Deep Reading
After you have completed an initial basic reading of the relevant passage, you can proceed to deep reading using the tools and strategies defined in this section. This is where your knowledge of the scriptures will drastically expand.
The order of these guidelines is not fully prescriptive, but they were organized intentionally. After beginning with the initial Outline Strategy, which sets up the structure for the subsequent strategies, it proceeds with the lower-level (relating to words, phrases, and grammar) followed by the higher-level (including patterns and themes). Feel free to use what works for you.
📄️ Outline
One of the most helpful ways to more deeply understand scripture is to create an outline.
📄️ Key Words and Phrases
The next beneficial study technique is to look for key words and phrases that are valuable for understanding the passage. Ask what these words and phrases mean, where they come from, and why the author chose them.
📄️ Parse
Use parsing when you want to analyze a smaller section of scripture, such as a limited number of verses or paragraphs. Through parsing, we create a diagram of the specific passage, and see how the parts relate to each other. It is similar to outlining, except it is much more low-level, as we break out specific parts of sentences rather than high-level sections of a sermon or story.
📄️ Rhetoric
You can also examine a scriptural text for rhetorical figures. An author may apply these figures in order to highlight certain concepts such as similarities, differences, cause-and-effect relationships, and patterns. They might also be used to emphasize important ideas, or to connect distinct thoughts together into a larger, cohesive thread. Below are examples of various rhetorical devices you can look for within and between sentences (with definitions borrowed from James E. Faulconer).
📄️ Paraphrase
The next level of study is paraphrasing, and it is more likely to be successful after considering key words and phrases and parsing. In this phase, we restate the passage (or significant sections of it) in our own words, while still accurately capturing all the necessary notions and details. You do not need to paraphrase every single verse, as this is a time-consuming practice.
📄️ Lists
Sermons and doctrinal exhortations often contains lists of concepts, principles, or truths. When examining the text, it can be helpful to call out any lists the author provides.
📄️ Patterns
A pattern is a plan, model, or standard that can be used as a guide for repetitively doing or making something.
📄️ Themes
At this point, you should have a very solid understanding of the chosen passage's components and contents. Now we widen our gaze and try to identify the themes of the passage as they relate to the rest of scripture.