Verse Mapping: How to Dig Deeper Into God’s Word

When I was in high school, I was a major English nerd. I was in every AP English class that was offered and loved reading (and I still do!) At my high school, if you were enrolled in a AP English class you were allowed to fill in your electives with elective English courses that other students used to complete their English requirement.

That’s right, I intentionally took extra English classes. For fun.

I studied novels, mythology, graphic novels, and more.

One thing that stuck with me from those classes was dissecting sentences. We mapped sentences for grammar structure and meaning. I LOVED these exercises, so when I discovered Bible verse mapping it was two of my favorite things colliding: creativity, sentence mapping, reading, and Scripture.

I knew I would love diving into Scripture this way and I hope you do too!

Let’s get started!

What is verse mapping?

Verse mapping or Bible verse mapping is an in-depth method for studying Scripture that utilizes mind mapping, annotation, and drawing to dissect the meaning of a verse or set of verses.

A map is something we use to guide us and give us information about where we are and where we are going. A bible verse map does this for us spiritually, guiding us to Jesus and His will for our lives.

This Bible study method is unique in that it only focuses on one verse at a time but in context. This type of Bible study allows for the deepest understanding of any chosen verse.

Benefits of Bible Verse Mapping

Verse mapping has many benefits, much like other Bible study methods that utilize physical writing and journaling.

• Better retention of what you are studying.
• Better attention and focus. Especially in our digital age, many of our attention spans are suffering and this method helps rewire our brains to do something focused for a longer period.
• Increased BIblical vocabulary. Doing word studies while mapping will increase your knowledge of Biblical words and their original meanings.
• Increased knowledge of connections within Scripture. Looking up and mapping cross-references will teach you how to let Scripture interpret Scripture and also show the student how interconnected all of the Bible is.

How do you choose a verse for verse mapping?

Choosing a verse can be the hardest part because Scripture is so plentiful and full of incredible truths to dig into, but to choose a verse I would start with your regular Bible reading.

What verses have you highlighted?
Are there any verses you want to memorize?
What topics do you want to dive deeper into?
Are there any verses that confuse you?

The best verses for you to map are the ones that speak to you and that God is leading you to.

How to Map a Bible Verse

Before You Begin

Supplies

You don’t need a lot to begin verse mapping, but you will need:

• A Bible or
• A study Bible (or both)
• Paper, journal, or verse mapping template
• Pens
• Highlighters
• Biblegateway.com or other resource to look up verses in other translations
• Bible Dictionary or Concordance
• Biblehub.com for looking up cross-references

You can find my recommendations for study resources on our Bible study resources page.

Prayer

Anytime you are reading or studying the Bible, it is wise to begin with prayer. We want our time with the Lord to be focused on Him and what He wants to do with it.

Beginning with prayer will poise your heart to hear His voice and be sensitive to His leading.

Pray that:

• The lord illuminates Scripture for you through your study
• That you would have a supernatural understanding of the Scripture or passage
• Your heart would be ready for any conviction or command He gives you
• That your mind would be renewed and your heart’s desire would be aligned with Christ
• That this Scripture would take root in your heart and bear fruit in your life

Step One: Choose Your Bible Verse to Map

We discussed above how to choose a verse. Once you have reflected on those questions, you will pick a verse in your preferred translation. Later, you will write this verse in 2-3 other translations as well.

If you’re not sure which translation(s) to use, you can read my guide to choosing a Bible translation here.

Step Two: Mark Your Verse(s)

This is where you will need your blank paper, journal, or verse mapping template.

In the center of the page, write out your Bible verse with space in between the words and each line. This will give you room to mark up the verse and make additional notes.

Now, you can circle, underline, highlight, etc. This can be unique to you and as creative as you want it to be. You do not have to follow any kind of system. Sometimes I map a verse in a different way than I normally do. That’s the beauty of verse mapping and other study methods, you can adapt them to your personal style!

I generally mark up my verses with this format:

• Squares around people
• Circles around locations
• Underline repeated words or main themes
• Arrows to subjects or actions
• Highlight when God speaks or there are promises or commands (in different colors)
• Draw lines from words that need clarification to their definition

Next, choose 2-3 other translations and write those out underneath your main verse, leaving space between them.

Step Three: Bible Research

This step is where you will begin digging into the context of your verse. We will spend a good chunk of time on this step before we get to what it means and apply it to our own lives. First and foremost, Scripture is about God, not us.

Context

Context means looking into the details surrounding your chosen verse. To gain clarity on your Bible verse, answer the following questions:

• Who wrote the verse?
• Who was the verse written to, or who was the intended audience?
• What is the location surrounding your verse?
• When was it written?

You can easily find this information in a good study Bible or online resource like Blue Letter Bible. Stay away from commentaries, sermons, or podcasts about your verse or topic until you have completed your map.

Cross-References

These are references to other places in the Bible where your verse is talked about or there is a similar theme or character.

Many Bibles have these in the margins or footnotes, but you can also look them up on BibleHub.com. Type in your voice and at the top you will see the word “cross.” Click that link to bring up all the cross-references for your verse.

Most verses have a lot, as Scripture is one big story with many repeated themes. Choose a few that speak to you or have meaning for you and make note of those. Many verse mapping templates will have spaces for you to put cross-references.

Define Words

Next, we will mark words we need to define or clarify. I usually box or make a cloud shape around words I want to look up.

For some words, you might need a current definition. For others, you will do a word study on the meaning in the original language and how it was used in that cultural context.

On Biblehub.com there is a “Greek” or ‘Hebrew” button at the top of the page. This will show all of the words in their original language with definitions.

If you can, write out those definitions on your map. Many templates will have spaces for this as well.

Ask Questions

As you finish up your Bible research, jot down any questions you still have that were not answered during the research stage.

Don’t be afraid to ask God questions about His Word. He wrote it. He knows where you might find it to be unclear or confusing.

While you may walk away from your study session without an answer, you have them in your notes to do further research on or discuss with a mentor, pastor, or small group leader.

Step Four: Interpretation

This last step is where we will take all of the research and information we have gathered and start to apply the Scripture to our hearts and minds.

The task of interpretation is to work to find the author’s intended meaning. Notice, it is not about us and our lives. We are trying to decipher what God intended to say through this author.

We will use two exercises to do this.

Paraphrase:

To paraphrase means to take what you have read and rewrite it in your own words.

This does not have to be perfect or even correct, but doing this exercise strengthens your interpretation muscle and will get better over time.

Here is an example using Galatians 2:20, which says

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

My paraphrase of this verse would be:

I am dead to the person I was before I made Jesus the Lord of my life. My old self was crucified with Christ on the cross. Though I live in my physical body, I do not live controlled by my flesh but wholly sustained and guided by my faith in Jesus, who loved me so much that He bore the weight of my sins and paid the price for them with His life.

Summarize:

Summarizing a verse or passage is similar to paraphrasing, but requires us to be succinct and pull out just the main points. For paraphrasing, we will rewrite all parts of the verse, but summarizing will be shorter and more to the point.

You can use just a couple of words or a sentence to summarize your verse. Another great practice would be to summarize the preceding and following verses in the chapter your verse comes from. This will give extra meaning and context when we go to apply the verse in the next step.

Using my examples of Galatians 2:20, here is how I would summarize that verse:

Christ’s sacrifice on the cross for my sins means He now lives in me and my old self is dead, I do not have to listen to my flesh anymore but can let Jesus lead me by faith in Him.

This sounds similar to the paraphrase but is shorter and more focused on the main meaning of the verse.

Step Five: Application

This last step is where we get to take our verse or verses and apply the meaning we have uncovered to our own lives.

Here are some questions to ask yourself as you journal through what your verse means to you.

• What is God saying to me through this verse?
• What truths are here about God and His character?
• What encouragement is here for me in this verse?
• How does the truth of this Scripture change how I will live?
• Is there a command for me to follow or promise to cling to?
• What does this verse teach me about how God cares for His children?

Ultimately, let the Holy Spirit speak to you.

I pray this guide blesses your walk with the Lord and your study of His Word.

Your Sister in Christ,