Includes bibliographical references and indexes.

Part 1. How to read the book: basic tools -- Bible translation -- The interpretive journey -- How to read the book: sentences -- How to read the book: paragraphs -- How to read the book: discourses -- Part 2. Contexts: now and then -- The historical-cultural context -- What do we bring to the text? -- The literary context -- Word studies -- Part 3. Meaning and application -- Who controls the meaning? -- Levels of meaning -- The role of the Holy Spirit -- Application -- Part 4. The interpretive journey: New Testament -- New Testament: letters -- New Testament: gospels -- New Testament: Acts -- New Testament: Revelation -- Part 5. The interpretive journey: Old Testament -- Old Testament: narrative -- Old Testament: law -- Old Testament: poetry -- Old Testament: prophets -- Old Testament: wisdom -- Appendix 1: Inspiration and canon -- Appendix 2: Writing an exegetical paper -- Appendix 3: Building a personal library.

Grasping God's Word has proven itself in classrooms across the country as an invaluable help to students who want to learn how to read, interpret, and apply the Bible for themselves. This book will equip you with a five-step Interpretive Journey that will help you make sense of any passage in the Bible. It will also guide you through all the different genres found in the Bible to help you learn the specifics of how to best approach each one. Filling the gap between approaches that are too simple and others that are too technical, this book starts by equipping readers with general principles of interpretation, then moves on to apply those principles to specific genres and contexts. -- Provided by publisher.

An indispensable approach to reading, interpreting and applying the Bible that teaches students how to carefully read Scripture in the biblical context, and to dig deeper into the Word of God so they will be able to understand the Bible correctly and apply its meaning to their lives. Revised and updated fourth edition. -- Publisher's description.