How to Annotate Bible Verses

PURPOSE OF BIBLE ANNOTATION

The purpose of annotating Bible verses is to help you  s...l...o...w down and make some of  your own observations about a passage.

These annotation skills may not come naturally at first. In fact, just looking at this page may overwhelm you. Or, perhaps you already have an annotation system down and have been using it for years.

Either way, we encourage you to stick with it.

What follows are a few simple ways you might consider marking up the passage.  (You do not have to use all of these suggestions.)

Read to the end to download your free copy of Abidible's annotation key.

HOW TO ANNOTATE 

First, grab some multi-colored pens and highlighters. (See our favs here.) Then, read through the entire passage. Now...

1. Mark all the times God the Father, God the Son, or God the Holy Spirit are mentioned. 
2. Underline any places you see a command.
3. Underline any geographical locations.
4. Put a box around any repeated words or phrases.
5. Note any places "love" or "loving others" is mentioned.
6. Mark anywhere that sin or warning is referenced.
7. Consider writing any traits or characteristics of God in the margin.
8. Look for transition or connecting words and draw an arrow to connect them.
9. Make lists on the bottom of the page if you see anything worth pulling from the passage.
10. Write down any questions you have that you can revisit later in the study.

Do a few of these, all of these, or even more! Remember that the purpose is to get you to slow down and dig into Scripture yourself. This is an observational activity. You'll miss things, and that's okay! Over time, and with practice, annotating Bible verses will become second nature.

Want to get started with Abidible's annotation key? Download a free PDF copy here.

Want real training and practice with annotation? Get both in our "How to Study the Bible" course! Click the link to learn more.

Let's Abide,

Jason and Kate