Bible Dictionary
READING
Reading in Scripture commonly refers to reading God’s Law, the Prophets, or apostolic writings aloud to the gathered community. It may also describe private reading.
Definition
Reading is the act of receiving written words, especially Scripture, either aloud to others or privately. In biblical usage it commonly concerns the Law, prophecy, and apostolic letters.
Biblical Usage
The public reading of the Law and the Prophets occurred in synagogues and before gathered communities. Moses, Ezra, Jesus in Nazareth, and Christian readers are associated with such reading. Scripture and private letters were also read individually.
Related Figures
Historical Bible Dictionaries
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE)
<p>red'-ing (miqra'; anagnosis): As a noun occurs once in the Old Testament (Ne 3:8) and 3 times in the New Testament (Ac 13:15; 2Co 3:14; 1Ti 4:13), each time with reference to the public reading of the Divine Law. The verb "to read" (qara'; anaginosko) occurs frequently both in the Old Testament and in the New Testament: (1) often in the sense of reading aloud to others, especially of the public reading of God's Law or of prophecy, as by Moses (Ex 24:7), Ezra (Ne 8:3,18), Jesus in the synagogue at Nazareth (Lu 4:16), of the regular reading of the Law and the Prophets in the synagogues (Ac 13:27; 15:21), and of the reading of apostolic epistles in the Christian church (Col 4:16; 1Th 5:27); (2) also in the sense of reading to one's self, whether the divine word in Law or prophecy (De 17:19; Ac 8:28-30, etc.), or such things as private letters (2Ki 5:7; 19:14; Ac 23:34, etc.).</p><p>D. Miall Edwards</p>