From the Scholar’s desk to Your screen—Take the NEXT STEP in studying the Scriptures!
This website is designed especially for Christians, as well as other interested readers and students, who wish to study the Scriptures (the writings of the Old and New Testaments) in greater depth. It allows users and readers to engage the Scriptures in a new way, opening up the text through
- A fresh, literal translation, glossed according to the context of the passage
- In-depth study of the Hebrew/Greek words and phrases
- Examination of the cultural-historical background and parallels in writings of the period
- Studying the development of tradition and interpretation
- Critical analysis, including evaluation of methods and approaches to interpretation taken by scholars and commentators
- And more…!
Whether through seasonal Daily Notes or the more detailed articles of the various Exegetical Study Series, you will find a wealth of information on many verses and subjects. And it is all FREE for you to explore!
For the past several years, we have been regularly posting notes and articles on the Biblesoft Study Blog—as a place where people can study the Bible in addition to the PC/Mac Study Bible and OneTouch electronic Bible study programs offered by Biblesoft. If you have never seen this site, you may be surprised at the amount of content—notes and articles—that has been posted there, and which can be accessed through searches or by browsing the topical keywords.
Next Step Bible Study is a continuation of that previous site, re-presenting most of the material which has already been posted, and adding much more—including a number of new and exciting features. This site remains partnered with Biblesoft, as part of the growing stable of electronic and online study resources the company offers for ministers and students worldwide. However, this format will, we believe, also provide opportunities for even more readers to study the Scriptures in a powerful new way.
We want to hear from you!—This site is meant to serve as a community, in addition to being a resource for individual study. We very much welcome questions, comments, observations on the subject matter or Bible passage under discussion in each note or article. If you have a question on a verse or topic, there is a good chance that other readers have asked a similar question. Your participation will add to the experience of the site, and we encourage it!
What You Will Find
There are, and will be, a number of regular and ongoing features on this site:
- Note of the Day—Daily notes on specific Scripture verses or passages, coordinated to follow the season of the Church Year–i.e., Advent, Christmas, Lent, Easter, Pentecost, etc., as well as other special times or events.
- Exegetical Study Series—Notes and articles on different subjects and areas of Scripture, with more extensive and detailed treatment. Recent series on this site are “The Law and the New Testament”, “Yeshua the Anointed”, “And You Shall Call His Name…” (for Advent/Christmas season), and the current series “Jesus and the Gospel Tradition”.
- Saturday Series—This series takes a lighter approach, introducing readers to a critical and in-depth study of Scripture, one Saturday at a time.
- Definition and Explanation of Terms—These short articles cover a number of key theological or critical/scholarly terms that may be unfamiliar or misunderstood.
- Did you Know?—Interesting facts or observations related to the Note or Article, often involving a particular or surprising historical development.
- And more to come…!
Guidelines for Participation
We encourage the participation of readers—to respond/reply with questions, comments, etc—as long as a few simple guidelines are observed:
- Comments or questions should be related to the particular Bible passage or subject matter of the article or note. General and/or ambiguous replies likely will either be ignored or deleted.
- Harsh, abusive or overly-argumentative language will not be allowed. Any such responses will be automatically deleted.
- Blantantly partisan comments, when partisanship outweighs the objective value of the response, will be ignored or deleted.
What’s Next?
We eagerly hope and expect that the current site will grow and expand over the next year, including additional contributors and areas of study. Eventually, the content of the site will become integrated into Biblesoft’s study program, with greater opportunities for user involvement. Come and be part of this growth with us!