Recently, I’ve adopted a new-to-me-method to study the Bible: Verse Mapping. And while I am no expert in this practice, I have learned some basics that I would love to share with you.

You can probably find hundreds of thousands of ways to read and study the Bible. Simply read from start to finish, follow a chronological reading plan, open up a thematic study, or choose one book. You could use visual faith and start a Bible journal, a devotional journal, or practice scripture scribing. You might use published studies or books to guide you. Or you may listen to your pastor read the Scripture each Sunday, and then perhaps read a short daily devotional. 

These are all beautiful because you are in God’s Word. It doesn’t matter how you read. It’s a blessing to open up your Bible and read since this is God’s love letter to you where He reminds you: 

This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 

1 John 4:10

Verse Mapping, this new-to-me method of study, is a way to dig deeper into those verses. First, what exactly is Verse Mapping?

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What is Verse Mapping?

Verse Mapping is a hands-on visual and kinesthetic way to read and study God’s Word, a kind of visual faith practice. 

Think about a map. It’s a visual image of roads and rivers and highways and how they connect. You get a big picture view of the landscape. 

Perhaps you’ve heard of “mind mapping,” a method where you visually develop ideas using diagrams, boxes, squares, arrows, circles – anything that helps you understand the pieces of something so you can step back and get the bigger picture. Maybe you remember using the Venn Diagram when you were a student? 

Bible verse mapping is a little like that. A visual way to see how things fit together. 

What’s the right way to do it?

How to Verse Map

Sorry, but there isn’t one right way. The verse mapping method is as unique to each person as note-taking during a class, as individual as your handwriting. But you can look at templates and examples as a beginner to help you discover what will work best for you. I’ve been practicing this for only a few months, but I’ve discovered some basic principles that will help you begin.

First, gather your supplies: 

1. A good Bible translation. 
2. A good commentary. 
3. A good pen.
4. A good piece of paper or a template.
5. A computer. Not required but it helps.

How do you know if it’s “good”?  Do some research, digging, learning, and playing with the supplies as you discover what works best for you. For example, the Bible translation may depend upon what you already know and love. The same goes for your pen and paper. I have preferences for all of these which I’ve shared in other posts (for example, my favorite pens and journaling supplies), but for now, just gather what you have. 

What verse should you study?

Here again, the choices are almost endless. You can map as many verses as there are in the Bible. According to one source, that’s more than 31,000 individual verses. Now many of these might not be your first choice, genealogy lists, for example, but truthfully, even those would be worth exploring! After all, everything in the Bible is the Word of God and He did not waste any words. It’s all good.

Most importantly, choose a short passage. It can be more than one verse but the point of verse mapping is to do a deep dive into the phrases and words. If you try to map five or six verses at once, you will have to skim. Think about focus! Shorter is better, especially for this method.

Ways to choose?

1. Choose your favorite verses, ones that you often read or ones you have memorized.
2. Choose a passage which your pastor is preaching on. My denomination has specified readings for each week based on the church year lectionary. This is a great place to start, and this is what I’m doing with my Bible study group this spring.
3. Choose a chapter or verse you’ve always been curious about or had questions about. One for me–Proverbs 31.
4. Select a theme such as Names of God and explore those passages. 
5. Choose a word, perhaps it’s your word for the year, and find the verses where it’s used in the Bible. 
6. Open your Bible to any page and begin there. God will use this! 
7. Start with your favorite hymn or praise song and find a word in there that leads you to a word in the Bible.  

Verse Mapping: The Basic Template

You can definitely just use a blank piece of paper. However, I would suggest you start with a blank template when you are a beginner. If you google the phrase “verse mapping templates” or go onto Etsy, you will find hundreds if not thousands of these. Many are free. I would suggest starting with one of the Visual Faith® Ministry templates. Here is one that is good to start with. 

The template may include boxes or spaces for the following categories:

1. Scribe/write the passage. 
2. Key words and definitions.
3. Hebrew/Greek word.
4. One or two other translations.
5. Cross references.
6. Context/history.
7. Author, date, setting, audience.
8. Your own summary.
9. Reflection, life application.
10. Prayer

How long does this take?

You will most likely not complete this in one sitting nor should you try! This mapping process will take place over the course of a few days or even an entire week.  I know many verse-mappers who work one one brief passage all week long. This allows the words to dance in your mind and heart as you go about your day. What a wonderful way to “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly” (Colossians 3:16). 

Step-by-Step: How to Start Verse Mapping

A suggested process. Begin with prayer (or visual prayer). Invite the Holy Spirit to guide your time in God’s Word.

#1. Read

Read the passage slowly. Try reading it out loud. Sometimes you will hear things you didn’t notice when you do this.

#2. Write

Next, handwrite the passage. If you are using a blank piece of paper, I’d suggest you write this in the middle of your page. Take your time. This isn’t a race. (I’m reminding myself of this because I tend to write way too quickly after years of taking notes in classrooms and grading hundreds of papers.)

#3. Research

Research the history, context, author, etc. Many study Bibles have an introduction to the book which includes a lot of this information. 

You may also want to search online for more information. Take time to find reliable resources. How do you know if the resource is reliable? Practice. Read more than just the one-line excerpt from Wikipedia. (Hint: Wikipedia is not a reliable source for Bible commentary.) 

Dig. 

Talk to others at your church. Talk to your pastor! Check out your denomination’s resource pages for information. 

#4. Focus

Choose one, two, three or more words to focus on. Circle them or write them in the designated template boxes/lines.

#5. Note

Find at least one other translation and write that. Note the differences, if any. Highlight those words. 

#6. Cross Reference

Look up the cross references. Often these are found in the tiny print inside the margins of your study Bible. Another great resource is the Thompson Chain Reference Bible. 

#7. Go to the Original

Study the original language – Hebrew or Greek. How to do this? The best resources are online at either the Blue Letter Bible (free) or the Bible Gateway (a paid version). 

#8. Discover

Discover solid resources and teachings. Again, be careful when you search online. You may find podcasts, sermons, or Bible studies online to give you a more indepth perspective, but pay close attention to the website. Talk to your pastor! He is always a good (but maybe busy) resource. Use trusted commentaries that teach Biblically-grounded teaching. 

I hope you will try this adventure into the beautiful words that give life. Begin with the promise that He will bless you every step of the way. 

I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.

Psalm 32:8 ESV

Did you enjoy this post? You might also like these:

• What is Visual Faith?
• The Benefits of Scripture Scribing
• How to Start Devotional Journaling
• Visual Prayer: A Simple Prayer Practice to Give New Life to Your Prayers

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