How to Do a Bible Character Study (10 Easy Steps)

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Are you looking for a new way to spark your spiritual life? Would you love to grow as a student of the Bible? Learn how to do a Bible character study with ten easy steps. This way, when you are studying the Bible, you can enhance the time and get to know the people of the Bible better.

If you don’t know what a Bible character study is, have no worries. This article will walk you through what a Bible character study is, why you should do one when studying the Bible, and how to accomplish this during your time alone with God (or during a Bible study session).

Maybe you have studied a book of the Bible and feel you know it pretty well. Perhaps you are even an expert on the topic. How deep have you gone in studying Bible characters? Would you love to learn more about the people you read about in the Bible? Let’s dive right in!

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What is a Bible Character Study?

Simply put, a Bible character study is a deep study of a character in the Bible. It might sound pretty obvious, but when you do a Bible character study, you go deeper than just writing a short biography of a Bible character. Rather, you dig deep during your time alone with God.

Doing a Bible character study gives you the opportunity to learn more about a specific character in the Bible by examining cross-reference verses, definitions, applications of the character to one’s own life, and so much more!

Whether you are new to Bible study or have been doing it for quite a while, you will certainly want to know how to do a Bible character study. Let’s examine the reasons why doing Bible character studies is a critical element in any Bible study!

Come near to God, and He will come near to you. – James 4:8 (NIV)

The Benefits of Doing Bible Character Studies

When you do a Bible character study, it’s not just about that person and what they accomplished in their lifetime. As you will learn with your study of Bible characters, each character has a practical lesson that can be applied today. You can almost always learn something new!

A Bible character study is also about how their actions, words, and behaviors impacted others. Often, we cannot see the big picture, as many of the results of our actions come after we’re gone.

That’s what’s great about the Bible. We are able to see the big picture when doing a Bible character study. We can often examine the character’s birth, who their parents were, their background, what they did during their time here, and how they impacted other people.

Related: Why Study the Bible? (Find out what you are missing out on)!

How to Do a Bible Character Study

One of the most important parts of doing a Bible character study is the application to your life. If you learn nothing from a character in the Bible, you will likely not want to do another one. I want to encourage you to stick with it. One day, you’ll find out why you were meant to study this!

As you learn how to do a Bible character study, you’ll probably want to take notes. While it can be a simple process when studying someone like Jabez – a character that is not mentioned much in the Bible, you might discover a deeper meaning here.

While Jabez is not a huge character in the Bible, he was written in such a way that one author wrote an entire book on Jabez! The point is that you should never discount what you can learn from a Bible character study! It might be a gem!

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness. – 2 Timothy 3:16 (NIV)

#1. Pray about this Bible character.

Before doing any Bible study, it is imperative that you pray. Inviting God into your study time is what Bible study is all about. If you want a relationship with God, an intimacy like no other, you need to ask Him for wisdom and strength as you dig into the Bible.

#2. Pick a Bible character to study.

Learn about King David (A few recommended books of the Bible that tell his story are 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel, and Psalms) and what the Psalms are all about (Check out our Psalms Bible Study). In the book of Esther, you’ll discover a sort of Cinderella story!

Hop over to the book of Ruth to learn about a Bible character who changed history with a simple decision to follow her mother-in-law to Judah. Read about the apostle Paul in the New Testament, starting with his conversion in Acts 9. That should get you started!

#3. Look up the background of the Bible character.

Most study Bibles will explain who the characters are within the text. This information is typically provided at the beginning of the book of the Bible, where the character is mentioned. It might also be in the footnotes. Trustworthy commentaries and other sources can also help!

#4. Summarize what you learned about the Bible character.

When you have finished researching the Bible character, you will want to write down what you have learned and from which sources you found this information. This will ensure that you can double-check your research if you need to in the future.

Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. – Psalm 119:105 (KJV)

#5. List the key verses where you found the information.

As you study a character in the Bible, it’s a good idea to mark in your Bible or in a notebook everything you have learned from each instance when the character is mentioned, including pronouns referring to the character. Making lists like this can help you along the way.

#6. See what genealogies contribute to your understanding.

If you are studying the book of Ruth, you’ll want to see what happens after her story is told. You can read the genealogy in Ruth chapter 4 and at the beginning of Matthew. Can you believe this Moabite (Moab was an enemy of Israel) was in the family line of King David and Jesus?

#7. Determine what the story of the Bible character is.

Find out where in the Bible the character is written about. What is their history? How does this character impact our salvation today? Why is it important to know about this person? What’s their story? What do the commentaries say about this Bible character?

You can certainly do a lot of research when doing a Bible study. If you get overwhelmed by it all, consider looking at the big picture. Determine what their story is, where it is mentioned in the Bible, and why they were important enough to make it to the most famous book in the world!

#8. Summarize what you’ve learned from the Bible character.

Once you have read the Bible passages that refer to your chosen Bible character several times, you’ll want to summarize his or her story. It doesn’t have to be a long summary, but you also don’t want to forget what you have learned. Memorizing key verses can be helpful, too!

I have hidden Your word in my heart that I might not sin against You. – Psalm 119:105 (NIV)

#9. See how God was in (or not in) their life.

Many characters in the Bible had a strong faith. They relied on their relationship with God to help them through trials. You can easily see this by examining only a few pages in the Bible. As you analyze your Bible character, determine what their relationship with God was like.

Were their actions and behaviors bringing them closer to the Lord or further away from Him? What can you learn from studying their relationship with God and how they impacted the big picture of the Bible? How does this apply to your life? What feelings are stirred?

I will praise You with an upright heart as I learn Your righteous laws. – Psalm 119:7 (NIV)

#10. Determine how you can apply this to your life.

This is probably the most important step you can take when studying the Bible. It’s not enough to read the Bible as a book; you must live it out in your life. This will take conscious effort, a willing and eager heart, and an openness that can only be found in Christ.

As you look for meaning in the Bible and how each story impacts your life, ask yourself a few questions.

Does this character reveal a sin you need to confess? Is there something you need to start or stop doing?
What kind of example is this Bible character? Are they someone to emulate or learn not to be like them?
Does God communicate to you a promise that He has made in the story of this Bible character? How can you claim that promise with all your heart?
What commands are mentioned in the story of this Bible character? Are you obeying those commands? Is this something you need to work on?
What did you learn about God from the person you have studied? How did God impact their life?

Bonus Bible Character Study Resources

52 Great Characters in the Bible – This resource has a total of 52 Bible characters for you to study. This is perfect if you are looking for a new character to study each week of the year!

12 Extraordinary Women in the Bible – This book was written by John MacArthur. Learn about these interesting women – characters who had an impactful relationship with God.

Bad Girls of the Bible – In this book, you’ll look at the opposite extreme – women who did not follow the Lord. Discover why and how they were considered to be “bad.”

The Women of the Bible Speak – This book is one I enjoyed after purchasing it to help me research and write a guest post on the character of Ruth and what we can learn about her.

Every Woman in the Bible – This would make a great gift for a Bible scholar or student. If you want to grow in your walk with God, consider building a Bible library with a book like this!

And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this? – Esther 4:14 (NIV)

Conclusion

Do you now know how to do a Bible character study? Which character will you start with? We would love to hear all about it. Be sure to subscribe to our newsletter and share this post on social media! Sometimes, WE are the only Bible that people see or read – EVER!

With that encouragement in mind, we pray that you stay strong in the Lord! He is with you every step of the way!!

God does not take a vacation from our lives! He is ever-present! Just look up!