Understanding the Bible....HELP

[SarahB622]

Ok I'm a Christian but sometimes when I read the Bible I sometime don't understand what I am Reading....Does anyone know of a book or something that they do to help them or anything.... there is nothing in particular that I don't understand....I just sometime get confused on what I'm reading...

 

[LegomasterJC]

Sounds like you need a friend to read with and ask questions... someone who has a gift of understanding... I know of no books but if you ever do have specific questions, post them here or in a topic and I'll help if I can.

 

[Rafael]

Find the verses you don't understand and posting them here might help. Also, reading a newer translation of the Bible might help. I like the New Living Translation which is very easily understood. The old language in the King James version is very poetic and beautiful to read, but does have some very old words that struggle to express newer ideas and thinking. Personally I like it for memorization though - especially the Psalms like 23.

Be sure and start by reading the gospels in the New testament, and maybe even buying a newer study Bible that has notes and commentary that is relevant to each verse poste in the columns.
Anything I can do to help, feel free to contact me.

 

[St. Worm2]

Ok I'm a Christian but sometimes when I read the Bible I sometime don't understand what I am Reading....Does anyone know of a book or something that they do to help them or anything.... there is nothing in particular that I don't understand....I just sometime get confused on what I'm reading...

Hi Sarah, since you are a Christian, this probably should have been posted on the Theology Board's, "Exposition and Bible Study", forum. That aside, the first tool you should lay your hands on is a good "Study Bible". They normally have commentary about the text you are reading on the very same page with the text. I would recommend either the MacArthur Study Bible (best IMHO, certainly the most extensive), or the NIV or NASB Study Bible (by Zondervan publishing), or the Ryrie Study Bible (which you can get in NASB, KJV, or NIV). The MacArthur Study Bible only comes in NKJV. You can buy these at your local Christian Book Store or from Amazon, of course.

The next step up is to buy one or two book commentaries on the entire Bible. The best, again IMHO are, "The Believer's Bible Commentary" (2 volumes OT/NT) and "The Bible Knowledge Commentary" (also 2 volumes OT/NT). These, like the MacArthur Study Bible, can also be purchased in software format from www.logos.com (which does have the potential of greatly enhancing your study of the Bible). I actually think you would be happiest if you owned both a Study Bible AND at least one of the two volume commentaries I mentioned above, if not both of them.

The next step is to buy commentaries on individual Books of the Bible as you need them, or as a set. Though not quite complete yet, the MacArthur Commentary series is a great set of NT commentaries to own. If I own several commentaries on a particular book of the Bible (like I do with Romans), it is my normal practice to look at the MacArthur commentary on that Book first.

Finally, and in the meantime, though often not as good as some of the scholarly sources mentioned above, why not just pop on over to the "Exposition and Bible Study" forum and ask those of us who post there to answer your questions ...

Yours in Christ,
David
p.s. - you can see or call about the resources from Dr. MacArthur at www.gty.org (or call them at 1-800-55-GRACE). He is the pastor of a church in California, and the head of the Grace to You radio program and the Master's Seminary.

 

[Rafael]

on McArthurs Study Bible. Althjough I haven't seen it, from my experience, just about anything of his is reliable commentary. I have many of his commentaries of Paul epistles.

 

[Dmckay]

Your problem sounds pretty generic in nature. Not knowing exactly what the problem causing your not understanding I must give you some generic advice. The first thing I would suggest is that before yoy begin to read you pray asking the Holy Spirit to guide and teach you, opening your mind and heartr to what God has to say to you. Sometimes when we come to the Scriptures our attention is divided and we loose focus while reading and thus don't understand what we are reading.

Second, you don't specify what bible translation you are reading. It may be helpful for you to obtain another Bible in a different translation to compare the way a passage has been translated in a different version. Sometimes a different perspective helps considerably. Should there be a good Used Bible Bookstore in your area see if they have a copy of the paperback Bible called the Parallel Bible. This is only available in the New Testament, but it lays out each book in side-by-side different translations. If the Bible you are reading is just a text Bible, you might consider investing in a good Study Bible that has marginal cross references and study helps on the page that can shed some light on the passages that you are having trouble with. Several that I can recommend are, The New International Study Bible, The Ryrie Study Bible(this is available in several different translations), The Open Bible (also available in several translations), or the Life Application Study Bible (also available in several translations).

If your problem is one of not understanding the customs of the time in which the passage you are having trouble with is set I recommend that you get a copy of a Bible reference book called The Bible Almanac edited by J.I. Packer; Merrill Tenny and William White. This book is so helpful in so many areas that I recommend it to all believers of all levels of maturity. Most will find that it soon becomes one book that they depend on more than almost any other beside their Bible.

If this doesn't answer your question or help with your problem then feel free to PM me and give me an address–snail mail or email and I will send you a detailed study that I put together for one of my youth groups on how to study the Bible. I hope this is helpful to you. The Lord bless you and help you as you continue to study His Word.

 

[Katydid]

Kay Arthur has Bible studies on different books, she actually Teaches you to understand what you are reading, without telling you what to think. I love her studies, because they GUIDE you not Preach to you. Also she has a book called, "How to Study your Bible" where she explains the basic rules in studying and also shows some good examples on how to understand what you are reading.

 

[tamtam92]

on McArthurs Study Bible. Althjough I haven't seen it, from my experience, just about anything of his is reliable commentary. I have many of his commentaries of Paul epistles.

It has even been translated in French ! I have some of them at home -though i haven't read one yet.

 

[tamtam92]

hem, btw, i think that you should pray before you read. You can also try to take notes. You should also use a dictionnary, it can prove very useful.