How do you mark up your Bible?

[markjohn777]

Hi there,

Just wondered how everyone uses highlighting, underlining, notes etc to help with thier bible study?

I didn't put marks or notes within my previous bible but want to start with my new one.

Do you just highlight verses that speak to you particularly or do you colour code verses etc?

Would be interested in finding out systems that work for people.

In Christ
M.

 

[Peter]

Why would you write on Holy Scripture? Is it just another book? Hmmm? I would continue in the practice of not marking it.

My 2 cents.

Peter

 

[JTLauder]

The words are God's. The paper on which those words are printed is still paper. (Is there such a thing as "holy paper"?!)

I have several Bibles of various translations--all for different purposes. I have one personal leather Bible that I like to keep unmarked, mainly for sentimental reasons and because a "clean" Bible makes me feel good and it does make reading just the text easier. I only use this Bible on special occasions like how you only where a nice pair of shoes on special occassions.

Because a "clean" Bible is easier to read, I tend to not mark in most of the other Bibles. But it's not so much because I don't want to mark on them, but because if you start marking different things in too many places, it gets hard to find what you're looking for.

I have 2 study Bibles where I make all my marks. One serves as my main study Bible and you can tell it's heavy use with the darkened edges of the Bible where I flip through pages. It has some key verse notes. I don't actually have too many practical notes on the Bible itself because there's simply not enough room for it. So just notes defining and differenticiating different word origins, references, etc.

My other study Bible has only organizational notes, but it's the Bible I use for my highlighting. The main reason is that this Bible is printed on regular paperstock and my main study Bible is printed on that "onion paper" found on most Bibles.

That's my number one advice to you before you start marking. Test out your markers and pens like on a cover page or something. Onion paper is really thin and many highlighters can bleed through to the other side, and then it's hard to tell which side was highlighted. Let it sit for a while because the bleed-through may not appear right away, but come out over time. Same goes for felt pens and gel pens. Ball point ink pens don't bleed through as easily.

If your Bible paper is really thin, consider getting a different Bible printed on heavier paper. These Bibles are usually paper covers, though some come in hardcovers. But Bibles are meant to be used, not to sit prettily on the bookshelf or under your arm.

 

[Peter]

It's not my book. It's God's word. I don't mark in books that are not mine alone.

Peter

 

[A Brother In Christ]

I underline words and write verses that connect with that word within the verse.... to add depth

I use chain references....

I use the concordance to add verses to words...

 

[markbelieves]

I underline and I am also fond of chain references. I learned chain references in my first study bible which include them throughout the bible. My current study bible does not have these references so I will add them as I go along.

Peter,
Are you also opposed to study bibles in general?

Mark

 

[Monergism]

You won't need to mark your Bible, if you keep it in your heart. One who is in the Scriptures daily, or several years, will not need to mark anything, for they will be in his heart. Even memorizing the Bible will be of good use. Try that out, and mark your heart.

 

[daveleau]

I tend not to use anything that will show through to other pages. Most highlighting shows through, in my experience. The only thing I have highlighted in mine is the Romans Road.

I use a plain ball-point pen.

In the beginning of each chapter, I have written some key historical aspects about the book and its purpose.

I underline, circle and put brackets around verses, depending on the amount of the passage I want to magnnify.

I write parallel or interlinking passage references and topic headings in the margin.

I also write my own topical reference in the back pages of the Bible, as most topical Bibles (like Nave's or Torrey's) have language that can make it difficult to find what I am trying to find.

I try not to get too complex, as it requires me carrying a plethora of tools with me (different colored highlighters, or colored pencils). Also, after a while, the process of highlighting with different colors can take away from reading, while I can ignore my notes made in pen-alone, if I want to just read.

My system is not perfect, but it works for me.

God bless you,
Dave

 

[A Brother In Christ]

You won't need to mark your Bible, if you keep it in your heart. One who is in the Scriptures daily, or several years, will not need to mark anything, for they will be in his heart. Even memorizing the Bible will be of good use. Try that out, and mark your heart.

yet the flesh is weak..

thus I do both

 

[Athaliamum]

You could always try using that special highlighter tape. That way you can mark what you want but can remove it later. I use to keep my bible special and would never mark it until I remembered he bible is meant to be a living word, not just a book with words on it. By keeping it seperate I was actually using it no different then my other books (I generally don't write in novels) It's meant to be used. And when it is used keeping it prestine condition isn't possible if you're readng it everyday. The pages are going to get dog-earred - particularly your favorites. In general I use a scripture journal and each year use a different colour highlighter for the verses that have stood out or something I had to work on each day for each particular year.

It is interesting when I read the exact same passsage a year later I hardly ever went to highlight the same passage twice.

 

[diana_ch]

Same, I have different versions of the bible for my study, but i bought 1 which is a wide margin note taker, i use pencil highlighters and write in it only with pencil, i like to date also any notes that i do take so i can refer back to the message so i can fully understand the notes i made... most of the time if i just read over my notes randomly i'm not too sure of where i'm coming from, but if i can refer back to a message or study that i was doing at the time i can keep my notes in context.
I also use color coding, like:
'green' - i use for anything that i can relate back to fincances or prosperity - anything that refers to it directly or may be life principles
'yellow' - i use for passages that i refer to as 'faith-builders'
'orange' - i use as passages that i find really important to memorise
'blue' - i use for worship passages... etc
it just makes things easier and quicker to pull out when i need to prepare a message, etc.
I hope that answers your question a little.

P.D. I also use 'post-it-notes' for when i have more to write or questions in regards to a specific passage...

 

[A Brother In Christ]

use no acid pens so that they do not spread out over time

 

[Monergism]

yet the flesh is weak..

thus I do both

But the Spirit is willing.

 

[J21]

Originally Posted by Monergism
You won't need to mark your Bible, if you keep it in your heart. One who is in the Scriptures daily, or several years, will not need to mark anything, for they will be in his heart. Even memorizing the Bible will be of good use. Try that out, and mark your heart.

One day we may indeed have passages memorized...but along the way, it is most useful, especially if you are a new Christian, or one who is not gifted with good memory skills or getting to that stage of life where your memory begins to fail, to have 'memorial stones' marked in your Bible.
These 'memorial stones' are those points where I have linked verses with others etc through the Spirit's help or with His prompting me into revelation of some point which He wants me to see. Down the track a bit, I will again come across one of these 'memorial stones' and see how far I have come/grown etc.
Please do not take offense at this for I am not aiming this at yourself personally, but there are many Christians who have memorised scripture, kept it in their heart yet do not understand the full meaning behind it nor implement it within their lives.
God's word is sacred and Holy but if we are learning and showing Him by wanting to highlight etc, our desire to glean all we can from it, then I personally believe that He would not be offended nor consider it a sin or similar to write within the pages of it.

 

[vinsight4u]

/

 

[~InHisHands~]

I have 3 bibles. One I take to church which I use to make occasional notes in that pertain to that days sermon. One that I keep at home that remains unmarked and my Schofield bible which is my favorite and the one I use the most for study. I use a plain red bic medium point ink pen and a small 6 in. ruler to underline particular verses that I use for self-edification and I also make a few notes here and there in the margins for words I don't know and points of interest in order to help me better understand the scriptures.

 

[Morghaine]

I don't see it as a bad thing to write in your Bible. I believe that God gave us scripture to study, learn, and to take pleasure in reading. I use a highlighter so that I can focus quickly on certain verses, and I make notes in the margins for various reasons. I own about 12 Bibles, and I have notes in almost all of them.

 

[~InHisHands~]

12? And here I thought having 4 was a bit odd.
I guess I should clarify a bit. I have 3 KJV's and 1 NAB.

 

[GraceLikeRainFallsDown]

Hi there,

Just wondered how everyone uses highlighting, underlining, notes etc to help with thier bible study?

I didn't put marks or notes within my previous bible but want to start with my new one.

Do you just highlight verses that speak to you particularly or do you colour code verses etc?

Would be interested in finding out systems that work for people.

In Christ
M.

I was raised to not write in the Bible. But, then again I was not necessarily raised to read it either.

As an adult I found it difficult to write in my Bible. It seemed wrong. But I "went wild" and wrote in pencil one day. After the first mark, it is easier. I like colored pencils in general.

The reason I felt a need to write in it instead of note paper was that I always wrote these wonderful notes and never had them with me when I wanted them. If I make the notes in my Bible, I will have them with me or know where to find them easier. I do now hold the view that it is a textbook to study. It is my Textbook for Life. The words are Holy, but not the paper and ink.

I also have many versions. I have a couple I do not mark in at all still. Then I have ones I use to study.

Now, I am starting to use my computer more and more. I have a program that allows you to make notes for passages. Takes away the old instilled guilt of writing in the Bible. But, there is something so special about actually holding the book. For study the computer works OK for me, but I feel more of a connection with God in my "quiet time" with him holding the actual book.

 

[Bethshaya]

I mark all kinds of things in my bible. Notes, feelings, words that He speaks to me within the text to help me remember what he means in a modern world.

I just believe that the Bible is the Word of God, but it isnt God himself. That would make me idolizing the book itself. The Word became flesh in Jesus, it didnt become paper to be worshiped. The book itself holds no supernatural power. It is paper, leather and binding. But it is the content of that book that is to be revered. It should be digested and consumed. It should be made God's personal conversation to me. And in the margins are my "journal" entries of our conversations.

God breathed his word into the bible for us to take in and understand. It is His textbook of life and His will. I dont think when I come before him, he is going to tell me that I used a #2 pencil on the bible and therefore I am not condemned to hell. He is going to tell me that I was eager to learn his word and do what I needed to do to make his message to me relevant, actionable and personal.

D.L Moody has said

Bible-marking should be made the servant of memory; a few words will recall a whole sermon. It sharpens the memory, instead of blunting it, if properly done, because it gives prominence to certain things that catch the eye, which by constant reading you get to learn by heart. It helps you to locate texts. It saves preachers and class-leaders the trouble of writing out notes of their addresses. Once in the margin, always ready.

I think the argument for or against writing in the bible comes down to ones view of the actual bible. Are the words from God, or is the paper? For instance, my mother believes that having a bible in the car will somehow save her from having a terrible accident. The bible to her is an idol that has power within itself as an item. I differ, it is the words in that book, taken in and put into action by man and the resulting blessing and answer of prayer by God that holds the power. It is the faith that is learned from the words of God in the bible that holds the power, not the leather and paper item.