What Are Good Questions to Ask About the Bible?

Judaism has arguably the richest tradition of structured scriptural questioning of any world religion. The entire Talmudic enterprise — spanning centuries of rabbinic debate from roughly 200–500 CE — is built on the premise that asking hard questions of a text is itself an act of worship. The Hebrew verb darash (to inquire, to seek out) is foundational to the concept of midrash.

Deuteronomy commands diligent inquiry as a moral and legal obligation Deuteronomy 13:14. When something in the text seems troubling or unclear, the Torah doesn't ask you to look away — it asks you to investigate thoroughly. Rabbi Akiva (c. 50–135 CE) famously derived entire legal principles from single letters of the Torah, modeling the idea that no detail is too small to question.

Some of the best questions a reader can bring to the Hebrew Bible include: Why does God ask questions of humans when he already knows the answers? (e.g., 'Where are you?' in Genesis 3). What was the prophet actually saying to his immediate audience? Jeremiah 23:37 What does this passage demand of me practically? 2 Chronicles 34:21 And perhaps most classically: What did God speak, and what does it mean for us now? Jeremiah 23:37

The tradition of chavruta (paired study) institutionalizes the idea that two people wrestling with a text together will arrive at richer understanding than either could alone. Disagreement isn't a failure — it's the method.

Christianity inherits the Jewish love of scriptural inquiry and deepens it through the example of Jesus himself, who frequently answered questions with questions. In Mark 9, Jesus doesn't simply resolve a dispute among his disciples — he opens the conversation by asking what they were debating Mark 9:16. This is a pedagogical model: good questions precede good answers.

Some of the most productive questions a Christian reader can bring to the Bible include: What is the literary genre of this passage, and how does that shape its meaning? What would the original audience have understood? How does this Old Testament passage relate to its New Testament fulfillment? What does this text reveal about the character of God? And practically: What does this require of me today?

Scholars like N.T. Wright (b. 1948) and Walter Brueggemann (b. 1933) have both argued that the Bible itself models a kind of 'dialogical imagination' — it expects to be questioned, wrestled with, and even pushed back against (as in the Psalms of lament). The question 'What did God answer you?' Jeremiah 23:37 is just as valid for a Christian reader meditating on a difficult passage as it was for the prophet Jeremiah's audience.

Importantly, Christianity also warns against questions asked in bad faith — not to seek truth but to trap or destabilize. The distinction between sincere inquiry and cynical skepticism matters in this tradition.

Islam's relationship to 'the Bible' is theologically nuanced: Muslims regard the Torah (Tawrat) and Gospel (Injil) as originally revealed scriptures that have been altered over time (tahrif). So asking questions 'about the Bible' in an Islamic framework typically means asking questions about what the original revelation said, how it relates to the Quran, and where the two texts agree or diverge.

The Quran itself explicitly encourages those in doubt to consult the People of the Book — those who have been reading scripture before Quran 10:94. This is a remarkable verse: it validates cross-traditional inquiry as a legitimate path to certainty. Surah 78 opens with a rhetorical question — Whereof do they question one another? Quran 78:1 — framing the entire surah as an answer to human curiosity about ultimate realities.

Good questions an Islamic reader might bring to comparative Bible study include: Where does this passage align with Quranic revelation? Does this text point toward the coming of the Prophet Muhammad, as Muslim scholars like Ibn Kathir (1301–1373 CE) argued? What does this passage reveal about the shared Abrahamic moral framework? And Quran 15:92 reminds every reader that all people will ultimately be questioned about what they believed and how they responded to scripture Quran 15:92.

Islamic scholarship encourages asking questions of scripture with humility and sincerity, never with the intent to mock or destabilize faith.

Jewish scripture encourages diligent inquiry, so a good question to ask when reading a passage is, “Have we examined this claim carefully, and is it true?” Deuteronomy 13:14

Another fruitful question is, “What did God answer you?”—that is, what is the divine response or message in the text, which centers discernment on God’s speech rather than our assumptions Jeremiah 23:37

Communal and practical questions are also modeled: “Please, inquire of God; will this path succeed?”—a way to ask how a passage guides real decisions and communal direction Judges 18:5

When encountering a difficult or newly noticed command, a time-tested question is, “What does this require of us, and what happens if we ignore it?”—a prompt drawn from the call to inquire about the words of the rediscovered scroll and the consequences of disobedience 2 Chronicles 34:21.

The Gospels portray questioning as part of faithful engagement, so a practical starting question is, “What are we discussing, and why?”—keeping focus on the real issue at hand when reading a text together Mark 9:16

Christians also learn to ask, “Are we investigating this diligently?” since the church receives Israel’s Scriptures, which command careful examination of claims and events before drawing conclusions Deuteronomy 13:14

Another guardrail question is, “Am I speaking about ‘the burden of the LORD’ responsibly?”—a caution against glib or presumptuous claims about God’s message that pushes readers to humility when interpreting prophetic language Jeremiah 23:33.

Not applicable. Concerns Bible-specific study; Islam has its own scriptural framework (Qur’an and Hadith) rather than questions tailored to the Bible.