If you study the Bible, you should read this. However, I don't recommend reading it cover to cover as I did. The book has essentially two sections. The first section has lots of interesting and helpful things about exegisis and hermeneutics in general. The second part of the book is chapters about studying specific types of scripture (prophetic books, poetry, etc.). What I recommend is that you first read the general section, but then only read the later chapters as you enter a period of study to which that chapter pertains. That is, don't bother to read the chapter on Psalms unless you intend to study Psalms at that time. Then, carefully work your way through the appropriate chapter before you begin your study. You really would get the most out of this book if you took the time to stop reading and look up each passage of scripture that it mentions, read and prayerfully consider it, then move on to your study of the Bible.

I will certainly keep this book as a reference, and go back to it as a reference when I do my own studies. It took me a LONG time to read this one, but I wouldn't say it is because it is hard to read. It really does read well, and manages to make a difficult subject pretty interesting. It is probably pretty invaluable just for the bibligraphic references on commentaries, and its analysis of the different translations of the Bible. ( )

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I've taught on this book a number of times, and I still don't get sick of it. It's so essential to understand that the Bible is made up of a number of kinds of literature, and because of this, it's essential to know how to approach each kind on its own (while plugging it into the broad metanarrative of Scripture). Fee and Stuart help navigate these issues for the eager student of the Bible. ( )

Best book around for learning HOW to read and understand the Bible. Anything by Gordon Fee is great, but this book is accessible for anyone to read. ( )

How To Read the Bible for All It is Worth provides an approach to a study of the Bible that is sensible, practical, balanced and wise. The authors argue that before attempting to apply the biblical text to the “here and now” (which is how they narrowly define the principle of hermeneutics) it is important to perform exegesis (how the text was understood in the “there and then”).

The authors provide exegetical guidelines for the various types of biblical texts that will be encountered in reading the Bible. For example the prophets need to be understood by recognising and delineating the various oracles they record, the epistles need to be broken down into paragraphs, the psalms into types, etc. The authors show how to do this using common sense and Bible helps such as dictionaries, commentaries and Bible Handbooks. So, this is not just a book to read but to be used as a textbook for study.

The authors also give guidance on the types of Bible translations and their various strengths and weaknesses, whether the translation is literal, dynamic equivalence or paraphrase, and how to use these types of translation.

Overall this is an excellent book for providing a common sense approach to Bible study, I highly recommend it. ( )

It's easy to forget that the bible is a collection of books. Each book belongs to a genre. This book shows you how to interpret each book correctly. I think the author did a fairly good job explaining how to do exegesis and hermeneutics in a concise manner. ( )

My favorite book for understanding the different genres of literature in the Bible ( )

Gordon Fee and Douglas Stuart’s book builds on some of the basic skills of observation, interpretation and application, by looking in more detail at the various genre found within the Bible: epistles, Old Testament narratives, gospels, prophets, etc. They suggest various difficulties that can surface when reading each genre, techniques that can help along the way, and provide many examples of each of these things in practice. It doesn’t demand quite the hands-on approach of earlier books, so more discipline is required from the reader to ensure that the skills learned are put into practice, but if you’re willing to do this, it’s a great help.

This review is part of an article called Better Bible Study at the 4-14 christian theology website. ( )

The chapters deal with issues related to the different genres of the Bible: epistles, OT narratives, Acts, gospels, parables, law, prophets, psalms, wisdom, and the Revelation. It contains good information on how and why we need to interpret the Scriptures, including the need to use a good Bible translation.

There is a lot of scripture abuse going on and much of it comes from not understanding that the Bible contains different types of writings. Each chapter is useful for any reading or study for that particular genre. The book will help you and you members get past the "well, I think it means..." mentality of Bible study.

In the back of the book is a section worth the price of the book. The authors discuss what makes a good commentary. One criterion is the need for a commentary that gives different options for the difficult verses, showing the evidence for each view instead of forcing one interpretation and presenting one as the only one. They give their recommendations for good, objective, conservative (people who believe in inspiration) commentaries for each book of the Bible. ( )

http://teamredd.blogspot.com/2007/01/... ( )

What you CAN'T read into the text of the Bible. Some of the things we want the Bible to say cannot be supported by honest intellectual investigation, this helps sort out the aceptable methodology from rejected ones.
With Carson's "Exegetical Fallacies," it is a good introduction to the process of exegesis and hermeneutics. ( )

Quite an eye opener in terms of the various versions of the Holy scriptures available. A must read for bible scholars ( )

The best work on Bible study methods and hermeneutics I have read thus far. Fee is incredible in this book and it really helps in showing you how to read different types of literature. I have read about 4 books on this subject thus far, with 2 more on the list, but this by far exceeds the other ones I have read. ( )

After probably a year, I finally finished this book.

It's a compelling and informative read, but very difficult to grasp, much less apply; an indispensable tool to understanding much of the rationale behind the controversial Today's New International Version and other Bible translations. For example, you'll come away with a more balanced understanding of why this translation is more (although not entirely) gender-neutral than its predecessors.

The majority of the book, however, gives you a strategy for understanding the different literary forms that make up the Bible.

Be prepared to suddenly feel more ignorant about the Bible than already are. ( )