Different people have different methods of learning and understanding. For most of us, making notes or some sort of markings like highlights and underlining, helps us better grasp what we are reading.
And this is super important when reading the Bible. Otherwise, you might as well be reading the paper or a novel.
Understanding every verse ensures you really connect with God’s word and get more from the Bible. It also makes it easier to make connections between different verses or chapters, and come up with our own insights.
When you re-read those verses in the future, you’ll appreciate those notes and highlights.
Before we explain the best ways to mark your Bible, let’s make it clear that highlighting, underlining or making notes in the Bible is by no means disrespectful.
Unless you are purposefully defacing the Bible, do not feel uncomfortable making marks in the pages. Remember that what matters is not the physical book, but the message contained therein and what you get from it.
What You'll Learn Today
The Simplest Way to Mark Your Bible – Underlining
See a verse that jumps at you or speaks specifically to your situation? The simplest way to mark it is to underline it with a pen or pencil.
Just make sure the pen or pencil has a fine point that makes a thin line, and you have a steady hand. Most Bibles have sentences tightly spaced, so it’s easy to draw a line over some words, making them harder to read in the future.
Highlighting Your Bible
Another easy option is to highlight specific verses in the Bible. For this, you just need a good quality highlighter that leaves the words easily visible and won’t bleed through the pages.
One advantage of using a highlighter over a pencil is that it’s highly visible. You can easily see the verses you’ve highlighted, especially if you have poor eyesight.
How to Color Code Your Bible
If you are highlighting your Bible, or underlining verses with a pen, you can go further and color code it.
Generally, a highlighter is the best option if you want to color code. Get a set with at least 5 colors. Use a specific color for certain types of verses.
For example, you can have one color for verses that are prayers to God, those that talk about God’s attributes, those that are God’s commands, and so on.
You can also color code based on the situations different verses apply to. For example, green for verses that uplift you when you are sad, yellow for verses that calm down your worries, pink for verses that give you hope for the future and so on.
How to Write Notes in the Bible
Sometimes, underlining or highlighting is not enough. You want to write down a thought or insight that comes to mind, or maybe a personal conversation with God, or just a personal note.
Note taking requires a Bible with wide margins. You can then jot down notes in small print on the edges.
If your Bible has no space for notes, you can also use sticky notes. Try to place the sticky strip where it doesn’t cover any words, so you can just lift the note when you need to read the words underneath. Alternatively, use see-through sticky notes.
If you have a lot more to say than there’s space for in the Bible margins or on sticky notes, consider getting a separate notebook specifically for Bible study.
Personalizing Your Bible
Marking and annotating the Bible not only helps us understand the scripture more deeply, it also turns the Bible into a highly personal possession.
Some people actually feel uncomfortable lending out their Bibles, because it’s so personal with all the highlights and notes.
It reminds them of the different times of their lives, and the verses they relied on most to get them through tough times.
So don’t be afraid to mark up your Bible. It’s perfectly okay to underline, highlight, write, or even doddle in the Bible if it helps you better understand the word of God.
