How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth

The authors also deal with the problems of interpretation, exegesis, historical and cultural context and literary conventions of the time. They look at the narrative style of the Old Testament and its function as well as Acts, the various parables, prophets, psalms, wisdom literature, and the revelation. You may not agree with every aspect of their treatment of the various books and literary styles, but this is the best treatment of the problems of translation and interpretation that I have come across to date. "How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth" is highly recommend for anyone interested in Bible translation or interpretation.


Hermeneutically and exegetically sound   January 4, 2002
E. Johnson (El Cajon, CA United States)
100 out of 114 found this review helpful

If you wondered what the words in the title mean, they are longer words to say "proper interpretation." Of course, you can interpret things any way you want, especially in this Post-Modern day and age. However, not every interpretation is valid and true, as Fee and Stuart point out in their book. Out of the 3 or 4 books that I have read on "biblical interpretation," this by far is my favorite. It lays down the rules (laws) of proper interpretation by going through the different genres of scripture, with plenty of good advice in how to best exegete each one. So many errors can be avoided if the reader would follow the points made in this book. Sometimes I make the same mistakes that they laid out in their writing, and I found myself a number of times looking up the passages to check their reasoning.

It's interesting how so many intelligent people can make the same mistakes (i.e. "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" to be misinterpreted because the context is avoided). We Christians need to be better than that, and that's why I want to continue honing my skills in this area. My copy is marked with yellow highlighter marks, and so will yours if you read it with attention. I think every Christian--both young and old--ought to read "How to Read the Bible for all it's Worth"--it's required reading, everyone!--to keep up with the proper usage of handling God's message to His people.


It's not enough to just read the Bible ... you need to learn how ....   November 1, 2005
B. Breen (Sterling, VA USA)
23 out of 23 found this review helpful

Some people will get very upset with the title, because after all, for the true believer, all you need is the Bible itself, right?

Well, no. For one thing the Bible itself tells you that you need the Holy Spirit to help understand, so there is that.

But you also need to study to show yourself approved, meditate and approach it in a humble matter. The Bible was written over 2,000 years ago and in some portions even far longer. It is possible, just possible mind you, that there have been changes in language and culture that require some work on the reader's part to understand what is being said the same way a hearer of that message would have understood it in their day.

That is where this book comes into play. This is both a good introductory text for the student who wants to enter into the realms of textual, historical, redactive, literary etc criticism. It is also written to be at the level of the average layman who wants to understand more for their own study and growth.

Evangelical Christians often get very nervous about this type of book. They see much that has served to diminish the Bible over the years as coming from the "liberal" religious, academic camps as seeking to diminish what the Bible plainly says.

As delicately as I can state it ...... Evangelicals need to get over it and enter the field themselves. If the Bible is true, it must be true enough to stand tough scrutiny. The opinion of this reviewer is that it does stand that scrutiny, but as a student of the Bible you must expect over time that your understanding will change and grow. That is called discipleship and growth. It's a good thing!

This book, better than most, comes to the Bible and maintains an attitude of respect toward the text itself consistent with what Evangelicals believe with regard to inspiration while introducing the student or curious Christian as to how to study the Bible and get more out of it that you ever did before.

Where great commentaries give you fish, this book teaches you how to fish and feed yourself intellectually and spiritually from the Bible.

Don't be threatened by it. It is a good thing!

This is very worthwhile book for those who see the Bible as spiritually unique and also helpful for the student who simply wants to know how to understand it better.


We commend this book to you   January 3, 2002
ROBERT W RATLIFF (Denver, CO)
35 out of 38 found this review helpful

This is a book on interpreting the Bible and applying it to your life. My seven-member Bible study group (from an Evangelical Free church) did a 13-week study/discussion of this book. Thirteen weeks may sound like a long time, but it worked well for us for two reasons: First, the book is not light reading. You need time to read, struggle, re-read, and come to grips with each chapter. Second, the authors often ask the reader to read large portions of scripture as part of studying a particular chapter in their book. In their chapter on the epistles, for example, the authors ask the reader to read through all of I Corinthians in one sitting, then study it *again* using techniques that they teach in the book.

We believe that this book is not a "basic primer"--it is not a book for beginning students of the Bible. For new Christians, let me suggest a book recommended by the authors themselves: "Knowing Scripture," by R. C. Sproul.

OUR FAVORITE THINGS ABOUT THE BOOK: 1) The book is written by two seminary professors who tell us, in the book's preface, that they are "believers, who think we should obey the biblical texts, not merely read or study them." 2) The emphasis of the book is on helping readers struggle with the questions of applying the Bible to their own lives. 3) The book eases the reader into the subject matter by giving some general principles of interpretation and by discussing the relative strengths of different Bible translations. 4) The book then divides the Bible into different types of literature (e.g., parables, law, epistles, prophets, and so forth); this approach helps to clarify the "rules of the road" in interpretation. As one example, the authors lay down some rules for understanding proverbial wisdom, and from these rules, we understand that Proverbs are not legal guarantees from God.

OUR NOT-SO-FAVORITE THINGS ABOUT THE BOOK: 1) Even in the most recently printed version, there are some curious typographical errors. 2) A couple of members of our Bible study felt the book was "difficult reading" in some places. 3) If you want exposure to *several* viewpoints about how Old Testament Law does or does not apply (or applies in part) to New Testament Christians, you'll need to look elsewhere.

FINAL THOUGHT: If you are looking for more than a basic primer on reading and applying the Bible to your life, we commend this book to you. This book changed the way we study scripture--for the better. All members of my Bible study group rated the book at 4.5 stars or higher.


Don't let the title fool you - it's deep   September 5, 2000
Robert A. Terrell
27 out of 29 found this review helpful

I was introduced to this book in my first seminary biblical exegesis class. My opening thought was "with its title this the book is going to be a joke." Boy was I wrong. First off, nothing by Gordan Fee is a joke. Second, this small book is one of the best sources on biblical interpretation in the world right now. Third, it is an easy to understand book, yet it does not skimp on the details of biblical exegesis. After my first time through "How to Read the Bible ..." I realized that this was a book that I could recommend to anyone wanting to know more about how to read the Bible and understand every word. The book is not condescending to scholars but is still understandable to those that do not have a theological background. I was a "title snob" and this book proved me wrong.