Methods of Bible Reading

Definition and Meaning

Methods of Bible reading is a collective term for the various ways of reading the Bible. These methods are commonly classified according to the purpose of reading.

• Reading through (tongdok): reading continuously from beginning to end.
• Close reading: examining and studying a single passage slowly.
• Meditation: reflecting deeply on a passage and carrying that reflection into prayer.
• Reading aloud: reading the text audibly.
• Scripture copying: copying the Bible out by hand.
• Scripture memorization: committing verses of the Bible to memory.

Biblical and Historical Background

The Bible itself depicts the reading of the word on several occasions. Ezra the scribe read the book of the law aloud before the people and explained its meaning (Nehemiah 8:8). Jesus read from the book of Isaiah in the synagogue (Luke 4:16-20). Paul urged Timothy to "give attendance to reading" (1 Timothy 4:13). The Psalms pronounce blessed the one who meditates in the law "day and night" (Psalm 1:2).

For much of church history, believers encountered the Bible chiefly by hearing it through the public reading of Scripture in worship. In monasteries, lectio divina ("divine reading") developed as a way of reading a text slowly through the stages of reading, meditation, prayer, and contemplation. After the Reformation, as the Bible was translated into vernacular languages and printed, private Bible reading by laypeople became widespread. The annual reading plan devised by the nineteenth-century Scottish minister Robert Murray M'Cheyne divides each day's reading among several portions of Scripture and remains in use today.

Practice in Korean Churches

In Korean churches, reading through the Bible is widely practiced, often in the form of a "once-a-year" plan in which the entire Bible is read in the course of a year. Churches sometimes distribute reading schedules or hold seminars on reading through the Bible. Quiet time (QT), in which a believer reads and meditates on an assigned passage each day, is also popular. Devotional guides such as Daily Bible from Scripture Union Korea and Living Life from Duranno Ministry are widely used. Small-group Bible studies frequently employ inductive Bible study, which proceeds through observation, interpretation, and application. Some churches read through a book of the Bible in sequence at their early-morning prayer meetings.

Emphases differ by denomination. The Anglican Church of Korea and the Lutheran Church in Korea have a tradition of using the lectionary in worship and personal prayer. A lectionary assigns passages to be read on each day according to the church calendar. Some Presbyterian, Methodist, Holiness, Baptist, and Full Gospel churches also use a lectionary. In these churches, however, reading through the Bible according to a personally chosen plan or keeping a quiet time is more common. Among translations, the New Korean Revised Version is the most widely used in worship. Other translations, such as the Revised New Korean Standard Version, are sometimes read alongside it to aid understanding.