When you ask yourself, “What is this verse about?”, try the following steps:

• Read 5 verses (maybe 10) before and after the verse(s) you are studying.  What is the general topic?  What are they talking about?
• Read the entire chapter (even cheat and look at any headings like “Jesus is Born”) to find out the topic of the verse. In WordBloom, scroll through the Bible section of the window.
• Ask yourself, “What is the book about?”  Don’t know?  Just search for the first verse in the book and read the thoughts by biblical scholars!
• Then ask, “Is it in the Old Testament (before Christ) or the New Testament (after Christ)?”  Old Testament books tell the history of man and God before Jesus came to earth.  The New Testament focuses on people being saved by faith in Jesus who has already come to earth.

The Bible is consistent. Context is everything.