How to do a Biblical Character Study

I was reading in Acts and came across Barnabus and Paul. I started wondering about him because I’d only ever thought of him as Paul’s “side-kick” so to speak. So I did a quick Bible study on him and I thought I’d share my process with you today, even though it is quite simple. Sometimes the simple things are easily overlooked.

Step One: look up the person’s name in the appropriate Bible concordance (I believe there are different ones for different versions of the Bible). I think there are others but I use the Strong’s Concordance or sometimes I’ll use the referencing system in my Sword Bible. At any rate, look up all the verses with the name of the person you are studying in it. Be sure to read before and after the stated verse to get the context and find any scriptures that use a pronoun to refer to your character.

Be thorough! You never know what small piece of information you may glean.

Well, that can be the end or if there isn’t much information, you can move on to other resources and see what Bible scholars and historians have to say about your character of choice. Be sure to read your Bible’s information about the book(s) that have verses containing the person you are studying. My Bible has an introduction to each book of the Bible and sometimes has good information there.

For my study of Barnabus, I found that he was actually the one that brought Paul to the disciples (in Jerusalem, I think) and stood up for him in the very beginning. I found that quite interesting. There were a number of things I found interesting but I’ll share that another time.

As you read each passage for the character chosen, be sure to take notes. I took notes and since I haven’t done this in a while, they weren’t precise enough and now I’ll have to go back and look at it all over again. But that is a good thing because it will give me time to look at the passages again with fresh eyes.

I know this is pretty simple but it really is that easy. Just let the Bible speak for itself and read enough of each passage to be sure you understand all of what is going on in the passage.

I hope this helps you and your children as you study God’s Word.