Using the Bible’s Built in Helps.

Apart from the numerous Commentaries, Dictionaries and Bible Aids that are available, there is also something of a “built-in” helpmeet in most of our Bibles. This is found in such things a chapter headings, marginal references, and italics. The fact that these things have been inserted within the covers of our Bibles by men of the past need not deter us from their use, and it is always a good thing to look in the margin for a “cross-reference” to a particular verse or passage being read. Not only does this increase our understanding of the particular subject on hand, but it also helps to increase our overall knowledge of the content of the Word of God.

In reading the scriptures it is usually a worthwhile exercise to read on past a division of a chapter i.e., from chapter four, say of a book, on into a few verses of chapter five. The chapter divisions that we have in our Bible are, of course, not the inspired division and, whereas, for the most part, they are very helpful, there are occasions where we miss the fulness of what is being said if we stick too rigidly to them. The presence of “italics” in most Bibles comes into the same category. The older translators inserted italics to show that the words in italics were really “additions” that they were making for sake of clarity. We admire their honesty in this procedure. In some of the more modern versions this procedure is neglected.

Within the actual “text” of the Word of God itself, there are, also, some inbuilt aids to reading aright. One of the most effective of these is found in the right use of certain “key words” – joining words, and such like. One of the greatest of these is the word, “Therefore,” and, as someone said, “whenever you see a ‘therefore’ always look and see what it’s there for!” Others akin to it are words like, “But,” “now,” “seeing,” “If,” and so on. We once heard a man begin a series on Romans at chapter 12, because, as he put it, “The first eleven chapters only contain doctrine!” What didn’t seem to occur to him was that when Paul begins chapter 12 by saying, “I beseech you, “therefore, brethren.” He is throwing his readers back on those eleven chapters of doctrine as the grateful basis for all the practical exhortations that are about to follow. And so throughout the whole of the Word of God. Words like “moreover,” “finally,” and phrases like, “What then?” “I say then,” – and so forth should all be noted as we read from day to day.

Attached to some Bibles, as well, you may find a short Concordance of Bible words and names; whether this is the case or not, every Christian desiring to realistically read the Word of God should have access to a concordance, and endeavour to make use of it. In the actual use of a concordance in finding where a particular text is, it is usually advisable to give a minute’s thought to the particular text; this can save a lot of time and effort. For example, a text like, “Behold then the goodness and the severity of God.” If I wanted to locate that text, how would I look for it in a concordance? Well, try and assess the least common word in the text. In this case, would it be “goodness”, or “severity;” A glance at a concordance will show that words like – Good, Goodly, etc run for pages; “goodness” itself has about sixty references in the average concordance. So, opt for “severity;” and, a pleasant surprise, only one reference.

In some concordances certain texts will be marked with some form of an asterisk * - + etc. This is to show that there is a marginal reading with the particular word involved.

The “Metrical” version of the Psalms in some Bibles should be well used where available. Very often it is easier to commit to memory something that is in metre than otherwise, and the metrical version of Psalm 19 – concerning the Scriptures themselves – speaks volumes