Biblical Archaeology: Three Keys for Deep Bible Study

Hello again friend and welcome to The Grapevine. Last week I gave some tips for those just beginning their Bible reading journey. Today, I wanted to go to the opposite side of the spectrum and share some tips for deep dive, nitty gritty Bible study.

But don’t worry! And don’t rush to leave just yet. If you’re a complete beginner in your Bible reading journey, these tips can be incredibly beneficial to you as well. So, whether you’re an experienced Bible archeologist or just starting to scout out the land, grab your Bible and let’s go on a dig into the awesome treasure trove of the Word of God.

Key #1: Then and there, here and now

Here’s the thing: The people who lived in Bible times lived in, well, the Bible times. So in order to understand many of the things happening, we have to understand that they lived in a different time, culture, had different languages, customs, etc. This can feel overwhelming at first, but with careful study it can become extremely beneficial to bridge the gap.

Gordon Fee and Douglas Stuart, in their book How to Read the Bible for All It’s Worth, share that the Bible is like a bridge across a river. On one side, you have the Bible world (the then and there context), and on the other side is our modern world (the here and now context). To properly interpret and understand Scripture, we first have to cross the bridge to understand what the text meant in the original and historical context before we can apply it to our lives and world today.

So how do we do that? Well, there are many helpful tools available to us today that make this job a thousand times easier than a few years back. Some resources I recommend would be:

• Books on Biblical culture and customs (The NIV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible could be a great choice for this)
• A good study Bible (The NIV or ESV Study Bibles are great places to start)
• The Bible Project videos and even their website
• Bible dictionaries and concordances (Strong’s concordance can be easily accessed online)

The great thing about resources like this is that many of them are free. But if you want to invest more in your Bible study, then there’s many great books and study Bibles available for purchase.

To sum this point up: When reading the Bible, first ask yourself what it meant to them. Then ask yourself what it means to you and how you can apply it.

Key #2: Context is key

“A text without context is a pretext.”

I absolutely love this quote and it is key when studying the Bible. Many times we read a verse and skim through the entire context. But we must remember that the Bible was written intentionally, and as such it follows a theme and line of thought. If we take a verse out of context, we can end up justifying wild thoughts because we are missing the essence of what the original author is saying. So, my second tip for deeper Bible study is to look at the context. Here are some ways you can easily do that:

• If your Bible has it, read the individual book introduction. Many Bibles on YouVersion, such as the NIV, have an introductory section before the beginning of every book.
• Read what comes before and after a verse you are studying. Remember, chapter breaks weren’t a thing when the original Bible texts were written, so it’s important to understand the flow of ideas and the message that the author is sharing.
• Look at the big picture. The entire Bible is one big message, not a million little ideas thrown together haphazardly. So think about how a certain phrase fits in a verse, in a chapter, in a book, in the general and overarching story of the Bible. I mentioned this in a previous post, but the whole Bible is about Jesus and the journey to redeem humanity from sin and restore them to a place of glory and god-likeness. So when you read, also think about the big picture and the plan for redemption.

Key #3: The gold in individual words

And finally, one of my personal favorite tips, is to look for the gold in individual words. Word studies are phenomenal. When reading, if a word stands out to you or if you don’t understand it, look it up. Ask yourself:

• What’s the original meaning of this word?
• What is the etymology?
• How does it apply to the context in this passage?
• How does it apply to me?

Hebrews 3:1 says the following: “Therefore, holy brothers, you who share in a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession…”

Here, the word consider means: an intense, focused mental attention, a deliberate fixing of one’s thoughts on something, to observe fully, to contemplate carefully, to understand thoroughly through careful examination. So, to consider Jesus means to consciously fix our eyes, thoughts and mind on him. It means to spend time carefully examining who he is and what he’s done. As children of God, our job is to have an intense focus on him. We’re not supposed to casually think about God once in a while, we are supposed to make him our lifestyle, and constantly fix our mind on him. He renews our mind and thoughts as we consider him.

See how one tiny word can mean so much more than first meets the eye? So if you ever want to go deeper, or understand a Bible verse better, take some time to find interesting words that catch your eye and study them. Look them up. Find what they mean. Every little detail in the Bible is a treasure trove of wisdom.

Those are three keys to deeper Bible study. I hope you find them helpful and useful, and I hope they inspire you and encourage you to dig deeper into the word. Together, let’s consider Jesus, who he is, and his incredible plans for our lives.

Tune in next week for some tips and tricks for studying the Bible using AI.

Until next one,
Anna

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“At a Glance” Summary

1. Cross the Bridge: Understand the “then and there” historical context before applying Scripture to your “here and now” life. Use study Bibles, cultural resources, and concordances to bridge this gap.
2. Context is Everything: Never isolate verses from their surroundings. Consider how each passage fits within its chapter, book, and the Bible’s overarching redemption story.
3. Mine for Word Gold: Examine key words closely by studying their original meanings and etymology. This detailed approach often reveals profound insights hidden beneath familiar passages.