Many people around the world hold the Bible in high esteem. Yet they may know little, if anything, about the Bible’s contents. That is certainly true of millions living in Asia, but it is also true of many in lands where the Bible is widely circulated.

However, you might ask, ‘Why should I be interested in understanding the Bible?’ Unlocking the meaning of this sacred book can help you to do the following:

• Find contentment and happiness

• Deal with family problems

• Cope with anxieties

• Improve personal relationships

• Manage money wisely

Take, for instance, Yoshiko, in Japan. She wondered what the Bible was all about and decided to read it for herself. What was the result? “The Bible has helped me to find a purpose in life and hope for the future,” she said, adding: “I no longer feel empty inside.” Amit, quoted earlier, decided to examine the Bible personally. “I was amazed,” he says. “The Bible contains practical information for everyone.”

The Bible has profoundly affected the lives of millions of people. Why not examine it for yourself and see how it can benefit you?

By all measures, the Bible is a very old book. How old is it? The writing of the Bible began in the Middle East some 3,500 years ago. By comparison, that was during the time of the mighty Shang dynasty of China and about ten centuries before Buddhism started in India.​—See the box “Facts About the Bible.”

If a book is to be a helpful and beneficial guide to people, it must be understandable and relevant to them. The Bible is just such a book. It offers satisfying answers to life’s most important questions.

For example, have you ever wondered, ‘Why are we here?’ That question has baffled man for thousands of years, and it still does. Yet, the answer can be found in the first two chapters of the first book of the Bible, Genesis. There the Bible account reaches back to “the beginning”​—billions of years ago—​when our physical universe, including the galaxies, the stars, and the earth, came into existence. (Genesis 1:1) Then it describes, in progressive stages, how the earth came to be habitable, how various life forms came into existence, and how humans appeared on the scene​—as well as the purpose of it all.

WRITTEN TO BE UNDERSTOOD

The Bible gives practical counsel to help us solve everyday problems. That counsel is easy to understand. This is so in two aspects.

First, the Bible’s language is clear, direct, and appealing. Rather than using many expressions that are abstract or mystical, the Biblical text uses words that are concrete or that relate to our senses. Difficult ideas are expressed by words that are common to our daily experience.

For example, Jesus used many simple illustrations based on people’s daily experience in order to teach lessons that touched their heart. Many of these are found in what is commonly called the Sermon on the Mount, which is recorded in chapters 5 to 7 of the Bible book of Matthew. Calling it “a practical discourse,” one commentator observed that its aim is “not to fill our heads with ideas, but to guide and regulate our practice.” You can read those chapters in perhaps 15 to 20 minutes, and you will be amazed to find how simple yet powerful Jesus’ words are.

Another factor that makes the Bible easy to understand is its subject matter. It is not a book of mythology or fables. Rather, for the most part, it is, as The World Book Encyclopedia puts it, “about both great and ordinary people” and their “struggles, hopes, failures, and triumphs.” It is easy for us to relate to these accounts of real people and events and to understand the vital lessons contained therein.​—Romans 15:4.

AVAILABLE TO ALL

For you to understand a book, it must be in a language that you know. Today it is likely that the Bible is available in a language you can understand, no matter where you live or what your nationality is. Consider what is involved in making that amazing feat possible.

Translation. The Bible was originally written in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek. That naturally limited the scope of its readership. In order to make the text available in other languages, tireless efforts have been made by sincere translators. Thanks to their labors, the Bible is now translated, in whole or in part, into about 2,700 languages. This means that over 90 percent of mankind can read at least some part of the Bible in their mother tongue.

Publishing. The original text of the Bible was written on perishable materials, such as leather and papyrus. To pass on the message, those writings had to be carefully copied and recopied by hand. Such copies were expensive, and few people could afford them. But with the invention of Gutenberg’s printing press over 550 years ago, circulation of the Bible greatly accelerated. According to one estimate, more than five billion copies of the Bible, in whole or in part, have been distributed.

No other religious text can compare with the Bible in these respects. Clearly, the Bible is a book to be understood. However, understanding it can be challenging. But help is available. Where can you find it? And how can you benefit? Find out in the following article.

Imagine visiting a foreign land for the first time. You encounter people, customs, foods, and currency that are all unfamiliar to you. Understandably, you may feel frustrated.

You may feel the same way when you first read the Bible. You are stepping back into an ancient world that seems foreign to you. There you meet a people called Philistines, come across unusual customs, such as ‘ripping garments apart,’ or learn about a food called manna and a coin known as the drachma. (Exodus 16:31; Joshua 13:2; 2 Samuel 3:31; Luke 15:9) All of this could be confusing. As in the case of visiting a foreign land, would you not appreciate getting help from someone who could explain things to you?

HELP IN THE PAST

From the time the sacred writings were first penned in the 16th century B.C.E., help has been provided for people to understand the text. For instance, Moses, the first leader of the nation of Israel, “undertook to explain” what was written.​—Deuteronomy 1:5.

Qualified instructors of the Scriptures were still on hand some ten centuries later. In 455 B.C.E., a large group of Jews, including many children, were gathered together in a public square in the city of Jerusalem. Bible instructors were there “reading aloud from the [same sacred] book.” But they did more. “They helped the people to understand what was being read.”​—Nehemiah 8:1-8.

Five centuries later, Jesus Christ was involved in a similar educational work. In fact, he was primarily known among the people as a teacher. (John 13:13) He taught large crowds, as well as individuals. On one occasion, he spoke to a great multitude, giving the famous Sermon on the Mount, and “the crowds were astounded at his way of teaching.” (Matthew 5:1, 2; 7:28) In the spring of 33 C.E., Jesus spoke to two of his disciples while they were walking along the road toward a village near Jerusalem, “fully opening up [“clearly explaining,” footnote] the Scriptures” to them.​—Luke 24:13-15, 27, 32.

Disciples of Jesus were also instructors of God’s Word. On one occasion, an official from Ethiopia was reading a certain passage of the Scriptures. A disciple named Philip approached him and asked: “Do you actually know what you are reading?” The Ethiopian replied: “Really, how could I ever do so unless someone guided me?” Philip then explained the meaning of the passage to him.​—Acts 8:27-35.

HELP AVAILABLE TODAY

Like teachers and instructors of the Bible in the past, Jehovah’s Witnesses today are engaged in a Bible educational work in 239 lands worldwide. (Matthew 28:19, 20) Week by week, they help well over nine million individuals to understand the Bible. Many of those learners come from non-Christian backgrounds. These study sessions are free and can be held at one’s home or at another convenient location. Some people even enjoy their lessons by phone or video, using a computer or a mobile device.

Please contact any one of Jehovah’s Witnesses for details on how you can benefit from this arrangement. You will discover that, far from being a closed book, the Bible is “beneficial for teaching, for reproving, for setting things straight, for disciplining in righteousness,” so that you “may be fully competent, completely equipped for every good work.”​—2 Timothy 3:16, 17.