Bible Study Resources
Prepared by Pastor Dave Esau (March 2025)
Why Study the Bible?
When we study the Bible, we’re trying to hear God’s word to us and "put [His words] into practice...like a wise man who built his house on the rock" (Matthew 7:24).
Good Bible study helps us understand what God said to the original audience and what He is saying to us today. Gordon Fee & Douglas Stuart write:
“The aim of good interpretation is simple: to get at the 'plain meaning of the text.' The test of good interpretation is that it makes good sense of the text [in its historical and literary context]. Correct interpretation, therefore, brings relief to the mind as well as a prick or prod to the heart.”
— How to Read the Bible For All Its Worth
To help us understand what a passage of scripture meant and means we need some basic tools beginning with a good translation of the Bible.(1)
To help us understand the historical context of the biblical books and authors (time, culture, geography, etc.) we need some outside help. A good Bible dictionary, such as the four volume International Standard Bible Encvclopedia (also availible in our Eagle Ridge Bible Fellowship library) or the one-volume, New International Bible Dictionary. Several older Bible dictionaries are available online at BibleGateway.
It is always best to first make our own observations of a text/story, to take note of it's historical and literary context (what comes right before & after these verses). There are times when you will want to consult a good commentary. As Fee & Stuart point out,
"What you want a commentary for is basically to supply three things: (1) helps on sources and information about the historical context, (2) answers to those manifold content questions, and (3) thorough discussions of difficult texts as to the possibilities of meaning, along with supporting arguments."(2)
Our Eagle Ridge Bible Fellowship library has the complete Tyndale Commentary Series on each book of the Bible. In terms of free online commentaries, two good ones I am familiar with and can recommend are:
- The Enduring Word by David Guzik and
- Constable's Notes by Thomas Constable: Additional Online Resources
Bible Gateway - includes access to many Bible translations & resources
Blue Letter Bible - provides access to the Bible in its original languages that is user friendly for people who don't know Hebrew or Greek.
- Dave Esau (March 2025)
1 Read A Good Translation by Fee & Stuart.
2 See Gordon Fee & Douglas Stuart, How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth, appendix for more details.