How do you mark up your Bible?

[favored_one]

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...

My method is very similar to diana_ch. I have owned about every study bible available. It was not until I purchased a Cambridge Cameo wide margin(I had the Concord but it was a tad too large for me) and began putting my own notes and markings in it, that I found I could memorize and understand scripture. Most of my notes, thus far are alternate translations or words I clarified. In Acts, I have notes on Moloch, Diana or Artemis...whatever I am unsure of at the time of study. I do highlight verses I want to memorize or have extensive marginal notes on, but I REALLY try to keep the actual text clean because some days you just want to read. Because I switched to the Cameo, I only have margins on the top, bottom and outside of the text. This is fine but I found that I must be VERY neat and notate my verses, esp the ones pulled from the inner column of text.

 

[Blank123]

i don't actually mark up my Bible too much, partly because i hate seeing so many notes and things in the Bible(personal preference). but when a verse really stands out to me because i might be able to use it in a debate/article or whatever other reason I'll underline it with a pencil.

 

[Maharg]

I stick little tabs on the edges of the pages that can be seen when the Bible is closed. They can be removed without damage, like post-it notes, but tend to stay where they are if not interfered with.

I have different colours meaning different things, e.g. purple are messages that I believe God is giving me, blue are verses that I have found good advice for living a Christian life, and so on.

I don't do it so often now, I tend to write notes in another book because God brings the same verses again and again, and it's easuier to see the patterns and links if I write stuff elsewhere.

May God bless you.



maharg

 

[favored_one]

I stick little tabs on the edges of the pages that can be seen when the Bible is closed. They can be removed without damage, like post-it notes, but tend to stay where they are if not interfered with.

I have different colours meaning different things, e.g. purple are messages that I believe God is giving me, blue are verses that I have found good advice for living a Christian life, and so on.

Removable tabs huh?.... I MUST GET SOME!!

 

[tqpix]

I used to highlight my Bible, then I stopped doing that when I began to write notes on my Bible; now, I just make a big Microsoft Excel file with all my notes on it.

 

[Metanoia02]

I don't mark up my Bible. If I did I would be forcing meaning into those words by highlighting them. I try an keep an open heart and mind when reading Scripture. If we have already determined what the words mean we can never learn any more from them. Keep it clean, read with new eyes every time.

 

[Tychicum]

I am almost 100% electronic. e-Sword.

I mark it us as I want. Electonic hi-lite.

Except for my back-up.

That is always original.

 

[seeking.IAM]

I can't bring myself to write in a Bible. (Not that it has anything to do with this thread, but I also can't bring myself to throw away a Bible).

I am a "stuffer" though. In my study Bible I will stuff clipings of prayers or thoughts excerpted from church bulletins or other places.

seeking.IAM
<><

 

[A Brother In Christ]

that ruins the binding

 

[favored_one]

I am a "stuffer" though. In my study Bible I will stuff clipings of prayers or thoughts excerpted from church bulletins or other places.

that ruins the binding

Very true...it will ruin the binding, however, since you don't mark your bible, it won't be a huge deal to just replace it when the spine breaks.

Binding and material was a major factor in my bible purchase. I'm not KJV only, but I found it to be the easiest translation to find quality wide-margin bindings in.

 

[JTLauder]

Maybe this should be started on a different thread, but this brings up the question of Bible usage. From this thread, it looks like there are 3 groups of Bible users:
1) single Bible users
2) multiple Bible users
3) Bible software users

Looks like the people who mainly use one single Bible tend to regard their Bibles as more precious items to not mark in them.

Whereas multiple Bibles users mark on some Bibles for study and can have other clean Bibles for reading.

Software Bible users don't fall into this discussion since there's no paper for marking. But I am curious about those who say they use only Bible software. Don't you carry a Bible with you when you go to church?

 

[catwoman2]

I used to waver between different Bibles until I just said, Okay, This is the one I'll use for my basic one. The others are reference. I've underlined, highlighted, wrote in different stuff as I studied it and used the cross-references and notes. I can't tell you how many times I went back and searched for one of my "topic studies" and were grateful that I marked the different passages up! I tend to use one color for a particular phrase throughout a particular book (or a common phrase throughout the Bible, as I used the cross-references). I wish I were more organized to find a system throughout the Bible but, Oh Well!

If I didn't mark my thoughts in my Bible, I would have lost those gems by now. If I had written them down elsewhere, I certainly would have lost those notes. My Bible has become a treasure by now of months of doing Bible studies as the need arose. I'm suprized I didn't get coffee stains on it by now!

 

[Blank123]

Software Bible users don't fall into this discussion since there's no paper for marking. But I am curious about those who say they use only Bible software. Don't you carry a Bible with you when you go to church?

my brother only uses software Bibles so when he goes to church he takes his PDA with him so he can follow along with scripture readings in his Bible

 

[Metanoia02]

my brother only uses software Bibles so when he goes to church he takes his PDA with him so he can follow along with scripture readings in his Bible

That makes me feel a million years old!

 

[AngCath]

with a pencil

 

[Ave Maria]

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

I also don't like the idea of marking in my Bible.

 

[ArcticFox]

Hi there,

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

I don't.

I prefer not to mark up my Bibles for a lot of reasons. One is aesthetic -- I just don't like how it looks all marked up. Another is that I prefer to keep my Bibles in excellent shape should I ever decide to give it away, and I can tell you that I've given away more good, quality Bibles than I can remember!

Also, the biggest reason I don't mark up my Bibles is something that you may honestly not agree with, but I think it can be dangerous. Although we all make notes or write up our thoughts on Bible truths, I prefer not to put them into the actual Bible I read. Reason it simple: it tends to color the way I look at that part of the Bible from that point on, every time I look at it it'll remind me of my previous conclusions, and will stunt my ability to see texts in a different or unique way that I hadn't before.

Although we shouldn't be coming up with new, novel meanings for verses all the time, I do believe it is ok to leave open the possibility that we have erred in our original interpretations.

 

[JTLauder]

my brother only uses software Bibles so when he goes to church he takes his PDA with him so he can follow along with scripture readings in his Bible

That's certainly a good idea. You can carry all the different Bible versinons and whatever other references all on a single device. Personally, I've found PDA screens to be too small to read comfortable as I like to scan and flip through pages. I was hoping for a larger screen devices like the highly touted announcement, but mostly yet unrealized Origami devices. There is this one company (Sony?) that has come out with one, but it costs as much as a low-end laptop. Gotta wait for a few more of these devices to come out in the market before the prices drop.

 

[Jesusong]

I have my bible in a zip jacket. Inside the zip jacket is a black pen, a red pen, a yelow hi-lighter, and a ruler. Most of my underlining and notes are with my red pen. If I'm underlining something Jesus said (words in red) I will use the black. The notes that I may write next to the verse (in red) will be in black. I won't use the hi-lighter cause it bleeds through the paper. I keep the hi-lighter in there cause when I'm preparing my Sunday School lessons, I will hi-light the lesson book, or a study book that I'm reading. The ruler will help me underline straight.

 

[Weasel7711]

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 used to highlight but then it would smudge the text and that made me kind of annoyed. So now I underline, circle, reference other verses, or write one or two words in the margin