I went to seminary at the New York Theological Seminary in NYC back in the 1950s. I went there because they promised to focus on how to study the Bible for yourself. I was very satisfied with what they taught me and have continued to teach what they called “The Inductive Study of the Bible” down through these many years. The method introduced by my now deceased professor Robert A. Traina in his still available and now inexpensive book Methodical Bible Study.
This method is simple and can be applied at various levels of one’s study. I shall share its four basic steps here for your interest and edification. Although the method can be applied at various levels, all the way from a single verse to an entire Bible book, I shall focus here on interpreting a single familiar passage, the 23rd Psalm. First, with paper, pencil and a good modern translation of the Bible ask yourself what we shall call “Interpretive Questions” concerning Psalm 23.
After we have asked a great many such questions we shall seek to find the answers to our questions using various sources such as Hebrew and/or Greek dictionaries, historical research sources, and relevant commentaries. For instance, the Psalm begins with the words “The Lord is my shepherd”. What is the meaning and significance of the title “The Lord”, especially of the article “The”, and why is he likened to a shepherd? What are the major characteristics of a shepherd?
What is the significance of items like “leads”, “still waters” and “green pastures”? Such specific questions can continue to be asked about the Psalm. The answers to such questions can be sought in Bible dictionaries, commentaries, and theological books. One can draw columns with these questions on the one side and the answers in the column next to it. This can, of course, be tedious work, but it yields a great deal of understanding. The title “valley of the shadow of death” turns out to reference a specific narrow valley on the trail leading up to Jerusalem from the desert. One might also ask about the difference between “thy rod” and “thy staff” how and why would these be “comforting”?
After accumulating a good number of answers one can work on correlating them into an interpretive summary of the Psalm, followed by a short exploratory application of these finding to one’s own life, or to the corporate life of, say, a church or a nation. Such explorations might well include wider applications to other aspects of human and co-operate life. Such applications might also lead to conversations with others about the significance of the Psalm.
Take another example: “God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself”. (1 Corinthians 5:19) Here the key terms are obviously “God”, “in” , “Christ”, and “reconciling”. Much research would need to be done to fill in the meaning of the key terms “God” (Theos) and “Christ” (Christos) involved here. The preposition “in” turns out to have been crucial in the history of theology. In what sense was God “in” the person of Jesus? The verb “reconciling” would be absolutely key in determining the significance of Christ’s efforts on behalf of humankind.
Here, of course, one would need to consult some Bible dictionaries and Bible commentaries to see what these key words of the passage mean. This could grow into a rather huge task, but would also result in a great deal of learning. To a large degree such studies constitute an end in themselves. The process itself is highly educative, even if few conclusions are arrived at. I have always felt a bit like an amateur Sherlock Holmes tracking down the key that unlocks the mystery.
In the end one can then write up a semi-summary of the passage under consideration, together with its application to one’s daily life, as well as that of any community in which one happens to participate. Of course, all of this can be very time and energy consuming. It helps to do such studies in a group with others of like-mindedness. The Bible, after all, is perhaps the widest read and honored book in the history of the world. By the way, this methodical approach might serve well in the study of any important document, such as the Constitution of The United States for instance.