If you’ve spent any time in the Bible study corner of social media, chances are you’ve heard the term verse mapping.

But what exactly is it? And maybe more importantly—how do you actually do it?

I recently asked my TikTok community what they wanted help with when it came to studying the Bible, and verse mapping was one of the topics that came up again and again. So I decided to put together a mini-series showing you several different ways to use verse mapping as part of your Bible study.

Because here’s the first thing I want you to know: There isn’t just one way to verse map.

Verse mapping is simply a visual way of slowing down and digging deeper into Scripture. You might investigate a particular word, study a person, explore a single verse, follow cross-references, compare translations, or even look more closely at a geographical location.

Your finished page may have arrows going everywhere, words circled in three different colors, boxes squeezed into odd spaces, and notes written sideways.

That’s okay.

The goal isn’t a perfect page.

The goal is to better understand the Word of God.

What Is Verse Mapping?

Verse mapping is a Bible study method that allows you to visually organize what you discover as you study a passage of Scripture.

Instead of simply reading a verse and moving on, you slow down and begin asking questions.

What does this word mean?

How is this verse translated in another Bible translation?

What was happening when this was written?

Where else does Scripture use this word or idea?

Are there other passages that help me understand this one?

What do I learn when I put all of this information together?

As you investigate those questions, you “map” your discoveries on the page.

You might use boxes, circles, arrows, colors, definitions, Scripture references, notes, or whatever else helps you see the connections.

And that’s one of the things I love about this method: your map can change depending on what you’re studying.

What Do You Need to Start Verse Mapping?

You really don’t need much.

At the most basic level, you can verse map with:

• Your Bible
• A notebook or journal
• A pen
• A few reliable Bible study resources

You can absolutely create your own verse map on a blank sheet of paper.

But I recently brought Scripture Mapping Journals from Butter & Honey into The Saving Grace Shop, and one of the things I especially like about them is how much freedom they give you.

They provide just enough structure without trying to tell you exactly what your map should look like.

The journals include space for your Scripture reference and main subject, along with areas for context and cross-references. The rest of the spread is largely open, so you can draw your own boxes, circles, arrows, and connections based on what you discover.

And because no two studies are necessarily going to lead you in the same direction, I really like having that flexibility.

Mini or Full-Size Scripture Mapping Journal?

The journals I carry come in two sizes, and I can see myself using them a little differently.

The Mini Scripture Mapping Journal is approximately the size of my Bible, which makes it easy to carry with you. I especially like this size for word studies or shorter passages.

The larger Scripture Mapping Journal gives you much more room to spread out. I think it works especially well for character studies, more involved verse maps, or anything where you know you’re going to collect quite a bit of information.

Both include examples to help you get started, including character mapping, word mapping, and Bible verse mapping.

But again, those examples aren’t rules.

This is your study. Use the page in whatever way helps you understand the text.

WATCH: Verse Mapping Part 1 — Introducing the Scripture Mapping Journals

In Part 1 of my Verse Mapping series, I’m taking you inside both Scripture Mapping Journals, showing you the layouts and sharing some ideas for how you might use each one.

Let’s Make a Word Map

Now let’s actually do it.

For my first study in this series, I decided to use the Mini Scripture Mapping Journal to create a word map from Genesis 2:18.

In the CSB, Genesis 2:18 says:

“Then the LORD God said, ‘It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper corresponding to him.’”

I decided to investigate the phrase “helper corresponding.”

Depending on the translation you’re reading, you may be more familiar with phrases such as helper suitable, helper fit for him, or help meet.

Rather than beginning with an assumption about what those words mean, I wanted to investigate them.

And that gives us a process you can use the next time you encounter an interesting or confusing word in Scripture.

Step 1: Read the Verse in Context

Before we start pulling individual words apart, we need to know what’s happening around them.

Context should always come first.

Genesis 2 takes us back for a closer look at the creation of Adam and Eve. In verse 18, God identifies something as “not good”: the man is alone.

God then says He will make a helper corresponding to him.

That’s the phrase we’re investigating, but we don’t want to detach it from the story in which God actually spoke it.

When you’re creating your own map, make room somewhere on your page for context. You don’t necessarily have to write paragraphs. Record the information that will help you remember where this verse fits within the larger passage.

Step 2: Compare Bible Translations

Next, I opened the Logos Bible app and compared several translations side by side.

This is one of the easiest ways to begin investigating a word or phrase because different English translations can help you notice nuances you might otherwise overlook.

For Genesis 2:18, we find wording such as:

CSB: “a helper corresponding to him”

ESV: “a helper fit for him”

NIV: “a helper suitable for him”

KJV: “an help meet for him”

Immediately, we have something worth investigating.

Why are translators using words like corresponding, fit, suitable, and meet?

Instead of choosing our favorite wording and moving on, we can go back another step and ask:

What words were actually used in the original language?

Step 3: Look at the Original Language

Because we’re studying the Old Testament, the original language we’re investigating is Hebrew.

For this step, I used the Blue Letter Bible app and its Interlinear/Concordance tools.

An interlinear allows us to look more closely at the words behind our English translation. Blue Letter Bible also connects those words to their Strong’s Concordance numbers, making it possible to investigate how a particular Hebrew or Greek word is used elsewhere.

This is important: you do not have to know Hebrew or Greek to begin using original-language Bible study tools.

You’re not trying to become a Hebrew scholar in an afternoon. You’re using available resources to ask better questions about the text.

In Genesis 2:18, our study takes us to the Hebrew behind the idea of the “helper corresponding” to Adam.

I wrote that information directly onto my map so I could begin connecting what I was finding.

Step 4: Pay Attention to the Details

One of the benefits of using an interlinear tool is that it can give you additional information about a word—not just a simple English definition.

For example, you may find grammatical information, transliteration, part of speech, Strong’s number, usage information, and other details.

You don’t have to copy every piece of information onto your map.

That’s worth repeating:

You don’t have to write down everything your Bible study tool tells you.

Record the information that actually helps you understand the passage.

Verse mapping isn’t about filling every inch of the page with research. It’s about following the information that helps illuminate the text.

Step 5: See Where Else the Word Appears in Scripture

This is where a word study can get really interesting.

Instead of stopping with a dictionary definition, ask:

Where else does Scripture use this word?

When I followed the Hebrew word translated “helper” through Scripture, I found passages that use the same word in descriptions of help from God.

For example:

Exodus 18:4 describes God as Moses’ father’s helper.

Psalm 33:20 says, “We wait for the LORD; he is our help and shield.”

Hosea 13:9 speaks of Israel having no help but the Lord.

And another passage immediately came to mind:

Psalm 121:2: “My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.”

That gives us much more biblical context for thinking about the word helper.

Rather than allowing our modern English assumptions to define the biblical term for us, we’re allowing Scripture to help us understand Scripture.

That is one of the most valuable habits you can develop as a Bible student.

Step 6: Add Cross-References to Your Map

You don’t necessarily need to write every related verse onto your page.

I certainly didn’t write every occurrence I found.

Choose the passages that are most helpful and add those references to your map. You might write out a particularly important phrase or simply record the Scripture reference so you can return to it later.

This is where the visual aspect of verse mapping becomes especially useful.

Draw an arrow.

Make another box.

Circle something.

Connect one idea to another.

Your map is beginning to show you not just individual pieces of information, but how those pieces relate to one another.

Step 7: Compare What You’ve Found With an English Definition

I also looked at modern English definitions of helper and suitable.

This created an interesting contrast.

A modern dictionary definition of helper can carry the idea of someone assisting another person, even in a relatively unskilled capacity.

Meanwhile, suitable carries ideas such as being adapted for a particular purpose, able, or qualified.

And that’s exactly why we shouldn’t build our understanding of a biblical passage solely from the way an English word sounds to us today.

Words have context.

Translations matter.

Original-language information can matter.

And most importantly, the way Scripture itself uses an idea matters.

The deeper we dig, the fuller our picture becomes.

Step 8: Pull Everything Together

This is the part of Bible study that I don’t want you to skip.

You’ve gathered information.

Now ask:

What did I actually learn?

Don’t leave your map as a collection of definitions, Strong’s numbers, arrows, and cross-references.

Think about what all of those discoveries show you about the passage.

In my study of Genesis 2:18, the biblical usage of “helper” challenged the idea that Eve’s designation as Adam’s helper should automatically be understood as describing weakness or inferiority.

The picture we uncover is far richer than that.

God intentionally creates a corresponding helper for Adam—someone suited to the purpose for which God created her.

And my own takeaway as I finished the study was this:

God creates with purpose.

Eve was created by God for a purpose, and she was suited to what God created her to do.

And the same God who created with purpose in Genesis is still our Creator.

That’s the point where Bible study moves beyond collecting information.

We’ve observed.

We’ve investigated.

We’ve followed the threads.

And now we stop and consider what we’ve learned about God, His Word, and how we should respond.

WATCH: Verse Mapping Part 2 — Doing a Word Study in Genesis 2:18

In Part 2, you can study right alongside me as I build this word map from beginning to end using Logos, Blue Letter Bible, cross-references, English definitions, and my Scripture Mapping Mini Journal.

Your Verse Map Doesn’t Have to Look Like Mine

Once I finished gathering the information for my Genesis 2:18 word study, I pulled out my highlighters and added color.

That’s the fun part.

But please hear me on this:

Your verse map does not have to be pretty to be valuable.

You don’t need beautiful handwriting.

You don’t need a coordinated set of highlighters.

You don’t need to draw perfect boxes.

And your page definitely doesn’t need to look like mine.

Use color if color helps you.

Draw arrows if arrows help you see connections.

Write tiny notes in the margins.

Cover up one of the journal headings and use that space for something completely different if that’s what your study needs.

The journal is simply a tool.

The study of God’s Word is the point.

A Simple Word Mapping Process to Try

The next time a word or phrase catches your attention in Scripture, try this process:

1. Read it in context. What’s happening in the surrounding passage?
2. Compare translations. How have different Bible translators rendered the word or phrase?
3. Investigate the original language. Use a reliable interlinear or concordance tool.
4. Pay attention to useful details. Record the information that actually helps you understand the text.
5. Find other occurrences. Where else does Scripture use this word?
6. Follow cross-references. Let Scripture help you interpret Scripture.
7. Compare definitions carefully. Notice where modern English assumptions may differ from biblical usage.
8. Synthesize your findings. What do all of these pieces show you when you put them together?
9. Respond. What did you learn about God? About the passage? Is there something you need to believe, remember, or do?

And remember: you don’t have to do every single step every single time.

Follow the text.

Let your questions guide your study.

There Are More Ways to Verse Map

A word map is only one option.

In this series, I’m going to continue exploring different approaches to Scripture mapping, including character mapping and mapping an individual Bible verse. We may even pull out the maps and do some geographical mapping along the way.

As those lessons are published, I’ll add them here so you can find all of the Scripture Mapping tutorials in one place.

The goal isn’t for you to learn my way of verse mapping.

My goal is to give you tools and methods you can use to open your own Bible, ask good questions, dig into the text, and discover what it says for yourself.

Because that’s what we do here at The Saving Grace Shop:

We help you learn how to study the Bible for yourself.

Ready to Try It?

If you’d like a dedicated place to create your own Scripture maps, you can find the Butter & Honey Scripture Mapping Journals at The Saving Grace Shop in both Mini and full-size formats.

And if you’d like more free Bible study teaching and resources, visit the Saving Grace Bible Study Hub. It’s a growing collection of resources designed to help you dig deeper into God’s Word.

Save this guide and come back to it the next time you’re ready to map a passage—and be sure to check back as we add more verse mapping methods to the series.