The notes worth writing in a Bible are the ones the printed page can't give you: connections to other passages, the structure of an argument, a question you want answered, and the date and circumstances of a reading that mattered. Summaries of what the verse already says, and long transcriptions of sermons, take up space and rarely get read again.
Margins are small, so everything below is about choosing. It covers what earns a place, a handful of symbols that save room, and two worked examples from Romans and the Psalms.
Five kinds of note worth the space
1. Cross-references you found yourself
Printed cross-references are useful, but the ones you discover while reading stick better, because you remember why you made the link. Write the reference in the margin next to the phrase that sent you there, and, if you have room, the same note at the other end, so the link works in both directions.
2. The shape of a passage
Much of Scripture is built carefully: chains of cause and effect, lists, contrasts, turning points. Numbering the links in a chain or boxing a repeated word shows that structure at a glance, years later, without rereading the paragraph.
3. Questions
A question in the margin is honest, and it keeps the passage open. "Why does he say this here?" or "Does this contradict Mark 10?" is more useful to your future self than a confident summary. When you find an answer, write it beside the question.
4. Words you had to look up
If you needed a dictionary for "propitiation" or "Sheol," a three-word definition in the margin saves the next lookup. Keep it short. The margin isn't a glossary, just a reminder.
5. When and why a verse mattered
A date and a few words ("hospital, March," "first week at the new job") turn a highlighted verse into a record. These are the notes people treasure most when they pick up an old Bible, and they're the ones most readers never think to write.
What to leave out
- Paraphrases of the verse. The verse is right there.
- Sermon transcripts. Take sermon notes in a notebook and bring back only the one line that changed how you read the passage.
- Other people's conclusions you haven't tested. If you copy a commentary's claim, mark it as such, so you don't mistake it for your own reading later.
- Anything you'd need a paragraph to say. If it doesn't fit in two short lines, it belongs in a journal, with a reference in the margin pointing to it.
A small set of symbols
Symbols save space, but only if you remember them. Keep the set short and write it on the inside cover beside your color key, if you use one.
| Symbol | Meaning |
|---|---|
| ? | I don't understand this yet |
| → Rom 5:3 | See also this passage |
| Box around a word | Repeated word or theme in this passage |
| 1, 2, 3 above words | Steps in a list or argument |
| Vertical line in the margin | This whole block belongs together |
| Date | A reading that mattered |
That's enough. Most elaborate symbol systems go the same way as twelve-color highlighting codes.
Example: Romans 5:1–5
1Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
2through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.
3Not only that, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance;
4perseverance, character; and character, hope.
5And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us.
Here's what a useful set of notes on this passage might look like:
- Box "Therefore" in verse 1, with "→ Rom 4" in the margin. It points back to the argument about Abraham, and it's easy to read past.
- Number the chain in verses 3–4: 1 suffering, 2 perseverance, 3 character, 4 hope. The structure is the point of the sentence.
- Box "rejoice" in verses 2 and 3. Paul uses the same word for rejoicing in hope and rejoicing in suffering, which is striking.
- Write "→ Jas 1:2–4" beside verse 3. James makes a similar chain (testing, perseverance, maturity), and seeing them together helps with both.
- A question beside verse 5: "hope does not disappoint because of love, not because of the outcome?"
Five short notes, and the passage's structure, its links and your open question are all visible the next time you turn to it.
Example: Psalm 13
Psalms reward a different kind of note, because their structure is often emotional rather than logical. Psalm 13 moves from complaint to request to trust in six verses:
1How long, O LORD? Will You forget me forever? How long will You hide Your face from me?
5But I have trusted in Your loving devotion; my heart will rejoice in Your salvation.
Useful notes here:
- Box the four "How long" phrases in verses 1–2.
- Draw a line across the page between verses 4 and 5, and write "the turn" beside "But."
- In the margin at verse 1: "complaint 1–2, request 3–4, trust 5–6." Many psalms of lament follow the same shape, and once you've marked it here you'll spot it elsewhere.
- If this psalm met you somewhere specific, the date.
Pens, pencils and thin paper
Bible paper is thin, so anything wet can show through or soak into the next page. A fine-tipped pen with pigment ink is the usual choice for margin notes, and a sharp pencil is the safest of all, and erasable. Whatever you use, try it on a blank page at the back first. Highlighting thin Bible paper goes into testing in more detail.
When the margin runs out
Every heavily used Bible reaches the point where the margins are full. You have three options: a journaling Bible with wide margins, a notebook keyed by reference, or notes kept digitally where space isn't a constraint.
Whichever you choose, the principle stays the same: write what the page can't tell you, keep it short, and date the readings that matter. If you'd like a routine to hang your notes on, the SOAP method gives each reading a simple structure.