And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.
-- 1 Peter 5:4


For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.
-- Habakkuk 2:14

Bible Markings (Chain #4315a)

  

1.  Its Value.  Those who love God's Word will benefit from a simple system of Bible marking.  A well-marked Bible becomes even more valuable to its owner over time because:

(1) It preserves the result of years of study.
(2) It keeps new discoveries fresh in one's mind.

2.  What To Mark.  This will largely depend upon personal taste and training. Generally speaking, it is better to select great themes and mark them consecutively through the Bible rather than mark many single verses on a wide variety of subjects.

3.  Various Systems.  Whatever system is adopted or developed should be used sparingly and with careful thought. If the book is marked impulsively the pages may soon become a mass of confusing notations that will hinder rather than help study.

(1) Underlining or circling with a pencil the passages to be remembered or emphasized is the simplest method of marking verses. 

(2) The Color Scheme. Colored pencils may be used to good advantage to emphasize great themes.  Selecting the Colors. Choose colors purposefully rather than arbitrarily. For example:

Red (the color of blood) may be used to mark passages referring to such subjects as the blood of Christ. See 679, 2979.

Blue (sky color) is appropriate for marking heavenly themes. See 1356, 1357.

Purple (the royal color) for subjects related to kingship. See 3420, 3421, 708, 3419.

Green (evergreen) for subjects referring to future hopes. See 2405, 2406, 2156, 2157, 1692.

Yellow for marking golden promises.  See 2888; golden chapters, see 4311; memory verses, see 4314.

(3) Marking with symbols. Those who have some drawing skills and prefer a more detailed system may want to use symbols and letters.  Selecting the Symbols. Scriptural symbols should be chosen whenever possible and drawn in simple, outline form in the margin of the Bible opposite the appropriate passages. Whenever possible let the symbol represent an important theme and use letters above the symbol to represent the different aspects of the subject. For example:

A drawing of an altar would represent sacrifice or consecration. Place the drawing on the margin opposite passages such as Abraham's sacrifice, Genesis 22:6-14, or Paul's appeal for consecration, Romans 12:1.

The Holy Spirit could be represented by the wings of a dove. Mark a letter D over the wings by passages referring to the descent of the Spirit, such as Matthew 3:16 and Acts 10:38. Mark an I over the wings where the Spirit is mentioned as indwelling, see 1602. Mark a letter T over the wings where the Holy Spirit is teaching, see 1607; an L where the Spirit is spoken of as leader, see 1611.

A drawing of a book would represent the Word of God. See 414-445 for the appropriate letters to write on the outline of the book. For example:

E for the enduring Word, see 415
I for the Word inspired, see 417
L for the Word loved, see 420
P for the power of the Word, see 421
S for the study of the Word, see 428.

A cross can symbolize Jesus' sacrifice, and it may be marked with different letters to represent various aspects of the subject.

A picture of a yoke opposite Matthew 11:29 and similar passages would represent service.

A heart by a passage would indicate the idea of love.

A sword would indicate warfare.

A censer with incense rising would represent prayer. This symbol could be marked with different letters as follows:

P for prayer prescribed, see 2817
A for answered prayer, see 2818
U for united prayer, see 2823
S for secret prayer, see 2834
I for intercessory prayer, see 1785

A harp would represent praise and could be placed opposite such passages as those given in chains 1451-1454.

This brief list of symbols could be extended indefinitely.  The value of symbols lies in the fact that they express important thoughts more strikingly and in much less space than words. This makes them especially appropriate for use on Bible margins.