Reading the Bible in another language taught me to slow down and meditate on God’s word

The Bible tells us to meditate on God’s word day and night, and there are plenty of ways to do this, whether it’s reading the Bible, memorising our favourite verses, or even entire books. But in modern life how many of us actually take the time to do so?

We live in a world with a constant stream of new information. It’s so easy to get distracted and forget about the importance of reading and rereading scripture.

I live in Italy, and earlier this year I went along to an Italian speaking church. Someone translated the sermon for me, but I felt so frustrated at my inability to talk to people there. I’d given up language lessons to save money, and I’d had plans to teach myself, but hadn’t got round to it. I prayed to God for help, and asked my friends to pray for me too.

The pastor was talking about how when it comes to reading the Bible it’s not about quantity, but quality.

Then one evening my prayers were answered. I was listening to a sermon online. The pastor was talking about how when it comes to reading the Bible it’s not about quantity, but quality. That previous year as a new Christian I’d read through the Bible in a year. Being a new believer aged 42 I felt like I had to get through it as quickly as possible.

Now I realised that I could slow down. I also had another idea. I wrote out a Bible verse, (I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me Philippians 4.13) on two pieces of card, one in English and Italian. I realised that if I read different Bible verses in English and Italian, I could not only meditate on God’s word, but also learn the language too.

I wrote out a Bible verse, (I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me Philippians 4.13) on two pieces of card, one in English and Italian. 

Since then I’ve used many different ways to learn Italian through the Bible. I’ve written out my favourite verses, in English and Italian. I’ve listened to the Gospels and the Psalms. I’ve read alternating chapters of the Bible in English and Italian. I read slowly going back and forth, reading the same line in both languages. As I do so the meaning of the words often becomes apparent without even needing to look in a dictionary.

It isn’t just language learning that’s happening as I read of course. This process has really taught me what it means to slow down, and meditate on God’s word, rather than simply reading it. Being a beginner in Italian I was forced to take my time. That’s when I started to notice depths of meaning that I’d never noticed before. As Pope Gregory the Great said, ‘ scripture is like a river again, broad and deep, shallow enough here for the lamb to go wading, but deep enough there for the elephant to swim.’

This year, I also started trying to read through the entire Bible, in both English and Italian, but definitely not as a one year project. I have only made it as far as Exodus! I’m also reading the book of John with my dictionary in hand writing down all the new words.

Research has shown that the brain loves novelty and we get a dopamine hit from learning a new piece of information. There is nothing quite like the learning of new words when it’s from God’s Word.

Reading the Bible in a year can be a wonderful achievement but so can trying to read it as slowly as possible! This process has also taught me about patience, and the ability to achieve something in small but regular steps.

If you want to try and learn a new language with the Bible, here’s some ideas that have worked for me.

Start with the Gospels. Because they are similar stories repeated four times you might already know them well in English. This makes them easier to decode in a different language.

Write out lists of vocabulary, then find Bible verses with the vocabulary in. Reading a few verses with the same words in can cement your learning through repetition.

Play a pairs game. Write out your favourite Bible verses in English and your chosen language on separate pieces of card. Then turn them over, mix them up and try to match them.

Listen to a chapter of an English audio Bible followed by an chapter in your chosen language. Hearing it aloud helps so much with listening and pronunciation skills.