Write your Bible?

Meegan Zillman • March 24, 2020

For the sisters, from my office. But today I didn't want to wash my hair, so it is written.


A few years back, one of my dearest friends told me about a conversation she had with a bookseller at a Christian conference. He told her that over the course of many years, he had handwritten out his own copy of the Bible. He showed her the binders that were filled with hundreds of pages he had written. From Genesis to Revelation, the entire Bible was there; cursive, inked letters that told the entire story recorded in the Word. 

She was impressed, but also curious, and asked him why he had done it. I honestly can’t remember the answer to that question, but his response to what he had gained from such an undertaking has stuck with me. He used the analogy of going to the store. You can drive or you can walk; either way, you will find yourself at the store. However, the journey is very different if you use your own legs rather than automated wheels. 

Of course, it takes much longer. Walking to the store is a relatively slow process. But slowing down allows you to notice details that would be impossible from the driver’s seat. See that little patch of dandelions growing out of the sidewalk crack? The little scrap of paper that must have fallen out of someone’s pocket? The cigarette butts heaped up along the curb? Can you hear the wind blowing through the trees, rustling up tiny pieces of grass and dust and carrying the smell to your nose? Slowing down and walking to the store opens up an entire world of minutiae to consider—some pleasant and others not so much. 

Walking to the store also frees up a space in my mind. At this point in life I am (mostly) pretty adept at putting one foot in front of the other without giving it much thought. And instead of having to pay attention to traffic lights and laws, and other people’s driving choices, when I walk I can just think, and explore my own thoughts and feelings.

This was the point the man was making. After years spent reading and studying the Bible, a new layer of engagement with the Scriptures was possible when he decided to copy it out on his own. The exercise caused him to slow down and consider old stories in new ways. He noticed small details that had previously gone unnoticed, and the transference of words from his Bible to his journal allowed his brain time to consider how these words applied to his life.

Scientific studies consistently show that there is great benefit to our cognitive development when we pick up pen or pencil and write on paper. An article in Forbes magazine I recently read says that “sequential hand movements, like those used in handwriting, activate large regions of the brain responsible for thinking, language, healing, and working memory.” 

Maybe it was this part of his design God had in mind when he commanded all kings of Israel to handwrite out his own copy of the Torah:

“When he takes the throne of his kingdom, he is to write for himself on a scroll a copy of this law, taken from that of the priests, who are Levites. It is to be with him, and he is to read it all the days of his life so that he may learn to revere the Lord his God and follow carefully all the words of this law and the decrees and not consider himself better than his brothers and turn from the law to the right or to the left.Then he and his descendants will reign a long time over his kingdom in Israel.” Deuteronomy 17:18-20

This was actually a common practice of the time with a vassal king under treaty to his Suzerain. He had to hand write out a copy of the treaty between the two parties. Thousands of years ago people might not have had the benefit of cognitive science, but they understood anecdotally that when you copy something out, it sticks with you in a different way. I love imagining what it must have looked like for each of Israel’s, and then Judah’s, kings to sit at his desk and write out those first five books of the Bible. Imagine how many hours of important kingdom business had to wait because the king was copying out his scrolls! And if you’re familiar with the Hebrew Scriptures, it’s also not hard to imagine which of the kings took this command seriously and which ignored it. 

A few months back, Cindy Fetherman and I were having lunch AT A CAFE (remember those days?) and we were talking about this edict from Deuteronomy. She said, “Let’s do this—let’s write out the Torah together.” The following Sunday she handed me a six pack of Moleskin journals and we began our journey. We both started in Genesis and have been diligently plodding along at our own pace, occasionally touching base and discussing what we are seeing and understanding anew.

Most days I have tried to get an entire chapter copied out; sometimes more and sometimes less. As I said, the pace isn’t what is driving me but the desire to slow down and glean from the wisdom my Father has set before me. Working my way through Genesis absolutely highlighted this concept of Legacy we’ve been talking about; some days I’ve realized how much work I have before me and somedays I’ve realized that my family seems to be ahead of the game when compared to Abraham’s! But each day, I’ve opened up my Bible and my red Moleskin and, before I got to work, I’ve echoed the Psalmist’s prayer, “Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law!” (Psalm 119:18) And he is opening my eyes.

Of course, some chapters and verses are a little less fun to copy out. Paragraphs of genealogies are especially tedious to me; each unfamiliar name gets jumbled in my head a few times in the space between reading it and writing it down. But in taking the time to write out these lists, it becomes so clear to me that there is an innate understanding of community and family that those who initially heard these stories possessed that I do not. And so, as I copy out lists of names that no longer sound pleasing to the ear (I’m looking at you, Nepheg), I have time to think about how intentionally God designed me to be deeply connected and entangled with others. 

I’ve spent the past few days copying out the interactions between Moses and Pharoah. Between the mental intervals of reading and writing, I’ve had time to feel the intense emotions and the tension building between these two men whose world views were colliding. As one utters words of shockingly deep-seated pride and the other desperately tries to convince him to wake up, I have time to imagine the fear and frustration, the angst and resignation Moses must have been wrestling with. And as I hear my pencil scratching out verses, I’ve had plenty of time to ask God questions, to express the places in the narrative that don’t sit well with my 21st century perspective and make me uneasy. “Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law!” Again, he is.

So, dear sisters trapped at home due to events completely outside of your control, I invite you to join Cindy and I on this path. What if you set aside an hour or so a day, grabbed your Bible, and started writing? What if you decided to do it with a buddy?

Start out small. Write out a couple Psalms. Then perhaps move on to the Proverbs. Some of the smaller letters in the New Testament or the minor prophets of the Old are manageable—James, Philippians, Habbakkuk. Or since we are working our way through Deuteronomy in the Denver Church this month and next, what about that one? Whichever book you choose, God will open your eyes so that you too may see wonderful things. 

I would love to hear what you decide on and what you are learning—let’s share the fruit of this exercise with one another! 

Much love, 
Meegan