XXVII. How to Actually Study a Passage

You can know hermeneutics (XXIV), the canon (XXV), the redemptive arc (XXVI), and even Greek and Hebrew (XXII–XXIII) — and still freeze when you sit down with a blank page and a passage at 6 AM Monday. The gap between understanding the theory and doing the work is its own discipline. This chapter is the concrete, repeatable workflow that closes that gap.

You will not use every step every time. The point is to have the whole pattern in mind so that when you're rushed you can compress it to ten minutes and when you have time you can stretch it to an hour without losing the shape.

The minimum kit is small:

1. A literal-leaning Bible for study (ESV, CSB, NASB). 2. A readable Bible for first reading (NIV, NLT) — optional but useful. 3. A notebook or markdown file. Pick one and stick with it. The point is to write — the act of writing is the discipline. 4. A pencil, not a pen. You will revise. 5. A free interlinear (biblehub.com/interlinear) for Greek/Hebrew lookups. 6. One commentary that you trust. (See the recommendations below.) 7. A study Bible with cross-references in the margin — ESV Study Bible, NIV Zondervan Study Bible, NLT Filament, or the Reformation Study Bible are all solid.