Reading scripture
Scripture study index
A context-first guide to scripture study index, tracing the passage, its place in the biblical narrative, and the interpretive questions it raises.
Reading scripture
Read the passage inside its larger argument.
For Scripture study index, begin with the literary unit and its place in the wider biblical story before isolating a verse or detail.
- 01
Establish the scene
Identify speaker, audience, genre, and what happened immediately before and after.
- 02
Track repeated language
Notice key terms, contrasts, and echoes that show what the passage emphasizes.
- 03
Compare without flattening
Use parallel passages to illuminate one another while retaining their distinct aims.
Questions to keep open
Use these checks while you read.
- Where does the literary unit begin and end?
- What problem is the writer addressing?
- Which parallel passages clarify rather than replace it?
Return to the wider inquiry