Questions to ask when reading the Bible: 40 questions for observation, meaning and application

The best questions to ask when reading the Bible fall into three groups. Observation: what does the text say (who, what, where, when, repeated words)? Meaning: what did it mean to its first readers, and what does it show about God? Application: what should I believe, do or change because of it? Ask them in that order, and you'll avoid most misreadings.

Long lists of questions are easy to find. What's harder is knowing which question to use when, and what a good answer looks like. Asking "how does this apply to me?" before "what does this actually say?" is one of the most common mistakes in personal Bible reading.

Below are 40 questions in three groups, a set of six you can use every day, questions for specific kinds of passages, questions for small groups, and a worked example on the story of Zacchaeus showing real answers.

The 6 questions to ask every time you read

If you remember nothing else, keep these six. They take about five minutes and work on almost any passage.

Write the answers in a sentence each. If you use the SOAP method, questions 1 to 5 feed your Observation and question 6 is your Application. Our guide to the SOAP Bible study method shows how they fit together.

If you'd like a place to write these answers after each day's reading, the app's SOAP journal saves each entry with its verse.

Observation questions: what does the text say?

Observation is about seeing what's actually there before deciding what it means. These questions slow you down.

People and setting

• 1. Who wrote this, and who was it written to?
• 2. Who is speaking in this passage? Who is listening?
• 3. Who are the main people, and what do we learn about each?
• 4. Where does this take place?
• 5. When does it happen (time of day, season, point in someone's life, point in Israel's history)?

What happens

• 6. What is the main event or main point?
• 7. What happens just before this passage, and just after?
• 8. What is the sequence of events or the flow of the argument?
• 9. What questions do people ask in the passage, and how are they answered?

Words and structure

• 10. What words or phrases are repeated?
• 11. What is contrasted (light and darkness, flesh and spirit, then and now)?
• 12. What is compared ("like," "as")?
• 13. What connecting words are used, such as "but," "therefore," "because," "so that"?
• 14. Are there commands? Promises? Warnings? Lists?
• 15. Is there a word I don't understand, or a KJV word whose meaning may have changed?

Meaning questions: what did it mean?

Once you've observed carefully, ask what the author meant. Meaning comes from context: the chapter, the book, and the whole Bible.

Original meaning

• 16. What did this mean to the people who first heard or read it?
• 17. Why did the author include this here? What's the purpose of the passage?
• 18. What problem or question was the author addressing?
• 19. What would have surprised or offended the original audience?
• 20. How does this passage fit the main message of the book?

Connections

• 21. Does this quote or echo an earlier passage? (Check the cross-references.)
• 22. Where else in the Bible is this idea taught?
• 23. Does another passage help explain something unclear here?
• 24. How does this passage point to, or connect with, Jesus? (Luke 24:27 describes Jesus explaining "in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.")

God and people

• 25. What does this show about God (his character, his promises, his actions)?
• 26. What does it show about people (their need, their sin, their faith)?
• 27. What is the main truth here in one sentence?
• 28. What questions does this passage leave unanswered, and is that on purpose?

Question 28 matters. Not every passage answers every question you have. Some of the best study comes from noticing what a text chooses not to say. Our guide on how to understand the Bible covers context in more depth.

Application questions: what will I do?

Application is where reading turns into change. The goal is one specific response, not a list of good intentions.

Belief

• 29. Is there a truth about God here that I need to believe more fully?
• 30. Is there a promise I can rely on? Who was it originally given to?
• 31. Is there a false idea in my thinking that this corrects?

Action

• 32. Is there a command to obey, or an example to follow?
• 33. Is there an example to avoid?
• 34. Is there a sin to confess?
• 35. Is there someone I need to forgive, thank, encourage or apologize to?

Response

• 36. What would change in my week if I took this seriously?
• 37. What one thing will I do today or this week, and when?
• 38. What do I want to say to God in response (thanks, confession, request)?
• 39. Is there a verse here worth memorizing?
• 40. Who could I share this with?

Question 37 is the one to write down every time. "Be more patient" is a wish. "Tomorrow at dinner I won't check my phone while my roommate is talking" is an application.

Worked example: asking the questions on Zacchaeus

Here's how the questions work on a real passage, Luke 19:1-10, the story of Zacchaeus. Read the passage first:

And Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. And, behold, there was a man named Zaccheus, which was the chief among the publicans, and he was rich. And he sought to see Jesus who he was; and could not for the press, because he was little of stature. And he ran before, and climbed up into a sycomore tree to see him: for he was to pass that way. And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zaccheus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house.

And he made haste, and came down, and received him joyfully. And when they saw it, they all murmured, saying, That he was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner. And Zaccheus stood, and said unto the Lord; Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold. And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.

Observation (questions 1–15)

• Who and where: Jesus, passing through Jericho; Zacchaeus, "chief among the publicans" (chief tax collector) and rich; a crowd that murmurs.
• Before and after: Just before, near Jericho, Jesus heals a blind beggar (Luke 18:35). A little earlier he says it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom, but "the things which are impossible with men are possible with God" (Luke 18:24-27).
• Repeated ideas: Seeing and seeking. Zacchaeus "sought to see Jesus" (verse 3); Jesus "looked up, and saw him" (verse 5); the Son of man came "to seek and to save" (verse 10).
• Contrasts: The crowd calls him "a sinner"; Jesus calls him "a son of Abraham."
• Timing words: "make haste," "to day," "This day." The change is immediate.

Meaning (questions 16–28)

• To the first readers: Tax collectors worked for Rome and were widely seen as traitors and cheats. A respected teacher choosing to stay at a chief tax collector's house would have scandalized the crowd, as it does in verse 7. Luke shows the same reaction elsewhere (Luke 5:30; Luke 15:2).
• Connections: Zacchaeus's offer to restore "fourfold" echoes the Law's penalty for stealing a sheep (Exodus 22:1). He goes far beyond what John the Baptist had asked of tax collectors: "Exact no more than that which is appointed you" (Luke 3:13).
• About God: The Son of man seeks the lost; he doesn't wait for them to become respectable first.
• Main truth in one sentence: Jesus seeks out the person everyone else has written off, and his welcome produces real change.

Application (questions 29–40)

• Belief: No one is beyond Jesus' reach, including people I've quietly written off.
• Action: Zacchaeus's change was concrete and financial. Is there money or a debt I need to make right?
• This week: I'll invite the coworker everyone avoids to lunch on Thursday.
• Response: Thank God that Jesus came to seek me, too.

That's about 15 minutes of work. You can read more about Zacchaeus himself and test what you remember with the Luke quiz.

Quick quiz: Luke

To whom does Luke dedicate his Gospel?

TimothyTheophilusTitusPhilemon

To whom does an angel announce the Savior’s birth on the very night Jesus is born in Bethlehem?

To magi from the EastTo King Herod in his palaceTo shepherds in the fieldsTo the priests of the temple

Which tree does Zacchaeus climb to see Jesus?

A sycamoreA fig treeAn olive treeA palm tree

Continue the quiz

There are many more questions like these in Bible Academy, each with its explanation and verse. Start free, no card needed.

Questions for different kinds of passages

The 40 questions work everywhere, but each genre has one or two questions that open up more than the rest.

With prophecy and Revelation especially, Christians hold different views on how and when passages are fulfilled. It's fine to write "views differ" and note them, rather than forcing an answer.

Questions for small group Bible study

Group questions need to be open, so people can answer from what they saw rather than guessing the "right" answer. These work with almost any passage:

1. What stood out to you in this passage?
2. Was there anything confusing or surprising?
3. If you had to give this passage a title, what would it be?
4. What does this show us about God?
5. Which person in the passage do you relate to most, and why?
6. What would it look like to live this out this week?
7. How can we pray for each other in light of this?

Avoid yes-or-no questions ("Did Jesus love Zacchaeus?") and questions with one obvious answer. Ask "What do you notice about how Jesus treats Zacchaeus?" instead.

For groups with mixed Bible knowledge, the Swedish method (light bulb, question mark, arrow) is a simple alternative. We explain it in our comparison of Bible study methods.

How to use these questions without getting overwhelmed

Forty questions is a toolbox, not a checklist. Nobody asks all forty about one passage.

• Daily reading: the six core questions, five to ten minutes.
• A deeper weekly session: pick five to eight questions from each group, 30 to 45 minutes.
• Group study: two observation questions, two meaning questions, two application questions, and the open questions above.

Our weekly rhythm for studying the Bible on your own shows how daily and deeper sessions fit together.

One more question is worth asking a day or two later: What do I remember? Trying to recall what you read, before rereading it, is one of the most effective ways to keep it. That's why Bible Academy follows each reading with a short quiz, with every answer explained by the verse it comes from.

Frequently asked questions

What are the three main questions to ask when reading the Bible?

The three main questions are: What does it say? (observation), What does it mean? (interpretation), and How should I respond? (application). Asking them in this order keeps you from applying a verse before you understand it. Each main question can be broken into smaller ones, such as who, what, where and why.

What questions should I ask about a Bible passage?

Start with who is speaking and to whom, what happens just before and after, and which words repeat. Then ask what it meant to the first readers and what it shows about God. Finish by asking what you'll believe or do differently. Six questions like these cover most passages in about five minutes.

What are good small group Bible study questions?

Good small group questions are open-ended: What stood out to you? What was confusing? What does this show us about God? Which person do you relate to? What would living this out look like this week? Avoid yes-or-no questions and questions with an obvious right answer, because they shut discussion down.

How do I apply the Bible to my life?

First make sure you understand what the passage meant originally. Then ask whether it contains a truth to believe, a command to obey, an example to follow or avoid, or a sin to confess. Choose one specific action with a time attached, such as "tomorrow at work," and write it down so you can check later.

What questions should I ask when reading Old Testament stories?

Ask what the event shows about God, who changes and why, and whether the story describes what happened or commands what should happen. Many Old Testament stories record people's sins without approving them. Also ask how the story fits God's larger plan, which runs from Abraham through David to Jesus.