Observation
- Who is speaking or acting?
- Who is being addressed?
- What comes immediately before and after?
- Which words, contrasts, or connections repeat?
Interpretation
- What literary form am I reading?
- Do translation differences reveal a question worth checking?
- How does this verse contribute to the paragraph, chapter, and book?
Response
Only after observation and interpretation, ask what belief, action, prayer, or further study the passage invites. Keep the response connected to the text rather than using the verse as a prompt for an unrelated idea.