How To Read the Bible Out Loud

October 13, 2021

Sadly, the Bible is rarely read well out loud in churches. This is a shame! The greatest of all books was written to be read out loud. Doing that poorly diminishes the Word of God.

How to do it well:

Find your starting pitch. Pitch is a measure of how low or high a sound is. If you find yourself often reading with the wrong pitch, it is difficult to make a switch in the middle of a reading. Experiment with how high or low you want your voice to be from the beginning. Start at the pitch that will keep you a just the right level.

You may need to lower or raise your starting pitch if you are consistently too low or too high. Newscasters do this all the time.

The first word out of your mouth should have interpretation attached to it. That is, your audience should hear meaning as well as sound. As you continue reading, follow the emotion with your voice.

Be careful not to dramatize, however. Merely imitate emotion. A reading is not a drama.

Indicate the artistic elements of the text with your voice.

Pay careful attention to punctuation. Punctuation is a description of meaning and relationships.

Avoid reading everything with the same tonal pattern.

Try to imitate the author’s intention.

The perfect reading makes the reader think about the text, not your reading skills. The text is central, not your talent.