• Inspires

• Involves Visceral Observation

• Goal: Answer the Question: 

  • What does the passage say?

This phase of the study process is where the foundational work is done.  

• The Bible is a library of 66 books.

• Each book has one or more chapters.

• Each chapter has several verses.

• To find a place in the Bible, we use a reference like this:
  John 3:16

• That refers to the book of John, chapter 3, verse 16.

• A list of the books of the Bible can be found at the front of your Bible, in the Table of Contents.  Chapter and verse numbers are imbedded within the text of each book.

Slowly and thoughtfully - Don't rush; give the words an opportunity to sink in.

Continuously - without pausing for chapter or verse divisions.   ‌

Repeatedly - from several different translations so that you understand the boundaries, content and flow of the passage. The more often you see or read something, the more familiar it becomes to you and you can grasp both the overall concept as well as the details.  (The Blue Letter Bible has many different translations to choose from.)

Exclusively and independently  - Just the study passage, no other parts of the Bible; no commentaries, study notes or any other study aids.   (These additional study sources will become valuable later in the "Relate" phase of the study process.)

MOST IMPORTANT: Prayerfully.  The Bible is “a supernatural book, it can be studied or mastered only by supernatural aid.” (1 Corinthians 2:9-10, 12). 

Whenever you read or study the Bible,
always start, proceed and end with prayer

MOST STRATEGIC: Attentively. Be sensitive to how the passage affects you - your initial reactions to what you read.  (See "Visceral Observation".)

As you are reading, pay attention to how you react to what you read.  Four particular reactions to watch for are:

• • 1. WOW! (Impression) What caught my attention, surprised or impressed me, or looked important or significant?

    2. WOE! (Conviction) What do I need to start doing, stop doing or change in light of God’s Word?

    3. HUH? (Question) What do I not understand, have a question about or need to study further?

    4. HOW? (Participation) How can/should/will I respond to, obey or participate with God and His Word?

Writing down your reactions to the passage helps to identify initial points of connection between you and the passage that are good to note for your study.

One way to record this information is with a three column chart (using a 3-ring notebook or table in word processing software) where you can record: 

1. The Bible reference.

2. The type of Reaction (Wow, Woe, Huh, How).

3. A description of what you thought of or how you felt, and the reason or cause for that reaction.

Another way is to use Bible study software that has the capability of adding notes to the Bible text (like the Logos Bible Software notes tool).