Bonus Blog: Book Review of How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth

Do you look at the Bible and wish there was a Google Maps for navigating all of its books? Do you wonder, as I often did, if there was a tool that could help you learn the best way to read the Bible? Did you find yourself asking:

• Why are there so many versions of the Bible?

• How do I pick the translation that is right for me?

• How do I choose the best ”how to read the Bible” book?

• How do I “go deeper” without drowning?

  
  

There are a LOT of “how to read the Bible” books. They cover methods of reading, how to better understand what you are reading, how to “journal read,” (that’s my own term for how I read any book about the Bible or theology), how to choose a Bible, and so much more. It can be overwhelming when you want to learn how to go from simply reading the Bible to understanding it and applying it to your life.

The Bible is so much more than just a book to read - unlike reading Shakespeare, the Bible tells the story of Jesus from beginning to end. I don’t want to study it so that I can spout Bible verses....in fact, I’m terrible at memorizing. I study the Bible because I want to know Jesus. I want to know what the Bible says about Him and His people, and how I can apply it to my own life. Studying the Bible is not academic - it is transformative. How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth will help you to go deeper without drowning.

I always research the authors of any books that I might acquire. I look for academic credentials, work history, denominational affiliations, biographies, other output (other books, papers and lectures, etc.). I am not only looking for their credentials; I am also searching their connections to be certain that they are not associated with any false teachers or institutions that are known to teach questionable theology. I avoid Wikipedia because anyone can create or edit articles and articles can be exploited by anyone with a malicious agenda.

One of the best “how to read the Bible” books I have ever read is How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth by Gordon Fee and Douglas Stuart. It is used in seminaries and college Bible classes, but it is not a book that will overwhelm you. It is not even overtly academic. It is very readable and is actually fun to read, because the authors have written in a relaxed, approachable style. But do not be fooled by its casual language; it is well-written, well-sourced and filled with practical application.

The authors, Gordon Fee and Douglas Stuart, have lots of academic credibility. Dr. Fee, who sadly passed away in 2022, taught New Testament Theology in both colleges and seminaries. He also authored several books on New Testament textual criticism and interpretation, plus he was a contributing author for several New Testament commentaries. He was an in-demand speaker at conferences, colleges and seminaries. Dr. Stuart is an expert in Old Testament theology and early Semitic poetry, and Assyrian and Babylonian languages (he knows 14 different ancient and modern languages). He has authored several books and commentaries, pastored several churches in the New England area and has been a professor of Old Testament at Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary since 1971; he and Dr Fee were colleagues at GCTS.

The book itself is currently in its 4th edition. It was first published in 1981 and revised several times to update cultural changes, cross references and quotes from Bible translations that have themselves been updated (they use the NIV, which has been updated four times since 1973). The 1st edition even mentioned that their secretaries typed and re-typed their manuscripts...on a typewriter! The lists of commentaries have also been updated.

The preface to the 3 rd edition explains the word “Its” from the title:

A word about the title — since we have received as many “corrective” comments here as about anything else in the book. No, neither we nor the publishers made a mistake. The “Its” is a deliberate wordplay that works only when it appears without the apostrophe; and in the end our own emphasis lies with this possessive. Scripture is God’s Word, and we want people to read it because of its great value to them. And if they do it “for all it’s worth,” hopefully they will also find its worth. (Fee and Stuart, 2002)

I used to skip reading the preface of books, a mistake that probably cost me some additional knowledge about any book I’ve read. The preface to the 1st edition, which is included in the 4th edition, outlines the authors’ philosophy for this book- what sets it apart from all the other “how to read the Bible” books. They emphasize the different types of literature (genres), while also giving guidelines for the intelligent reading of Scripture. They note, “The great urgency that gave birth to this book is hermeneutics; we wrote especially to help believers wrestle with the questions of application.” They teach two skills for the reader- how to use exegesis to find out what the text originally meant, and hermeneutics to translate that original meaning in the context of a believer’s life.

The next thing I consider before buying a book is to look at the Table of Contents (ToC). Catchy book titles do not always translate to the content, so always check the ToC. We are blessed to have access to the content of books via the internet. You can even download books samples to evaluate the writing style.

This book begins with a chapter on interpretation, followed by a review of a basic tool of Bible Study- the translation that you choose. There are a lot of translations and versions of the Bible- it can be overwhelming! I plan to review a book about choosing Bible translations written by Tim Wildsmith, a pastor, author and social media presence. The bulk of the book is divided into chapters based on the genres ; each includes the interpretation and application of the text in the genres. For example- Chapter 5 of the 4th edition is entitled, “The Old Testament Narratives: Their Proper Use,” and Chapter 11 is “The Psalms: Israel’s Prayers and Ours.” The appendix covers the evaluation and use of commentaries.

How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth is available as an e-book, an audiobook and in paperback. I use all three media, and sometimes I use two at once. I might listen to the audiobook while I read, or listen first and then go to the text afterwards to re-read it and add any notes. I read this book as an e-book (on the Kindle platform), which gave me unlimited space to copy and paste Scripture references and to highlight the text. I can also easily search for words and concepts from the e-book platform. Physical books get lots of highlighting and post-it flags to mark important text.

How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth is 298 pages long, published by Zondervan Academic, and the 4th edition was published in June of 2014. If you’re a Kindle reader, it is available on the Kindle Unlimited platform. The price of the paperback as of November 2025 was $12.23 on Amazon. This book is a worthy addition to any Bible readers’ library.

• Evangelical Textual Criticism web obituary for Dr. Gordon Fee: https://evangelicaltextualcriticism.blogspot.com/2022/10/rip-gordon-d-fee.html

• Fee, Gordon D.; Stuart, Douglas. How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth: Fourth Edition (p. 14). (Function). Kindle Edition.

• Fee, Gordon D.; Stuart, Douglas. How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth: Fourth Edition (pp. 17-18). (Function). Kindle Edition.

• Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary biography page on Dr. Douglas Stuart: https://www.gordonconwell.edu/faculty/senior/douglas-stuart/