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3 Questions You Should Always Ask When Reading the Bible

3 Questions You Should Always Ask When Reading the Bible

Last updated on: July 3, 2026 at 11:55 pm by B. J. Oropeza

3 Questions You Should Always Ask When Reading the Bible 2026-07-03T23:55:06-07:00 B. J. Oropeza

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Here are 3 basic questions every reader of the Bible should ask when reading the Scriptures. They are, “What does the text say?” “What did the text mean?” and “What does the text mean to me?” These three basic questions are necessary for healthy biblical interpretation and application.

3 Basic Questions when Reading Scripture

Three basic questions are needed to begin healthy biblical interpretation (“King James Version Kjv” via pixabay.com)

Three Basic Bible Questions

What Does the Text Say?

With this question, you are asking what does the Bible text actually say? You are simply observing which words appear together in the sentences of the Scripture and how they relate to one another. Put simply, you are reading carefully what the text says based on the Bible version you are using. As long as you can read and pause to think about what you are reading, you cannot not mess up on this one. Don’t know which Bible version you would like to use? You might want to look at this post: “Which Bible Should I Read?”

2. What Did the Text Mean?

Here you are asking a deeper question than number one. You are wanting to know more than merely the ideas behind the words in the English translation you are reading. You are asking what the text’s words and ideas meant to the original readers and author.

For example, the Gospel writers wrote their books on the life and teachings of Jesus almost 2,000 years ago. Paul wrote his letters to actual congregations in the first century. Why did he write letters to them? What would it be like to hear his letter being read at a gathering in the first century? Most importantly, what would the words in his letter mean to those who first read and heard it? After all, the biblical texts were first written to them, not us.

Through this question, we are attempting to understand the original social, cultural, political, historical, and religious contexts of the first-century world of the authors and recipients.

To do this step successfully, some people invest in a good Bible commentary set or biblical encyclopedia. However, a more affordable first step might be to purchase a good Study Bible that includes background notes on the various passages of each biblical book. Which study Bible? The ESV Study Bible is a fairly good one to start off with, or perhaps the NIV Study Bible. Also, the New Oxford Annotated Bible is third option. For some more options, click here or here.

What Does the Text Mean to Me?

Once you have a fairly good idea about what the text meant to the original Bible world, it is time apply the text to your own world and to you personally. How is the text relevant to you? What are some insights, truths, devotional, or moral points that can adduced from the text? How does the text apply to your family, friends, fellow workers, and country?

Jumping the Gun, or Just Making a Bad Hermeneutic Leap*

Violation of this simple 1, 2, 3 question order is one the primary ways people constantly misinterpret Scripture. This is commonly done when a person “jumps” from Question #1 to Question #3 but ignores Question #2. In other words, they read what the text says (Question #1), and from there they leap into asking what the text personally means to them (Question #3).

From “What Does it Say?”

To “What Does it Mean to Me?”

This error leaves out the all-important Question #2, “What Did the Text Mean” to the original readers?

It’s easy to make this mistake, especially when reading a devotional book like Psalms, or a practical book like Proverbs. The error becomes more pointed when we run into first-century issues such as slavery, women’s head coverings, and food sacrificed to idols. Without knowing the all-important important question on what did such texts mean to the original readers, we can seriously be led astray in our thinking when attempting to apply such texts to ourselves and our world.

For example…

Here’s one example that is more doctrinal from 1 Corinthians 13:8-10, the famous love chapter. There are some who argue that the prophetic and revelational gifts died out in the first century based on this passage. The reason? Paul writes that prophecy and tongues shall cease when “the perfect” has come. These interpreters then claim that this perfection is referring to the close of the New Testament era after the first century. No revelation would be needed after that.

But if this were the correct interpretation, how would Paul know this given that most New Testament books were not written yet? As Paul wrote this letter, did he even know that the letter would someday become part of a collection that would be called the New Testament?

He is writing to the Corinthians somewhere around 54 CE, one of the very first letters that would become part of the New Testament canon. More importantly, how would his Corinthian audience know that this is what the perfection meant? There was no “New Testament” yet!

The interpreters of this viewpoint fail to step back and ask the basic question, “What did this text of 1 Cor 13 mean to the original readers?” If such question were asked, the conclusion would be obvious—the “perfect” in this verse could hardly mean the completion of the New Testament. That would not make sense to the Corinthian readers, let alone Paul.

Would you like to know some more basic questions on how to read the Bible? Check out my post: Bible Reading the Worst Bible Version of All.

Note

* Biblical “hermeneutics” refers to the science and art of interpretation. A good book related to interpreting Scripture is Gordon Fee and Doug Stuart’s How to Read the Bible for All its Worth (Zondervan).

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About B. J. Oropeza

B. J. Oropeza, Ph.D., Durham University (England), is Professor Emeritus of Biblical and Religious Studies at Azusa Pacific University and Seminary. Among his many publications include Perspectives on Paul: Five Views (Baker Academic), Practicing Intertextuality (Cascade), The Gospel of Paul (Eerdmans, forthcoming), and editor and contributor to the Scripture, Texts, and Tracings series (Fortress Academic): 1 Corinthians (vol. 1), Romans (vol. 2), 2 Corinthians & Philippians (vol. 3); and Galatians & 1 Thessalonians (vol. 4). He participated on Bible translation teams for the NRSV (updated edition), Common English Bible (CEB), and Lexham English Septuagint (LES). He also has commentaries on 1 Corinthians (New Covenant commentary series: Cascade) and 2 Corinthians (longer work—Rhetoric of Religious Antiquity: SBL Press; shorter work—Wesley One-Volume Commentary). His current specialties include Romans, intertextuality, and Perspectives on Paul. He can be followed on X-Twitter (@bjoropeza1) and Instagram (@bjoropeza1). You can read more about the author here.

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