indents all the lines the same amount, and marks off stanzas with line breaks. As I read, I find it a little more difficult to notice the parallelism of each couplet, but easier to follow the flow of the stanza. This is not a bad thing.

The slipcase that comes with the CSB Reader’s Bible is the sturdiest I’ve seen. This thing will surely take a beating in my book bag and remain intact!

Finally, I must mention again that I am impressed by the CSB translation. It is clear and accurate, a delight to read. In my Sunday night family Bible reading, I have switched over to using the CSB Reader’s Bible, and I haven’t looked back.

What It Could Do Better

I could complain about how extremely thin the paper is, but there’s no other option for a publisher without breaking it out into multiple volumes. And Holman made a great choice in paper quality to make it easy to turn pages.

My biggest beef is simply that the CSB Reader’s Bible sticks with all the traditional chapter divisions. With the ingenuity of a reader’s version of the Bible (removing all verse and chapter numbers), a publisher has total freedom to typeset the text according to true literary divisions. So, for example, the first division in the Bible should come at Genesis 2:4 (“These are the records…”) and not Genesis 2:1 (“So the heavens and the earth…”), which is the conclusion of the story of creation in Genesis 1.

Now I’m sure this would have taken significant manpower to decide where the most natural section divisions should be. It must have been easier to simply stick with the traditional divisions, even though they can sometimes obstruct a good read.

But with that said, the beauty of a reader’s Bible is that you have permission to keep reading through any chapter divisions. Why stop at all? Just enjoy the ride and keep going.

Disclaimer: Amazon links are affiliate links, which will support the blog at no extra cost to yourself. Thank you for helping us to enjoy the ride and continue writing about Bible study!

Disclaimer 2: Holman Bible Publishers provided me with a free copy of the CSB Reader’s Bible in exchange for an honest review.

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How to Be Teachable

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According to the book of Proverbs, the chief difference between wisdom and folly lies in how willing a person is to listen to God’s instruction. In other words, are you teachable and open to counsel from the lips of God? I blogged my way through the first 9 chapters of Proverbs a few years ago to show this is so.

On his blog, Kevin Halloran recently summarized, in a few key principles from Proverbs, how to be teachable:

  1. Be humble.
  2. Seek wisdom and instruction as though your life depends on it.
  3. Learn from the right teachers.
  4. Receive correction as a blessing.

Halloran lists specific proverbs for each point, along with many helpful suggestions and a closing prayer for teachability. He does a great job showing us how to apply these truths from Proverbs in personal and specific ways.

Check it out!

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4 Bible Studies for Advent

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Rod Long (2017), public domain

Advent is right around the corner. It begins on December 3, and it will be here before you know it.

If you’ve thought of shifting your devotional life for the Christmas season, read on. Like many churches that put their sermon series aside, individual Christians can find great blessing in focusing on Jesus’s birth.

Bible Studies, Not Devotionals

There are no shortage of Advent devotional offerings, with scores of new volumes published each year. Some of these are excellent. (Some, of course are not.) But even good devotional books are no substitute for personal Bible study.

When you study the Bible on your own, you encounter God’s word directly. You’re not relying on an author or teacher to tell you what the Bible means; you’re reading and thinking and searching and praying yourself. Will that take longer? Of course! But wrestling with difficult and glorious truths on your own is worth it. The commands and promises and works of God will sink down more deeply into your soul—taking root both to form and strengthen you—if you uncover them yourself.

This is not a screed against devotional books, just a plea not to rely on them.

Four Bible Studies

If you’d like to mix up your Scripture study for Advent, I have four plans listed below. There’s nothing monumental in the plans themselves; I’ve simply listed some relevant sections of the Bible that could be covered in the listed time period.

If you’ve never studied the Bible before, let me suggest some resources before you begin. It’s our aim at Knowable Word to help ordinary people learn to study the Bible, so we’ve written much about the three primary areas of Bible study: Observation, Interpretation, and Application. Start here to see an overview of this OIA method, and read the details here. We’ve collected some worksheets that you may want to use on our Resources page.

I’ve planned each of these studies to take four weeks. (So even though Advent is not technically four weeks, these plans take you from November 27 through Christmas Eve.)

A Study in Matthew

Matthew gives two chapters to the birth and early days of Jesus.

  • Week 1 (November 27 through December 3): Matthew 1:1–17
  • Week 2 (December 4 through December 10): Matthew 1:18–25
  • Week 3 (December 11 through December 17): Matthew 2:1–12
  • Week 4 (December 18 through December 24): Matthew 2:13–23

A Study in Luke

This study takes you from the beginning of Luke’s gospel through the second chapter, when Jesus is twelve years old.

  • Week 1 (November 27 through December 3): Luke 1:1–38
  • Week 2 (December 4 through December 10): Luke 1:39–80
  • Week 3 (December 11 through December 17): Luke 2:1–24
  • Week 4 (December 18 through December 24): Luke 2:25–52

Compare the Gospels

Each gospel writer begins his book differently. Matthew and Luke include narrative about Jesus’s birth, but Mark and John do not. In this study, you’ll compare how each of the gospels begin.

  • Week 1 (November 27 through December 3): Matthew 1–2
  • Week 2 (December 4 through December 10): Mark 1
  • Week 3 (December 11 through December 17): Luke 1:1–2:20
  • Week 4 (December 18 through December 24): John 1

Read Isaiah and Luke

Here is an option to read long portions of the Bible instead of studying small portions. Isaiah is full of messages about how the coming king/servant/anointed one will redeem Israel and the world. Luke writes about how Jesus was rejected by Israel and is offered to the Gentiles. They make a great Advent pairing.

  • Week 1 (November 27 through December 3): Isaiah 1–17, Luke 1–6
  • Week 2 (December 4 through December 10): Isaiah 18–33, Luke 7–12
  • Week 3 (December 11 through December 17): Isaiah 34–50, Luke 13–18
  • Week 4 (December 18 through December 24): Isaiah 51–66, Luke 19–24

Behold, Jesus!

Whether or not you use one of these plans—whether or not you change your devotions for Advent at all—I hope your celebration of the Savior’s birth is full of joy and wonder. As you ponder the One who gave his life to bring sinners to God, give yourself to reading and studying the Bible. This is how we see the magnitude of our need and the fullness of God’s provision. This is how we fight against sin, how we repent and believe. This is the revelation of God, and this is life.

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