The 5 Basic Questions of Bible Reading
If you’ve been reading your Bible and keep thinking, “Ok, I’m reading and reading. Surely this isn’t it. What do I do next?”
That’s a good question! And, you’re right—you shouldn’t leave it at just repetitively reading. Understanding and remembering what you’re reading is important! But, how do you do that? I’m glad you asked!
I’ll preface by telling you that I didn’t come up with these myself. These are tools you probably learned and used in a literature class, and you might be surprised to find them here. But, the Bible as a book is literature, and we can use many of the same tools to help us better understand and love the text we’re reading!
So, anytime you come to a text, and especially when you crack open a new book of the Bible, it’s important to read and start with these five questions:
Who?
What?
When?
Where?
Why?
You might be wondering how to answer these questions. A good study Bible can be really helpful, as the intro to each book normally shares some of the answers to these questions. I personally use the ESV Study Bible. You could use that or even the NIV or CSB Study Bibles. There are also study helps available online, like Blue Letter Bible.
Let’s break down these five questions and work through an example together! Since we talked last week about starting with the book of John, let’s apply these questions to that book:
Who?
So, the “Who?” question applies in a couple of ways:
Who is the author? Who are they writing to?
When it comes to the Gospel According to John, it might seem a little tricky at first, if you’re not reading the title. Unlike other biblical books, John doesn’t introduce himself in the book. You might also be wondering which John wrote this book because there are several Johns in the New Testament (John the Baptist, John the son of Zebedee, John Mark…)! The author refers to himself as the disciple “whom Jesus loved,” and Christian tradition and most scholars believe that was John the son of Zebedee.
As for the author’s audience, he wrote to both Jewish and Gentile (non-Jewish) Christians in the Greco-Roman world.
What?
So, what is the book about? This is where your repetitive reading really shines because it helps you get a grasp on the book’s message without necessarily needing to look up the information elsewhere.
The Gospel of John, like the other gospel accounts (Matthew, Mark, and Luke), is about the good news of our savior, Jesus Christ. As one of my professors puts it, this book is both simple and profound in its presentation of Jesus. It also focuses heavily on the divine nature of Jesus, seven of his major miracles, and seven of his major statements/teachings.
Where?
Where was the text written? Answering this question helps us to see a fuller picture of the reasons for writing this letter.
Scholars generally agree that the Gospel of John was written in Ephesus, an ancient Greek city which is located in modern-day Turkey. They believe it was written there because John spent the latter part of his life and ministry in Ephesus.
When?
When was this book written? This question might not seem all that important, but it actually helps us better understand the world at that time. By knowing roughly when the book/letter was penned, we get a better idea of what its audiences were experiencing, the political climate at the time, major events going on around our author and audience, and other crucial factors that help us better read and understand the text.
I definitely had to reference my study Bible for the answer to this one! John was written sometime in the first century. Most scholars believe John was written between 70 and 100 A.D. because that’s when John lived in Ephesus. Some narrow down the text’s date to 85–90 A.D.
Why?
Why was the text written? The answers to all of our previous questions, paired with our reading of a text, can help us move beyond observing the text and move into comprehending the text.
While sometimes we’ll have to use context clues to figure out the purpose, John actually tells us why he wrote this text! (Isn’t that handy?!) In John 20:30–31, he says: “Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.”
Now that you have those five questions, you’re primed to really dive deep into your Bible reading and studying. I hope these tools are helping you to get excited about spending time in God’s Word—and are making it feel more accessible!