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VERSE MAPPING

Verse Mapping is one of our favorite ways to study the Bible in our Online Bible Studies.  It makes God’s Word more personal and helps you connect with how God wants to use that verse in your life. You aren’t just reading or memorizing words.  You are interacting with the verse on a whole different level that makes it come alive for you! 

There is no right or wrong way to do verse mapping.  The ideas below are suggestions to help you get started. You can do one or do them all or add things that you come up with on your own. But I promise, if all you do is write your name in the verse and personalize it, you will experience that verse in a whole new way.  So grab some highlighters and colored pens and get started! 

First write your verse on an index card or a clean page in your journal or notebook. Leave plenty of space around it, between the lines and between the words. Then choose some or all of these ideas to work with your verse: I chose Psalm 84:2...  


Personalize it. Cross out words like “you,” “we,” “whoever,” “them” and write your name above it.

Highlight parts of the verse that jump out at you. 

Read the verse in context – the whole chapter or passage where it appears in your Bible.  See how it ties in to the verses before and after it.

Read the verse in at least two other translations. Note on the card words or phrases from other translations that help you understand or apply the verse.  If you don’t have other translations laying around the house, a couple of good resources for several translations are BibleGateway, BibleHub and YouVersion.

Find cross references and note anything that brings new meaning. Cross references are verses that have similar words or phrases. Your Bible may have them listed in the center column or as footnotes at the bottom. The online resources can also help you find cross references. 

Circle a word or two and do a word study on it.  Look up the word in your dictionary and see if the definition gives you any insight  Use a topical index and/or concordance in the back of your Bible to find other verses where the word appears  Look up synonyms (same meaning) and antonyms (opposite meaning) in a concordance or online Bible tools site to find other verses.  


Try Mapping these verses...

Jeremiah 29:11-13(NIV)

11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12 Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. 


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