How to Find Answers to Your Bible Questions: A Multi-Faith Perspective

In the Jewish tradition, seeking answers to scriptural questions isn't just permitted — it's practically a religious obligation. The Hebrew verb darash (דָּרַשׁ), meaning to inquire or expound, is the very root of the word midrash, the rabbinic literature built entirely around wrestling with the text. Diligent questioning is baked into the tradition's DNA.

Deuteronomy 13:14 commands the community to enquire, make search, and ask diligently when confronted with difficult or troubling claims Deuteronomy 13:14. The Hebrew here is notably emphatic — three separate verbs stacked together — suggesting that superficial reading isn't enough. Scholar Nahum Sarna (writing in the 1980s) observed that this kind of layered inquiry reflects a broader Deuteronomic insistence on intellectual seriousness in matters of faith.

The prophetic tradition also modeled direct inquiry of God. King Josiah, upon discovering the lost scroll of the Torah, immediately sent his officials with the instruction: Go, inquire of GOD on my behalf and on behalf of those who remain in Israel and Judah concerning the words of the scroll 2 Chronicles 34:21. This wasn't passive reading — it was active, urgent seeking. The prophet was consulted as a conduit for divine clarification.

Jeremiah 23:37 reinforces this by framing the proper relationship with a prophet as one of direct questioning: Thus you shall speak to the prophet: 'What did GOD answer you?' or 'What did GOD speak?' Jeremiah 23:37. The implication is that legitimate answers come from God through careful, accountable channels — not speculation or personal whim.

In practical terms, traditional Jewish Bible study involves chevruta (paired study), rabbinic commentary (Rashi, Maimonides, Nachmanides), and communal learning in the beit midrash. Modern resources like the Sefaria platform have made these layered conversations accessible to anyone with an internet connection. The tradition doesn't expect you to figure it out alone.

Christianity inherits the Jewish tradition of diligent scriptural inquiry and deepens it through the lens of the New Testament's emphasis on the Holy Spirit as guide and interpreter. That said, the Hebrew Bible passages remain foundational for Christian readers too, and the call to enquire, and make search, and ask diligently in Deuteronomy 13:14 is frequently cited in Christian hermeneutics as a model for serious Bible study Deuteronomy 13:14.

The prophetic model of direct questioning also carries weight in Christian tradition. Jeremiah 23:37 — What hath the LORD answered thee? and, What hath the LORD spoken? Jeremiah 23:37 — is read by many Christian commentators, including Matthew Henry (writing in the early 1700s), as a reminder that genuine answers to scripture questions must be grounded in what God has actually revealed, not in what we wish He had said. There's a built-in humility check here.

Practically speaking, Christian approaches to finding Bible answers are remarkably diverse. Evangelical Protestants tend to emphasize personal Bible reading, concordances, and commentaries by scholars like John Stott or N.T. Wright. Catholic and Orthodox traditions place greater weight on the Magisterium or the Church Fathers as authoritative interpreters alongside scripture. There's real disagreement here — the Reformation was, in large part, a dispute about who gets to answer your Bible questions.

Numbers 22:19 offers another instructive model: Balaam says, tarry ye also here this night, that I may know what the LORD will say unto me more Numbers 22:19. Many Christian devotional writers have pointed to this as a picture of patient waiting on God — not rushing to a quick answer, but sitting with the question. That contemplative posture is especially valued in monastic and spiritual-direction traditions.

Modern Christians have access to tools like Bible Gateway, Blue Letter Bible, and the works of scholars like Bruce Metzger for textual questions. But most traditions agree: tools are servants, not substitutes, for prayerful engagement with the text.

Islam doesn't center on the Bible as a primary scripture — Muslims regard the Qur'an as the final and preserved word of God — so the specific question of how to find answers to Bible questions doesn't map directly onto Islamic practice. That said, Islam has a great deal to say about seeking answers from God and about the accountability that comes with divine questioning, and those themes are genuinely relevant here.

Quran 2:186 is one of the most personally intimate verses in Islamic scripture: And when My servants question thee concerning Me, then surely I am nigh. I answer the prayer of the suppliant when he crieth unto Me. So let them hear My call and let them trust in Me, in order that they may be led aright. Quran 2:186 This verse directly addresses the human impulse to seek answers — and God's response is not distance or silence, but nearness. Islamic scholars like Ibn Kathir (14th century) considered this verse exceptional because it's one of the few places where God answers a question about Himself without the intermediary phrase "say" — suggesting an especially direct divine response.

The Qur'an also frames the search for answers within a context of ultimate accountability. Surah 15:92 warns: Them, by thy Lord, We shall question, every one Quran 15:92, and Surah 28:65 asks: What answer gave ye to the messengers? Quran 28:65 These verses suggest that seeking answers isn't merely an intellectual exercise — how one responds to divine guidance carries eternal weight.

In Islamic tradition, finding answers to religious questions involves the Qur'an, the Hadith (prophetic traditions), and the guidance of qualified scholars (ulama). The concept of ijtihad — independent scholarly reasoning — allows for ongoing engagement with difficult questions, though it's not without controversy between Sunni and Shia traditions regarding who has the authority to exercise it.

Jewish Scripture instructs seekers to “enquire… make search… and ask diligently,” modeling careful investigation when questions arise Deuteronomy 13:14.

It also depicts people explicitly asking recognized prophets, “What did GOD answer you? or What did GOD speak?”—i.e., to verify a word from God rather than guessing Jeremiah 23:37.

Ezekiel records that if an Israelite inquires of God through a prophet—even after missteps—God declares, “I… will respond directly,” underscoring that answers are ultimately from God Ezekiel 14:7.

When the scroll was found, King Josiah sent to “inquire of GOD… concerning the words of the scroll,” showing that returning to the text and seeking authoritative interpretation was the faithful path to answers 2 Chronicles 34:21.

Christians inherit Israel’s scriptural pattern: “enquire… make search… and ask diligently,” treating questions with careful, truth-oriented investigation Deuteronomy 13:14.

Jeremiah’s wording appears in Christian Bibles as well: “What hath the LORD answered thee? and, What hath the LORD spoken?”—a template for testing messages against God’s word Jeremiah 23:37.

Numbers shows the seeker waiting on further light: “that I may know what the LORD will say unto me more,” modeling prayerful patience rather than rash conclusions Numbers 22:19.

Not applicable. Concerns the Bible; Islam seeks answers from the Qur’an and its own scriptural guidance, not from the Bible.