Understanding the Bible isn’t for the few, the gifted, the scholarly. The Bible is accessible. It’s meant to be read and comprehended by everyone from armchair readers to seminary students. A few essential insights into the Bible can clear up a lot of misconceptions and help you grasp the meaning of Scripture and its application to your twenty-first-century life.
More than three quarters of a million people have turned to How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth to inform their reading of the Bible. This fourth edition features revisions that keep pace with current scholarship, resources, and culture. Changes include:
Covering everything from translational concerns to different genres of biblical writing, How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth is used all around the world. In clear, simple language, it helps you accurately understand the different parts of the Bible—their meaning for ancient audiences and their implications for you today—so you can uncover the inexhaustible worth that is in God’s Word.
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"Fee & Stuart examine the impact of literary genre on how we ought to interpret the Bible. This book is so needful as we tend to treat the Bible as we do no other book, reading it piecemeal, hit or miss. The book is very approachable, as Fee & Stuart attempt to equip lay readers to understand and interpret the Bible for themselves. At the back is a list of recommended commentaries for each book of the Bible, to turn to for further help with background and historical context. Although I don't necessarily agree with the authors' conclusion on Revelation, I think in general this book is indispensable. As far as tools for Bible study go, I recommend this second only to the Bible itself."
— Nick (5 out of 5 stars)
" I'm reading this to summarize weekly for our Sunday school. It's heavy stuff, but very rich for those who really want to understand--not just skim-- Scripture. Best ingested chapter by chapter, a little at a time. "
— Kimberly, 2/19/2014" This is an excellent text. "
— Sean-david, 2/15/2014" I really enjoyed this book. It definitely helped me in learning to navigate through the bible better. A really good read. "
— Sylvia, 2/9/2014" This is a great resource for those who want to get the most they can out their time in reading the Bible. "
— Corey, 1/31/2014" Really boring cause it just spits out information to you. But if your anything like my husband then you would really enjoy it. It gives you a lot of the history as well. "
— Brennen, 1/30/2014" This book gave me lots to think about. I really liked the step-by-step instructions for interpreting each type of Bible literature (the law, psalms, parables, etc). I didn't agree with the author regarding the TNIV translation and I still feel like I need more wisdom to determine how much context/time can affect the way I interpret scripture. A helpful book overall that pointed me in the right direction. "
— Amy, 1/29/2014" Please note that there is a mistake in the title of this book. It should read " for all ITS worth" not "it's". The authors explain this in the foreword. This is one of those instances when both forms would actually work but with different meanings. "
— Lisa, 1/20/2014" 1.1 - Bible Reading-Studying "
— Karel, 1/14/2014" I wish everyone had to read this book before they were permitted to preach or teach. "
— Timothy, 1/8/2014" Decent introduction to the discipline of exegesis. "
— Jeremy, 12/20/2013" A major read to learn to read better and more informed. A must for everyone on the journey into more light and increased clarity. A special book in my journey and I look forward to reading this new edition beside the former release. "
— James, 12/19/2013" Wisdom for reading and interpreting scripture -- and help to avoid the pitfalls of wacky biblical interpretation. Highly recommended for all Bible teachers. "
— Nancy, 12/8/2013" Pretty easy to read book about how to interpret the Bible. By understanding how Jewish poetry was written to knowing what books are history, the authors give us some great tools here. I think new Bible scholars will get a lot of help here. "
— Kelly, 12/7/2013" Great-a whole new approach for me to a book I've been reading for years. If only this was taught to high schoolers . . . or maybe it's only now that it sticks with me. "
— Christy, 12/5/2013" A fantastic help in learning how to glean from the Bible and avoid falling into pits of error. "
— Annette, 5/27/2013" Not so much a book, but the sentence "Take it all literally as any form of criticism is blasphemy" fleshed out and repeated for what seems like a thousand tedious, dry, and uninteresting pages. "
— Mark, 4/2/2013" Good introduction to Bible study methods. Egalitarianism, however, is ubiquitous. "
— Donald, 6/18/2012" The most helpful introduction to reading the bible. highly recommended to anyone who wants to understand God's word better "
— Michael, 5/22/2012" Insightful and smart but easy to understand. It's definitely given me an understanding into the importance of cultural context and how it fits together with modern application of the Bible. "
— Paul, 5/1/2012" Great book for getting to know the background of the Bible. Currently reading this for my Theopraxis class we are doing at NorthPoint. Enlightening read! "
— Andrew, 3/20/2012" Great book for anyone struggling with big questions about biblical interpretation. "
— Brant, 2/20/2012" Very helpful. The authors perhaps overplay their hands at points when offering example exegetical/hermeneutical outcomes but generally fair in offering techniques over conclusions. "
— Alasdair, 1/29/2012" a slow read, but really interesting. "
— Chris, 1/20/2012" Good overview of the topic of interpreting Scripture. They lay out the fundamentals well in pretty accessible language. "
— Butch, 11/15/2011" The third time I've read this; very good "
— James, 11/13/2011" An absolutely INDISPENSABLE manual for reading the Bible. "
— Phil, 10/6/2011" Great approach to hermeneutics. Highly recommended. "
— Matthew, 9/19/2011" I read this book more than once. It illuminated the different genres (history, poetry, etc) in the Bible to help understand the Bible the way the original writers intended it. "
— doug, 8/6/2011" A good basic read for being able to read and understand the Bible. Uses basic interpretive techniques used by historians and literature experts. A 101 course; a great starting point. "
— James, 7/25/2011" Read 1994<br/><br/>A must read for any student of the Bible. "
— Stephen, 7/23/2011" If you want to learn more about how to read the Bible, you really can't go wrong with this book. <br/> <br/> "
— Tyler, 7/10/2011" I am about halfway through. A really good book to give some context for reading scripture. A dense read so I have been a little slow. "
— Amanda, 7/9/2011" Please note that there is a mistake in the title of this book. It should read " for all ITS worth" not "it's". The authors explain this in the foreword. This is one of those instances when both forms would actually work but with different meanings.<br/> "
— Lisa, 6/7/2011" Helpful resource of the various genres of Scripture. Offers clear examples of how to work through a particular text and interpret it in its context: immediate, chapter, book, genre, historical, canonical, etc. "
— Cbarrett, 2/26/2011" Great resource. Tough/not necessary to read cover-to-cover. "
— Zac, 2/19/2011" amazing reference for consciously studying the bible "
— Gary, 11/18/2010" Look past the cheesy cover and you'll find a very handy, thoughtful, intelligent, coherent and relatively short guide to Biblical hermeneutics. "
— Mike, 7/20/2010Gordon D. Fee, PhD, is Professor Emeritus of New Testament Studies at Regent College, Vancouver, British Columbia. He received his BA and MA degrees from Seattle Pacific University and his PhD from the University of Southern California. He is considered a leading expert in textual criticism of the New Testament and has authored several books on biblical exegesis. Dr. Fee is married and has four children.
Douglas Stuart is a professor of Old Testament at Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary. He received his PhD from Harvard University, after two years in graduate study at Yale Divinity School. He is currently the senior pastor of Linebrook Church in Ipswich, Massachusetts, and frequently lectures at colleges and universities. He has appeared as a guest on radio and television talk shows and the national series Mysteries of the Bible and Christianity: The First Thousand Years. He and his wife Gayle have eight children and live in Bradford, Massachusetts.
Henry O. Arnold is an actor and writer. He is best known for his roles in The Second Chance and The Visual Bible: Acts and for his screenplay Billy Graham: God’s Ambassador.