Why I Use Color to Read My Bible

March 17, 2026·17 min·1 clip

After October 7, 2023, Laura started highlighting every reference to Israel in the Bible using forest green.

This solo episode of Bible News Press features host Laura explaining her personal system for using color-coded annotations while reading the Bible. Laura frames this practice as part of a mindful engagement with scripture beyond mere study. She describes herself as a lifelong annotator who marks up all types of texts, from gardening books to historical essays, to interact critically with the material. Laura clarifies that her use of the verb "read" in the title emphasizes approaching the Bible as an accessible, complete text to be consumed regularly and in significant portions. She advocates for reading scripture aloud and discussing it in small, regular groups to foster understanding and deep relationships. Laura recounts how she previously felt guilt over marking her Bible due to views that it disrespects a holy text or represents a frivolous, modern practice. She now owns multiple printed translations and actively marks them, seeing it as embracing the message. A major shift in her color-coding system began after October 7, 2023, prompted by debates about modern Israel's biblical basis. She decided to highlight every reference to Israel in a medium forest green. This led to a comprehensive system: she highlights time-related words in a light flush tone and underlines connecting words like "because" in dark maroon. She uses a medium turquoise blue to underline covenant references, marking them with a "C" in the margin, and uses the same blue for "kingdom of God" references in the New Testament, marked "K-O-G". Non-Israel locations are highlighted in a medium light brown, while Judah, Jerusalem, and Zion each have distinct colors. People are underlined in green upon their first mention in a passage. Laura uses purple for references to God's judgment or righteousness and underlines words like "abomination" in orange. She estimates 50-80% of words remain unmarked to maintain textual flow and cohesiveness. A surprising insight is that Laura also adds her own cross-references, writes out numbers in margins, and connects ideas with lines and arrows directly in her Bible. She finds the physical act of annotation helps her absorb and enjoy the scripture, creating a personalized reference tool. A memorable historical analogy she shares involves 19th-century scholars who cut up Bibles to create exhaustive concordances, a practice she sees as parallel in spirit to her own detailed, color-coded engagement. The tone is personal, instructional, and devotional, blending practical how-to advice with theological justification for the method. The style is conversational and reflective, as Laura walks listeners through her specific color choices and the reasoning behind each category. This episode would deeply appeal to listeners interested in personal Bible study methods, journaling, and techniques for deepening scriptural engagement through visual organization. Individuals who prefer a more reverential, hands-off approach to physical scriptures or who seek academic biblical criticism might find the detailed focus on a personal color system less compelling.

As heard by us

Marking a Bible becomes a case for reading with closer attention.

Laura makes a plain argument: serious reading often means marking the page. Underlining, highlighting, and margin notes help her follow ideas, remember them, and come back later with a clearer head.

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Why you'd press play

If you color-code your Bible, this gives that habit a grounded reason to keep going.

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