What is a good way to mark up a Bible?

Answer:

Virtually all published methods I’ve seen are woefully complicated and even obscuring or distracting from the text.

I use a very simple system based on the vocabulary of each book, or in the case of the Psalms, five books. Since even author groups — eg. I Corinthians and II Corinthians, I Thessalonians and II Thessalonians, and I John, II John, and III John — oft have differing (or even unique) vocabulary, my method is not necessarily consistent within those groupings (but easily could be modified to make them consistent).

1. Compile a vocabulary of words in a book
2. Look for patterns of words or phrases, especially identifying multiples
3. At the upper margin of each book, alphabetically write the list (I tell folks, always use a pencil for the times you make mistakes). Impose on yourself a limit of, say, 20 significant words, phrases, or patterns (the more on your list, the more complicated the system)
4. Obtain a set of 24 high-quality — no cheap Dollar Store quality; go to an art store or educational supplies store — colored pencils (no highlighter, colored ink, as distractingly broad, bleeds or offsets, etc.).
5. Assign a color to each word, phrase, or pattern in each book. While major Bible words might consistently use the same color between books, there are too many variations of vocabulary in the Scriptures to do this for every word, phrase, or pattern.
6. Using those assigned colors, underline each word, phrase, or pattern in a single book corresponding to your penciled list.
7. Voila! Colorized text!

Each book is unique, with perhaps some accidental consistency — or even assigned for prominent themes, eg. love, sacrifice, obedience, faith, etc. — but don’t worry about trying to impose an impossibly strict standard of marking throughout the Bible. The New Testament is easier to find interrelational words, phrases, or patterns. The Torah oft shows similarities, as do the 5 books in Psalms, Proverbs and Ecclesiastes, and some of the prophets.

by Royce Bell