Ever opened the Bible, read a few verses, and thought, I believe this is important, but I have no idea what’s happening? Same.
If God wants people to read the Bible, understand it, and find meaning through it, why does Scripture feel so hard to understand sometimes?
Simply put, the Bible is hard to understand because it was written long ago, in ancient languages, across many genres, for original audiences from different cultures than ours.
Here’s why that’s good news for you: It means the problem isn’t a lack of faith, effort, or intelligence on your part.
You’re Not Bad at the Bible
Can I start by lowering the pressure?
- You’re not a failure if you find the Bible hard to read or understand.
- You don’t need to understand everything in Scripture for it to matter or be meaningful.
- Confusion about one part of the Bible doesn’t invalidate the whole story.
We’re going to look at some reasons why the Bible can be so hard for us to explore. Along the way, we’ll also find out how to move through our confusion to find out how we’re called to live and love like Jesus today.
3 Reasons Why Reading the Bible Feels Harder Than It Should
The Bible was written a long, long time ago, and that can sometimes make reading it a challenge. Here are three reasons why the Bible can be so hard for us to understand:
1. The Bible Is a Library, Not a Modern Book
The Bible isn’t a single book that was written all at once. Instead, it’s much more like a library.
The Bible was written over hundreds of years by different authors, in different moments, for different audiences. It’s full of stories, poems, letters, laws, and wisdom sayings, and each one had a purpose for the people who first received it.
The Bible wasn’t written like a novel or a reference manual.
This matters because we often approach the Bible like a modern book with one voice, style, and obvious throughline. When it doesn’t read that way in practice, it can be easy to feel frustrated or assume something’s wrong. But the Bible wasn’t written like a novel or a reference manual. It’s a collection of writings that together tell a bigger story about God and His relationship with people over time.
2. The Bible Was Written in Dead Languages
Another reason the Bible can feel hard to understand is simple, but easy to forget. It wasn’t written in English (or any other modern language).
Scripture was originally written in Classical Hebrew, Biblical Aramaic, and Ancient Greek. Ancient languages shaped metaphors, figures of speech, and ways of thinking that don’t always translate cleanly into modern words. So when a verse feels weird, confusing, or flat, that’s often not because it lacks meaning. It’s because the meaning had to travel a long way to reach us.
Every Bible translation is doing careful, thoughtful work to bring ancient words into modern language. That’s a gift. But it also means we’re reading something that’s already been interpreted and translated for us.
We shouldn’t expect a long, ancient library written in dead languages to be an easy read. Still, learning even a little about how language works, or reading a passage in a different translation, can help things start to click in new ways.
3. Our Assumptions Travel With Us
Even when we understand what the Bible is and remember it was written in ancient languages, there’s still one more layer to reckon with. Ourselves.
We don’t read the Bible as blank slates. We bring our cultures, experiences, questions, and expectations into the text. We also bring everything our parents, pastors, and other spiritual influencers taught us about the Bible.
Often, those assumptions shape what we notice, what we skip, and what feels uncomfortable.
Here are a few common assumptions that can make the Bible harder to read:
- We assume the Bible was written directly to us. Scripture speaks to us, but it wasn’t written in a vacuum. No biblical author wrote something confusing to themselves and assumed future readers would magically understand it better. Every passage mattered to its original audience. We overcome this assumption by asking what a passage meant to its original audience before deciding what it means for us.
- We assume disagreement means contradiction. When passages sound different from each other, we can panic. But the Bible isn’t an instruction manual. It’s a library holding multiple perspectives in conversation rather than offering a single voice. We overcome this assumption by holding differing passages together and asking what each one says on its own, instead of forcing them to say the same thing.
- We assume the Bible tells history like a modern textbook. Ancient authors were less focused on precise chronology and more focused on meaning. They helped readers see what God was doing through real events. We overcome this assumption by reading biblical history with a focus on meaning and wisdom, not just timelines to verify.
- We assume the Bible is mainly about personal faith. While Scripture speaks to individuals, it was often written to communities. That’s because God’s work in the world is meant to move through His people together, not just through isolated individuals. Reading it only through a personal lens can flatten its bigger, shared vision. We overcome this assumption by paying attention to how often Scripture speaks to communities and asking what it means for “us,” not just “me.”
Becoming aware of these assumptions doesn’t answer every question. But it does help us read with more patience, humility, and curiosity, which is exactly how the Bible is meant to be read.
Do You Need to Be a Bible Scholar?
At this point, you might be wondering if reading the Bible well requires becoming an expert.
The answer is no.
God isn’t standing by with a clipboard, waiting for you to earn an archaeology degree or learn Classical Hebrew before helping you understand Scripture.
God isn’t standing by with a clipboard, waiting for you to earn an archaeology degree or learn Classical Hebrew before helping you understand Scripture. In fact, many of Jesus’ opponents knew God’s Word deeply and still missed the heart of what God was doing.
That’s good news for the rest of us. It reminds us that the goal isn’t mastering the details of the Bible. It’s allowing Scripture to shape us into people who love God and others more like Jesus.
Studying history, theology, and context can be incredibly helpful, and I love studying all of those fields, but they’re not a prerequisite for meaningful Bible reading.
Jesus Helps Us Read the Bible
When the Bible feels hard to understand, we look to Jesus.
Whenever we read Scripture, a wise question to ask is: How does this help me live and love like Jesus?
Jesus is the clearest picture of what God is like and how God invites us to live. So whenever we read Scripture, it’s wise to ask: How does this help me live and love like Jesus?
- Sometimes that means imitating the faith or courage of a biblical character.
- Sometimes it means avoiding the failures of bible characters.
- Sometimes it means letting a teaching challenge an old assumption.
- Sometimes it means finding comfort, hope, or reassurance in God’s character and plan.
- And sometimes it means admitting, I have no idea what’s going on, and talking it through with trusted people.
As you read, remember to pray. Ask God to show you how you might become more like Jesus as you encounter His Word.
Read the Bible With Others
The Bible isn’t a random pile of disconnected stories. It’s one long, unfolding story about a God who keeps showing up, making promises, and moving toward people, especially when they’re confused, stubborn, or exhausted.
Anyone can find life through the pages of Scripture. You don’t need perfection to read the Bible well; you just need to start. And remember, the Bible was never meant to be figured out alone. So, as often as you can, read the Bible together with friends or small groups. Together, you’ll gain a deeper understanding of the Bible.