The key to studying and understanding poetry is understanding how it works.

The most common types of poetry are:

Terseness –  short clauses or sentences  grouped by repetition and stanza. Psalms 23:1 is one example.

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. (Psa 23:1 KJV)

The conjunctions are left out. We understand the meaning that ‘because’ the LORD is my shepherd, ‘therefore’ I shall not want. Terseness causes us to read the passage more slowly and carefully.

Parallelism – repetition to get the point across. The repetition can be within a single verse or across many verses. Most poetic verses include parallelism. Two lines that are in parallel are not identical. They usually say the same thing in different ways. The second line of the parallel usually goes into a more detailed example of the first line. Psalms 9:1 is a good example.

I will praise thee, O LORD, with my whole heart; I will shew forth all thy marvellous works. (Psa 9:1 KJV)

The first line tells that David will praise the LORD. The second line, as a parallel to the first, says the same thing, but this time it is more specific in telling how David will praise the LORD.

Imagery – an indirect way of describing a situation. Imagery often uses examples and types to get the point across. This allows the author to make the point vividly and quickly. Song of Songs is filled with imagery.

There are other types of poetry, but these three are the most popular in Scripture. Understanding the types of poetry helps in interpreting and applying the Scriptures. Hebrew poetry requires the reader to slow down and understand how the lines relate to each other in order to get a deeper understanding. Since there is more poetry in the Old Testament than the entire text of the New Testament, it is worth the time and effort to study and understand the different types of poetry.

Bible Study Notebook

Print out a Bible page and practice before writing in your Bible. You can print a page by highlighting the text from a Bible online, download a printable Bible, or print a Bible from software on your computer. This will allow you to get more comfortable with writing with the Bible text before writing in your own Bible.

Write your notes on paper first, and then transfer the note to your Bible when you’re ready. This way you can work out what you want to say, and then decide if it needs to be written in your Bible. I’ve written many notes that I won’t transfer to my next Bible. Writing your notes out on paper first helps you to see beforehand if it really needs to be in your Bible or not.

Buy a cheaper Bible and practice. You don’t have to start with the most expensive Bible. I started with an inexpensive Bible and developed my own system. I learned what I liked and didn’t like and bought another Bible and started over. I did this several times until I was ready to write in a better quality Bible.

Get good quality pens for marking your Bible. Marks that bleed through and smear look terrible in your Bible. I recommend pens or pencils that don’t leave indentions in the paper, bleed through, fade, or smear. My favorite markers are Pigma Micron. They are archival quality and work great. My favorite pencils for coloring are PrismaColor.

It’s OK not to write in your Bible- even if it’s made for writing in (like a wide margin Bible).  Don’t let others pressure you into writing in your Bible if you don’t want to. Don’t feel obligated to just because others are doing it. Use whatever system works for you. If you would rather write in a notebook than your Bible, that’s perfectly fine. The key is that you take notes as you study the Bible. Work with the text and apply what you’ve learned- even if you don’t feel comfortable writing in your Bible.

Book study is the most difficult and includes many other study methods. It includes inductive study, where you write questions, answers, thoughts, lists, etc. It also includes marking, where you mark the main points, topics, etc. It includes topical study, where you identify topics throughout the book. It can also include a devotional study, where you journal what is speaking to you at this specific time in your life.

There are many ways to do a book study. This is not the only method you should try, but hopefully there will be something here that can help you grow in God’s Word. Always begin with prayer. Ask God to lead you as you dig deeper into His Word.

First, read the whole book. If it’s a small book try reading it in one sitting. If it’s a larger book, try reading as much in one sitting as possible so you can get through the book in just a few days. Don’t worry about the details yet. Just try to grasp the main points.

Next, read the book again. This time, write down the main points that speak to you.

Then, read the book again. This time try to answer who, what, when, why, and how. Write your answers to each question. Ask yourself the questions as many times as you can. Write down who the writer is and who the writer is writing to and why. What are the circumstances that caused the book to be written? What are the key thoughts, passages, and verses? What is the literary style? Does the book have a key verse? Who are the key characters? What are the key events? Were the key points applied? How?

Next, read the book again. This time, divide the book into sections. Take the major points and events in each section to create your own headings for each section.

Next, read the book again. This time, this time, take the headings you’ve written to help you form an outline of the book.

While reading the book, use your outline to help you write a summary of each chapter. Once you’ve written a summary of each chapter, try writing a summary of the whole book.

Read the book again. This time, mark the text. Mark the main points, topics, and events that speak to you.

To grow even deeper, try writing your own commentary of the book. Also try teaching the book to others. Use your notes as your teaching material.

This method is a lot of work, but when you’re done you will master the book. Each time you read it you will see something that you overlooked before. This method is the most difficult, but most complete and thorough method of Bible study. I feel that it gives the greatest results. This method will help you build a foundation to build your own cross references, word studies, topical studies, character studies, etc., and it will give you what you need to teach it to others. You might even remember a verse or two along the way.

Advantages of Journaling

Journaling your way through the Word of God has many advantages. For one, it causes us to slow down and look deeper at the text. It can be so easy to focus on breezing through as chapters a day as you can, but it’s also easy to breeze through those chapters and miss the details. Journaling helps us to slow down and look closer at what is going on or being said. It allows us to see things we might normally gloss over and not really see.

Journaling also helps in memorizing Scripture. I have a hard time memorizing Scripture. I can repeat a verse, or even write a verse over and over and it can still be difficult to remember. When I take my time and talk about a verse, whether I’m talking or writing, I often remember a verse without even trying.

Types of Journals

There are many options to keeping a journal. One popular method is to use a Bible made just for that purpose- a journaling Bible. A journaling Bible is a Bible with writing space; usually on the outside margin and ruled. Some leave one side of the page blank. You can also use a regular wide-margin Bible. I’m partial to the wide-margins available from Cambridge and LCBP. An advantage in using your Bible for your journal is that you will have created your own devotional Bible or a study Bible complete with notes. For my journaling I will use the Take Note Bible from Nelson. It is available in both KJV and NKJV for around $20.00.

Another option is to write in a notebook. The advantage to using a notebook is you are not limited to the space in your Bible and you can use any Bible.

You could print the Bible pages and write on the pages that you’ve printed. The advantage to this is you can print what you want when you want.

Another option is to keep your journal digitally. This includes a smart-phone, tablet, PC, laptop, blog, etc. The advantage to using a digital device, especially a PC, is that you can easily publish your work. This allows you to use your journal as teaching material, study material, blog posts, newsletters, devotionals, or even a book.

I really like journaling in a Bible, but I recommend starting out with pen and paper. Most people are reluctant to write in a Bible because they are afraid of making mistakes. Notebooks can be used anywhere and feels slightly more inductive. If you want to journal in a Bible, I recommend buying an inexpensive Bible for this purpose, but practice on paper first.

The most important thing is to get a journal that you feel comfortable writing in and put it to use.

How to Journal

Whether you follow a reading plan or just read what you feel lead to, journaling is a great benefit to your daily devotional routine. Here are a few tips to get started. You can use any one or all of these tips in any way that works for you. This list is not exhaustive, but it might help get you started:

1. Always start with prayer
2. Read the whole chapter first
3. Reread a passage several times
4. Look for the main points
5. Summarize the main points
6. Pray for guidance
7. Write down your thoughts on those points
8. Write down your observations
9. Write down any definitions that help you to understand the passage
10. Write down any references to similar verses
11. Write questions and answers you have about the text
12. Make sure to keep everything in its proper context
13. Use more than one translation if you need to
14. Write down how this point applies to your life
15. End with prayer

What to Write With

Pigma Micron markers work the best for me. They are archival quality and do not run, smear, or fade. They have very little bleed-through and come in many colors. You can use any pencil or pen that will write well in your Bible or journal, but Pigma Micron is my choice.

Concluding Thoughts

My time for journaling at least a few times per week. Don’t get in a hurry. Don’t feel like you have to journal through the Scriptures by a set time (like once per year). Journaling is different from reading. You might read the Bible through in a year (or more), but you might spend a week journaling just one chapter or passage. That’s OK. The purpose of journaling is to dig deeper into God’s Word, and that takes time.

Pray at each point. Start with prayer. Observes the Scriptures, and then pray about your observations. Pray about the application, and then apply the Scriptures. Finish with prayer, and then share with someone else what God has shown you in His Word.

What do you do with your journal when you’re done? I like using my journal to reflect on what God has shown me in the Scriptures. I also like using my journal as a teaching tool- both for developing lessons and for teaching from. If I’ve journaled in my Bible, then my Bible could be a good study Bible or carry Bible.

There’s no better time to start than now.

There are many types of headings: some more theological, others more informative, some include references, some have many headings, and others have very few. Some are distracting when reading, while others are barely even noticeable.

Some may laugh at the idea of writing headings in the margins of a wide-margin Bible, feeling that we’re just making our Bibles the same as other study Bibles, or that the headings are not helpful. I suggest that making your own headings is a great way to delve into the text- pulling out the main points of each passage. It helps in study because you are thinking deeply about a passage to determine how best to describe it in just one sentence. Headings are also a great searching tool. If I’m looking for a certain miracle that Jesus performed, I can read down the margins (at the blue writing in my Concord) until I find the passage I’m looking for.

One of my favorite heading-systems is from the Thompson Chain Reference. Its headings are in the margins with the chain references. This works great for me because it keeps my text clear. I can read the text without interruption, and if I want to use the headings they are there in the margin. For this reason, I recommend a wide-margin Bible.

What you will need:

Wide-margin Bible. Any good wide-margin Bible will do. One of my favorites for this project is the Note-takers from Local Church Bible Publishers. It is single column and has a 2.5 inch margin on the outside of each page. LCBP also has a regular wide-margin. LCBP is also releasing a wide-margin in large print. It will have the same print as their large print hand size, but will have around 1.5 inch margins all around. Another favorite is the Cambridge wide-margin series. And of course RL Allan has a new wide-margin in KJV.

Pens. My favorite for this project is the Bible Marking Kit from Pigma-micron.  You could use just a single color for the headings (I’m using blue in my Concord), or you could use different colors for different Scripture types. For example, you could use one color for history, another for doctrine, another for parables, and another for poetry, etc.

There are several ways to come up with your own headings. You could open up several Bibles and compare what they have, and then make your own based on your specific tastes (using your own theological view, or focusing on specific topics such as Creation, history, archaeology, etc.).

My recommendation:

Study each chapter and write down the main points. From those points, write a short sentence that describes each point. At first you might want to look at other Bibles for examples and reference. This will help you to write the headings the best you possibly can before writing them in your Bible. Once you feel comfortable with each heading, transfer them to your Bible. Don’t get in a hurry. If you’re not sure, don’t write it. You can always come back to it later. If nothing else, it can open up an area for deeper study. Even if you decide not to write the headings in your Bible, you’ve dug a little deeper in God’s Word- and that’s always a good thing. If you do decide to write the headings in your Bible, you have a study Bible that is made from your own study instead of someone else’s. You will have a unique study Bible that is completely your own.

Chain references do not work like cross references. With cross references, the reference might refer you back to an earlier verse, forward to a later verse, or both. If you have five verses, each referring back to the other, it can take you a lot of time and frustration to flip back and forth until you’ve found the verses you need. If your Bible has lots of references (some have 100,000), this process gets even more confusing and time consuming- especially if you want to study a specific topic.

Chain references are topical based and provide a link to the next verse in the topic. Instead of five verses that connect back to all five verses and leaving you not knowing which to choose, the first verse provides a link to the second verse. The second verse provides a link to the third verse, and so on.

Creating your own chain references is a great way to perform a topic Bible study. When studying a topic, write down every major verse within that topic. You will use this list to create your chain reference system. Do not try to find every verse. Instead, find the major and most verses. These will come from sermons, class-room teaching, coursework, books, tracts, other chain reference systems (such as Thompson Chain Reference Study Bible), and even cross references. Here’s where you have to decide how detailed you want to break up the topics. You can keep them general, for example “The Armor of God”, or you can get more specific within the major topic, for example “The Helmet of Salvation”.

Next, place the verses in Biblical order. This helps keep the order and flow logical and you can move through the Bible in one direction.

Once you’ve decided what verses go under what topics, it’s time to write them in your Bible. I recommend using Pigma Micron markers to write in your Bible. You can write them in the margin if there’s room. There are a few Bibles that have a blank center column for writing in. I recommend a wide margin Bible if possible. With a wide margin Bible you have enough room to write the name of the topic with the next reference. If you don’t have enough room to write the name of the topic, you might want to write a number for the topic, an abbreviation, or even a symbol to represent the topic. You could even use different colors to represent the topics. You could have the last verse to reference back to the first verse.

Last, write an index in the front of your Bible that contains the topic names and the first verse in each chain.

The chains are a great tool for Bible study, Scripture memory, and witnessing. They can be expanded to as many topics as you want. I recommend making your chain reference system even if your Bible already has chain references or cross references because it will make your Bible a better tool for you.

Creating a Study Bible

Printing your own also allows you to choose your own features such as the font you want, including size and style, paragraph format, and you can print the words of Christ in red. You could even print topics in specific colors, highlight the text, underline, bold, add symbols, references, definitions, images, or anything else you can think of. A Bible printed on copy paper has far less bleed-through and the text can be much bolder, making it easier to read and mark. You might not want to carry it, but it will make an excellent study Bible.

For my loose-leaf project I will be using KJV. This has to do with copyright issues (the KJV is public domain) and it is the main translation I use. I will add my own headings in the text, make it red-letter, choose the specific font that I want, add my own references and translation notes, add Hebrew and Greek definitions, make it wide margin, have OT quotes in the NT to be in a different font-style, and possibly use blue-letter for the words of God in the OT. Some of these features will require more work than others. Since I can make more than one I’ve decided that I want my first one to fit in one binder, so I will be making trade-offs with font-size and margin-width, and I won’t add references. Also, I will be printing on both sides of the page.

First, get a KJV text. Since the KJV is public domain it is freely available online in many places. I recommend downloading several and choose the format you like the best. If you plan to add features such as notes, references, headings, etc., and change the font style and size, the page layout of the KJV you download won’t really matter because it won’t look the same anyway. Here are a few choices:

http://printkjv.ifbweb.com/
http://www.jesus-is-savior.com/Bible/KJB/pce.htm
http://bibledatabase.org/bibles.html
http://www.biblicalscholarship.net/AV.htm
http://www.bibleprotector.com/
http://www.basicchristian.org/

Here’s one in red-letter with some headings in the text:

http://home.comcast.net/~classichauslimited/htmlpgs/kjvbibles.html

It’s easy enough to change the font and page layout using a word processor. If you choose a PDF file, simply save it as text or copy and paste into your word-processor. None of these texts come with references or notes. There are other places to get the text- especially if you don’t mind copying one book or chapter at a time.

Next, format the text the way I want it. I want a large font and wide-margin. I will have to decide which is more important and make adjustments as necessary. I recommend experimenting with one book before printing the entire Bible. For my first attempt I will print only a few chapters. It might take me several tries before I like what I have. Since I’m experimenting, I ended up printing several variations. I decided on a 12-point Times Roman font. I don’t like the shade of red, so I’ll keep experimenting until I get something that works for me. I might even go with black-letter.

The last step will be choosing a binder and punching the holes. You can use one large binder or several smaller binders. You can even use a spiral binding if you want. I’ve decided to use my pages loose rather than place them in a binder- at least until I get the text exactly the way I want it.

Printing your own loose-leaf Bible is a great way to study and write in your Bible. You have much thicker paper than what you can get in any Bible, you can have any size and style font you want, and the text is bold and crisp. You won’t be straining to see the text and you can’t read three pages deep. You can have any size margin you want, and you can interleave as many pages as you want any time you want. If you don’t like what you’ve written or marked, print that page again and start over. You can spread out the cost by only printing a book at a time. If nothing else it can be used to help you in your Bible study by allowing you to interact with and mark your text without writing in your primary Bible.