Introduction to the Inductive Method Bible Study
- Observation to carefully look and observe, what is given in the text. So look! Look! Look!
- Interpretation What did this mean to the people who first got this letter? We will call them original hearers or original readers.
- Application What does this mean for me today?
- Read the letter of Philemon out loud in one setting.
- It is good to read aloud for then you will see, speak and hear the text. When three senses are involved, your retention will be higher.
- The goal of this first reading is just to get a first impression of the book and pick up the main topic.
- Don’t worry about ‘not catching everything’.
- This is just meant to give you a first taste of the letter and a first exposure to its topics.
Observation
- The first step of Inductive Bible study is Observation.
- To observe means to look very carefully and notice what is given in the text.
- In order to do this well, we will ask many individual ‘Observation Questions’.
- For each Observation Question we will choose one color and go through the text coloring that one observation.
- Here we go:
- Read through Philemon again and color with one color (yellow) all words that pertain to humans (any name, description of a person, or even pronouns).
example
- Go through all the verses of Philemon coloring (yellow) all humans mentioned.
instruction
- Answer the following questions from your coloring:
- Who is the author of this letter?
- Who is the co-author of this letter?
- To whom is this letter addressed?
- Who else is with Paul?
- Who else is with the main addressee?
- Where is Onesimus?
- With whom was he?
- To whom is he going?
teaching
- When observing and coloring carefully, the following picture emerges:
- Read through Philemon again and color (blue) any geographical location, city, area, country or place that may men mentioned.
- Mostly this will be geographical uses, but it can also include metaphorical uses.
example
- Go through all the verses of Philemon and color (blue) any geographical location.
findings
- The “Where-Question” does not yield that much information at first sight.
- Paul is imprisoned somewhere.
- Philemon is the host or leader of a house church somewhere.
- If we were studying not Philemon but another book of the Bible, for example “Acts” or “Joshua”, then the “Where Question” yields a lot of important information. It may even be the most important observation of that book.
- Read through Philemon again and color (green) any word that describes time.
- This could be a date, a duration, a word like “when”, a relative time indication “later”, or anything of that sort.
example
findings
- Though we are not getting any very specific dates, there is an important theme revealed: There is a “state before” and a “state now” concerning Onesimus.
4 Observation Question: Contrast?
instruction
- Read through Philemon again and look for contrasts, any distinction being made between two things.
- Often contrasts are recognizable by words like “but”, “rather”, “yet”.
- But contrasts can also be in the words or concept themselves, like “life and death” or “day and night”.
- Color the contrast-word (if there is one) with a color (red) and write out the two sides being contrasted.
example
findings
- In Philemon, the Observation question Contrast yields up very important points and the main thrust of the letter.
5 Observation Question: Comparison?
instruction
- Look in verses Phm 8-21 for comparisons.
- Often comparisons are reconizable by words like “like”, “also”, “just as”, “more’, and others.
- Color the comparison-word with a color (pink) and write out the two sides being compared.
example
findings
6 Observation Question: Conditional Statement?
instruction
- Look in verses Phm 17-21 for conditional statements. They can be recognized by words like “if … then”.
- Sometimes Conditional Statements appear in the form of ‘relative sentences’ like “those who … will surely ….”.
- Color the conditional statements with a color (light blue) and write out the to two issues being made conditional on each other.
example
findings
7 Observation Question: Connectives? Reason? Result? Intention?
instruction
- Read Philemon again and color any connectives.
- Connectives show a causal link between two things.
- A connective cas be a reason for a result (like “that’s why”, “for that reason”, “since”, “for”, therefore” etc.) or an intention (“so that”, “in order to”, “that” etc.).
- Color the connective word with a color (brown) and write out the two sides that are being causally connected.
example
findings
- Usually there are a lot of connectives in any given text.
- Connectives are important to notice as they reveal the writer’s reasoning, logic or argument and also his intention.
- In this way connectives are a powerful disclosure of what the author’s intent with this letter is.
8 Observation Question: Emotion? Atmosphere?
instruction
- Read Philemon again and watch out for sentences that reveal emotion.
- Sometimes there are actual emotion words in the text (like “joy”, “encouraged”, “perplexed”, “astonished” etc.).
- But more often the emotion is not bound to one word but is in the sentence itself.
- You may choose to color emotions by underlining sentences (purple) or by making a mark in the margin of the text, as emotions often run over several sentences and emotions may overlap with earlier observations.
- Think about exactly what emotion is revealed here: Is it joy? confidence? hope? encouragement? worry? displeasure? anger? exasperation?
example
findings
- In Philemon we find quite a bit of Paul’s emotion expressed.
- In Phm 2, 4-7 Paul writes a very affirmingly about Philemon, rejoicing over his faithfulness
- In Phm 10-16 Paul writes a quite emotional recommendation and plea for Onesimus.
- In Phm 17-21 Paul in politely but none the less clearly putting pressure on Philemon to act according to Paul’s request.
- This reveals an underlying tension in this very positively worded letter. Actually some readers take offense at Paul here, because he seems to be almost manipulative here.
- It is good to notice these things and when doing interpretation, we will discuss them further
9 Observation Question: Emphatic Statement?
instruction
- Read Philemon again and watch out for emphatic statements.
- An emphatic statement is any words stronger than normal language, any stress or special important that is placed (like “Verily, verily, I say to you”)
- Very often emphatic statements are linked with emotion. Therefore it is recommended to stick with the color for emotion (purple) and use a sign to identify the emphatic statement (here: star).
findings
- In Philemon Paul makes a strong promise, almost a vow about repaying any debt Onesimus might have occurred and he puts quite a bit of pressure on Philemon to cooperate with his request.
10 Figures of Speech?
instruction
- Read Philemon again and watch out for figure of speech. Figures of speech come in many variations. It is pictorial language used to express a reality.
- Often figures of speech are accompanied by emotions or express emotions. Emphatic statements can also be attached.
findings
11 Commands?
instruction
- Watch out and color any commands the author may give in his letter.
- Commands are important as they reveal the writers intended outcomes.
- In the New Testament letters most commands are typically found in the second half of the writing, when the author draws conclusions and applications.
List of Observation Questions
- Many more observations could be made in the Philemon text, but we will leave it at this for now.
- For different Bible books different Observation questions may yield most results.
- Below is given a more comprehensive list of Observation Questions, the more common observations listed first, and less common ones towards the end.
1 Who?
Look for: names of people, churches, groups, classes, tribes, nations, including pronouns, etc.
Ask yourself: who is speaking (writing)? To whom is this said (written)? Who else is mentioned?
2 When?
Look for: time elements like “before”, “after”, “now”, “when”, “at that time” … note verb tenses: past/present/future?
3 Where?
Look for: mentioned places, cities, areas, countries, any geographical terms etc.
Ask yourself: where is this written from (where is the author)? Where are the readers? What other places are mentioned? Find them on a map! What country or region are they in? What is their political, economic, religious situation?
4 What?
Ask yourself: what topics are mentioned? What happened? Which issues does the author give most importance to?
5 Repeated Words? Repeated Themes?
Ask yourself: are there repeated words? Repeated themes? What topics / ideas / concepts does the author repeat? Repetition means importance. What is the main theme? The key idea? The key word?
6 Contrasts? not ……. but …….
Look for: words expressing contrast, like “but”, “even”, “rather”, “though”, “nevertheless”, etc.
Ask yourself: what concepts, characters, events, attitudes are contrasted? What is the difference? What different consequences do the contrasted concepts have?
7 Comparisons? ….… , likewise …….
Look for: words expressing comparison, like “like”, “as”, “so”, “also” … Look for broader comparisons of concepts, ideas, characters, events, attitudes. What is compared? Which characteristics are emphasized?
8 Conditional Statements? if ….… then …….
Look for: words expressing conditions, like “if”, “then”, “if so”.
Ask yourself: what is the condition expressed? If the condition is fulfilled, what will be the result? What if not?
9 Connectives? Reasons? Results? because ….… for …….. ……. so that …….
Look for: words connecting concepts, like, “for that reason”, “therefore”, “that’s why, “yet”, “however”, “so then”, “in order that”, “nevertheless”, etc. … What are the causes? the reasons? the consequences?
10 Summary Statements? Conclusions?
Look for: words expressing summary statements or conclusions like “finally”, “therefore”, “so then”, “last of all”, etc.
11 Atmosphere? Emotion? Mood?
What feelings, atmosphere or moods are expressed? How is the author feeling? Upon hearing this, how will the audience feel?
12 Emphatic Statements
Look for: emphatic words expressing importance like “truly”, “behold”, “I tell you”, “I do not lie”, etc. … for strong statements, feelings, expressions revealing intensity. What is stressed? Why is this stressed?
13 Figures of speech? … see separate handout
14 Structure? Style? Composition? … see separate handout
15 Literary form?
Ask yourself: what type of literature is this book / passage? Is this text prose or poetry? Is it a historical narrative, a gospel, an apocalyptic writing, an epistle, a parable, law or prophecy?
16 Commands? Advice? Promises? Warnings?
17 Questions? Rhetoric Questions?
18 Lists? Progression?
Are there lists? Is there sequence or progression in the lists or in the concepts presented? Is there a climax of emotions? Does the author go from question to answer? From principle to example? From general to specific? problem to solution?
19 Logic of the Argument? What logic does the author use to argue / prove his point?
20 Illustrations? from Scripture? Every day life? Personal Experience? What is the illustration showing?
21 Quotations? from the OT? From where? What is the context of the quote?
22 Beginning? End? how does the author begin or end the book or passage? > important