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Feed Yourself Lesson Seventeen

For the Video Lesson, Click Here.

How To Analyze A Verse

"Ye shall diligently keep the commandments of the LORD your God, and his testimonies, and his statutes, which he hath commanded thee." Deut. 6:17

This week we are going to look at how to analyze a verse or sentence. As you know, the verse divisions were not in the original text. Many times the verses divide in the middle of a sentence. When doing this study always choose a complete sentence even if it includes several verses or parts of verses.

Before analyzing a verse/sentence or chapter [as we will do next week] we should do a Book Survey. This helps us to understand the context in which our verse is set. I keep stressing context because it is so important. We can see the Big Picture, the overall theme and intent of the writer. A sentence can have vastly different meanings depending on the context. For example, Rom. 8:7b states "It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so." We need the context to know that it is referring to the sinful mind, but more than that we need the context to discover what Paul is trying to prove and how this fits into his evidence.

So how do we analyze a Verse/Sentence?

Step one is to select the verse/sentence to analyze. Note the type of book it is in [i.e. historical, poetical, etc.]

Step two, if not already done, is to do a book survey on the entire book [See lessons 9-11].

Step three is to do a devotional reading on the chapter in which the verse is found [See lesson 3]. Steps 2-3 help to get a good foundation of context before looking at an individual verse/sentence. Context is vital.

Step four is to do a Textual Re-Creation. Now don't get worried. This doesn't mean you are changing Scripture! Textual Re-Creation is simply writing the verse/sentence down word-for-word, but using different techniques to emphasize different words. This is a chance for you to be creative. You can indent, underline, capitalize, use upper or lower case letters, circle words, box words, use different colours, use arrows, or anything that strikes you. See the included example. The point of Textual Re-Creation is to discover the meaning of the verse/sentence by emphasizing the important words and seeing the relation between them.

Step five is to identify the core sentence pattern. Note the subject [noun], the verb, and any modifiers [words that describe or qualify another word or group of words]. If you've forgotten English grammar it may be helpful to review a grammar book on things like subjects, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, direct objects, indirect objects, simple sentences, complex sentences, and compound sentences. This part can be the most frustrating part as many sentences in Scripture are long and complex. Using a modern language Bible will help. Look at the sentences one part at a time. Taking out prepositional phrases can make finding the core sentence easier. Prepositional phrases begin with preposition [such as: by, from, to, with, etc.] and has an object [by the road]. For example, in the sentence “Christ was raised from the dead” we could mark off the prepositional phrase “from the dead.” If we place brackets around the prepositional phrase we can easily see that “Christ” is the noun/subject and “was raised” is the verb. In more complex sentences marking the prepositional phrases makes identifying the main parts of the sentence much easier. The important thing is to see how the different phrases relate to each other. Remember, don't get stressed out. This is for your own Biblical enrichment. The free world will not be destroyed if you make a mistake!

Step six is to record in the margins what you see in the verse. What does it mean? Who is it talking about? Why is it there? How does it fit the Big Picture?

Step seven is to write down personal applications you have learned from the verse/sentence. How is it going to affect your life? What do you have to do?

This may sound like a hard lesson. It can be, but do not become discouraged. It becomes easier with practice and you can have a lot of fun with your textual re-construction. Let your imagination soar, just do not change the Scriptural words.

Download the Verse Analyzer form and samples from the Bible Resources page.

WEEK SEVENTEEN PROJECT

Select a verse/sentence from the book on which you did your book survey. Analyze the verse according to the above steps. You may want to practice on several verses before moving on to the next lesson.

2. Continue with your daily reading program.

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Reference Works Used In This Course:

Bible Study Methods by Mrs. Shirley Davis

The International Inductive Study Bible by Harvest House Publishers

Effective Bible Study by Howard F. Vos, Zondervan

How To Understand Your Bible by T. Norton Sterrett, IVP

How To Study Your Bible by Kay Arthur, Harvest House

Independent Bible Study by Irving L. Jensen, Moody

How To Study The Bible For Yourself by Tim LaHaye, Harvest House

Return to Feed Yourself Lessons.

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