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Commentary Index | Return to PrayerRequest.com | DownloadR.A. Torrey Collection: Torrey, R A - How to Study the Bible: 1 - Study of Individual Books
TOPIC: Torrey, R A - How to Study the Bible (Other Topics in this Collection)
SUBJECT: 1 - Study of Individual Books
Other Subjects in this Topic:
STUDY OF INDIVIDUAL BOOKS
1. An exceptionally good mental training.
2. Most difficult, yet most rewarding.
3. Should occupy the greater portion of our time.
Procedure in Studying Individual Books
1. The first work to do, is to select the book to study.
1.1 For your first book-study, choose a short book.
1.2 Choose a comparatively easy book.
1.3 Choose a book that is rich enough in its teaching to illustrate the advantages of this method of study and thus give a keen appetite for further studies of the same kind, i.e., 1Thessalonians, 1Jn_2:1-29. The second work to do, is to master the general contents of the book, i.e., read the book over as many times as necessary at one setting.
3. The third work is to prepare an introduction to the book.
3.1 Questions
a. Who wrote this book?
b. To whom did he write?
c. Where did he write?
d. When did he write it?
e. What was the occasion of his writing?
f. What was the purpose for which he wrote?
g. What were the circumstances of the author when he wrote?
h. What were the circumstances of those to whom he wrote?
i. What glimpse does the book give into the life and character of the author?
j. What are the leading ideas of the book?
k. What is the central truth of the book?
l. What are the characteristics of the book?
4. The fourth work is to divide the book into proper sections.
5. The fifth work is to take up each verse in order and study it.
5.1 Get the exact meaning of the verse.
a. Exact meaning of the words used, i.e., must have a concordance -- Strong's (best), Young's (second), and/ or Cruden's (third). [Note: Contemporary Bible students may be best served by computer based concordances found in such programs as the Online Bible.]
b. Notice the context.
c. Examination of parallel passages, i.e., The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge is helpful. [Note: Contemporary Bible students may be best served by computer based Cross References based upon The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, as found also in the Online Bible.]
5.2 Analyze the verse, i.e., write down what the verse teaches, (several different things).
6. The sixth work in the study of the book is to classify the results obtained by the verse by verse analysis.
7. We come to the seventh and last work. This is simply to meditate upon, and so digest, the results obtained.