Interpreting SCRIPTURE....HOW?

I do not have but one Bible course in College.
I do have two degrees, just not in Bible.

I've heard this argument used against my position:
"You have to use context!"
I did, my context is Genesis 1:1 through Revelation 22:20
(well, not in each post)

 

Yep, just use a brush
as wide as the canvas

 

This should to be good!

 

I have a book: HOW TO STUDY THE BIBLE
FOR YOURSELF (Harvest House, 1998 edition)
by millionare pretribb fiction
writer: Tim LaHaye.
Anybody interested?

 

Now, that Tim has Oklahoma writer Mel Odom writing his stuff ("Sabrina The Teenage witch, Buffy the Vampire Killer, etc.") That should change from "millionaire" to "billionaire".

 

I am always trying to learn how better to interpret scripture!

While I believe that the gospel message is so simple that a child can easily grasp it I do not think that means that the whole Bible in all its detail is accessible to the untrained mind.

When approaching a passage one should look at the grammar and syntax. Sentences, clauses, subject, object etc.

Context is also important. Who says it? Is he/she saying it in a rhetorical sense? What is the situation being described? Is there idiomatic speech used?

What does this passage mean in light of other scripture?

Another thing that is often neglected is the literary context. Are there parallels in the apocrypha or pseudepigrapha or in other writings? What did the church fathers say? These things have no scriptural authority but they can be useful in contextualizing how a passage might have been viewed in ancient times.

We must always put the Bible's authority above ours. But that doesn't mean that some of OUR traditional doctrines are above questioning. We won't err as long as we follow the Spirit and try to find out what the Bible is really telling us.

Just my $0.02!

 

Dear Gregory Perry Sr.,
Do you have E-Sword on your computer? If not just type e-sword in your search window and hit find. go to your page pull it up and download.E-sword has many Bible study helps.
The book Ed recommended is a good starting place.

 

Another good book for you to have might be "Biblical Hermeneutics" by Hatril it is only about 120 pages but covers most of the things you need to look out for.

 

Yep. I took a course on
action writing from Mell Odom once at the
vo-tech (a night class). He still teaches
there, so Mel isn't getting rich.

Here is an outline of Rules of Hermeneutics
from LaHaye p159+:

1. take the Bible literally
2. keep it in context
3. watch for idions
4. Be alert to the figurative use of lanuage

4a. metaphor
4b. simile
4c. analogy
4d hyperbole
4e personification

5. treat parables differently

 

QUICK INTRO./OVERVIEW OF HERMENEUTICS

A. Hermeneutics- science and art of biblical interpretation.

1. science- guided by rules within a system
2. art- the application of rules is by skill, not by mere mechanical calculation

B. Goal of Herm.- dertermine the meaning of a statement for the author and for the first hearers or readers, and thus to transmit that meaning to modern hearers and readers.

C. Types of herm.:

1. General Herm.- those rules which pertain to the interpretation of the entirety of scripture
2. Special Herm.- those rules that pertain to a particular type of literature (parables, proph., etc)in the Word.

GUIDE TO THE EXEGETICAL PROCESS

INTRODUCTION

1. THE INTERPRETERS SPIRITUAL QUALIFICATIONS:

A. Saved
B. Passion to know the truth of Word
C. Awesome reverance of Almighty God
D. Complete dependence on H.S. to guide. IF YOU ARE TO STUDY WELL, YOU MUST PRAY WELL.

2. THE INTERPRETERS INDIVIDUAL THOUGHT PROCCESSES

A. View of critical methods

- don't let a favorite commentary or interpreter place themselves in judgement of the Word. The Word judges us, not vice versa. Lookout for criticism of the Biblical authors- remember, we are trying to understand what THEY said.

B. The Must for Interpretive Tools

(however, don't let the tools think for you- do your labor in the Word)

3. THE PROCESS OF EXEGESIS

A. STEP 1- Select a Text
(look at a complete text)

B. STEP 2- Determine the limitation of the text

1. The Goal
- Seek to find out the beginning and ending of the text. Look for a complete unit of thought. Remember that chapter and verse divisions are additions to the Word- not necessarily intended by the writer.

- Try to find the natural breaks in the text you are studying.

2. The Process

- check paragraphing indicated in the Hebrew and Greek texts and in english translations that use paragraphs- check NASB guidelines on this

- make sure you know how what goes before and after your text will affect the interpretation of it. Would broadening or shorting before or after your text a couple of verses change the whole meaning and concept?

- look for literary info.: indications of time, place, etc.

- look for themes in the text that keep it flowing within context

C.STEP 3- Text Exploration

- Read the text repeatedly from several literal translations: NASB,RSV, Williams NT, NIV, NKJV,KJV (sorry KJVo!)

- read it aloud to yourself
- write down key words, initial impressions, questions, obbservations.

D. STEP 4- Establishing the Text

- Determine the original text- actual rendering of the Hebrew or Greek

**THIS POINT IS OF UTMOST IMPORTANCE, BUT TOO DETAILED TO PRINT HERE! METHODS OF TEXTUAL CRITICISM MUST BE APPLIED AND CONSIDERED

E. STEP 5- Contextual Studying of Text

- Always helpful at this point to pull out reference works, commnetaries, etc.

1. Historical Context- author, date, place, recipients (believers, unbelievers, ethnicity?), any problems in society, customs

- Your primary resource for historical context considerations is the Word itself, and then Bible dict., Bible encyclo., atlases, good OT/NT survey books, commnetaries(varying usefulness here also- ie. there is a difference between a sermonic commentary and an exegetical comm. and a technical comm.)

2. Literary Context of the Passage-

- is it historical, parabolic, prophecy, poetic, epistolic?

- what is the purpose of the book?
- how does author present the passage? directly,indirectly
- waht is the relationship of the passage in relation to the whole book you are studying?

3. Linguistic Context-

- waht do the words mean as they work together to form sentences (this too is very detailed)

F. STEP 6- Proposing the Theological Truth of the Passage

- see the big picture of the whole passage. what is the passage as a whole affirming- getting away from the details of grammar and syntax a little bit.

- understand how the message of the biblical writer flows. identify the key affirmations of the scripture. how does the writer support those saffirmations?

- id key theological truth and assertions

- use your scripture tools- compare script. with script.

G. STEP 7- Apply the Text

- Correctly use the principles of application to relate to your hearers

(AS TAUGHT AT SEBTS BY DR. DANNY AKIN)


*Now, this is why I have little patience with the spiritually immature church member who says I only work on Sunday and Wednesday. Studying, preparation, and delivery is time consuming, meticulous, laborious, and VERY REWARDING.


I-DAD

- Critique, addition, improvements welcome

 

Yeah, like me!!!!

 

I am certainly not a scholar on this subject, but will give my experience. With today's computer programs (such as SwordSearcher or e-Sword) you can do interesting "word" studies.

Determine where the same words (or even phrases) are used throughout the Bible and study the "context" around each use.

Through personal experience, I have found that this can help you understand the different meanings a word has and help understand the "context" of the word itself.

I do recommend at least trying to learn some Greek and studying elements in the NT that are translated into the same word in English. For example, the word: "love". Determine how it is used each time.

A good example of this is the end of John where Jesus is talking to Simon Peter and He keeps asking Peter if he "loves" him. In the Greek, the first two "love's" are one word and the third "love" is another Greek word.

Since these cannot be translated easily into English they are typically translated into just "lovest" or "love". By studying and knowing the Greek forms of the word, you find out that there is more to the questions than just meets the eye using English alone.

Just something to ponder.

 

Phillip,

Yep, two Greek words used there, not three. However, go a step farther and do a search by the Greek number to see how John uses them elsewhere in his gospel. He uses them interchangeably.

But I certainly do encourage you to keep digging in the Book!

 

PRINCIPLES OF BIBLE STUDY
PART I - BASIC GUIDELINES FOR BIBLE STUDY
These guidelines are intended to serve as a basis for all types of Bible study. They apply to the different types of writing found in Scripture. One must observe other principles with more difficult passages. For example, one does not interpret prophetic portions of the Word of God in the same way as historical passages. Parables must not be interpreted in the same way as direct discourse. Other specific principles in interpretation will be studied later.
NINE IMPORTANT PRINCIPLES:
1. Seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit. We are taught that the natural man cannot receive the things of the Spirit of God (1Cor 2:14). It is equally true that the carnal believer cannot expect God to reveal supernatural truth to one who is walking in disobedience. If a child of God is living in rebellion, God's priority will be to restore the sinning saint. New truth will seldom be communicated to one who refuses to walk in light of the truth he has already received. The Holy Spirit must be our teacher and we must follow His Divine instruction. See John 16:13; 14:16, 17; 15:26.
2. Interpret the Bible literally, unless there is clear reason for not doing so. Interpret the words in their normal grammatical sense. It is true that some passages use figures of speech and other literary devices, yet, for the most part, Scripture means exactly what it says. A good rule is: "If the literal sense makes sense, seek no other sense.” See John 7:38; Psalm 17:8 & 36:7.
3. Consider the context. Keeping the context in mind will greatly aid in understanding a particular passage. The verses immediately surrounding the passage form the immediate context. The chapters nearby would form a broader context and the whole book in which the passage is found is a still broader context. Consider a passage in light of the immediate context and then in light of the broader context. The broadest context of a passage would be Old or New Testament and then the entire Bible. See Acts 27:31; A passage must not be taken out of context. Someone has well said that a text out of context is a pretext (or a prooftext). It is possible to make the Bible say almost anything we want if we take a verse here and a verse there and ignore the context. This is dishonest interpretation of Scripture and it can lead to dangerous distortions of doctrine (Matthew 27:5; Luke 10:37; John 13:27).
4. Concentrate on the key truths of the passage. Generally it is of little profit to spend much time on debatable issues in Scripture. For example, debating whether Simon the sorcerer was a true believer who lacked maturity or a false professor who never really knew the salvation of Jesus Christ will not help the average Christian to walk closer to the Lord. Likewise, where Cain found his wife is not a question that God wanted us to spend much time with, or He would have given us an answer in scripture. Do not waste time on issues that are of little significance.
5. Consider to whom the passage was originally written. The little chorus may sound cute, but it is simply not true that "every promise in the book is mine.” Though there are general principles that relate to all times and peoples, we must be careful not to take a promise intended for another people, place, and time and try to force it to fit our situation. 2 Chronicles 7:14 is a precious passage; the principles are timeless. Yet we must acknowledge that it was a promise given to the Nation of Israel and related to the Palestinian covenant (Leviticus 26, Deuteronomy 28). While it is true that God will bless His people who serve Him, it is also true that sometimes His faithful children suffer because of the sinful ways of their friends and neighbors.
6. Never interpret a clear passage in light of an unclear passage. In James 2:14-26, it appears that the writer is saying that we are saved by faith plus works. In Romans 11:6, Paul makes it clear that one is saved by grace alone, totally apart from any effort or good works. It is clear from an abundance of other passages that salvation is by grace and not works (Ephesians 2:8,9; Romans 4:1-5; Galatians 2:16; John 3:16, and other similar passages). If the meaning seems to contradict other scripture, then it is best to avoid making a hasty decision about what is meant. That which is clearly understood must serve as the basis for understanding what is less clear.
7. Consider the original meaning of the words. While most Christians will not take the time to learn Greek or Hebrew, many study tools are available for the English reader. A good Bible dictionary will usually explain the changes in word meanings and the words behind the English version that we so commonly use. Consulting another translation as an aid for study may also be profitable (the New American Standard is an excellent translation). Forty years ago it would have been considered a compliment to say that a person was a very gay individual. In 1 Corinthians 13 the word "charity" is understood to mean "love.” In Ephesians 2:1 & 5 the word "quick" is used; in this passage it does not mean "fast”; it means "alive.” The meanings of more than three hundred words have changed significantly in the 390 years since the KJV was first published. The preface to the RSV says, "It not only does the King James translators no honor, but it is quite unfair to them and to the truth which they understood and expressed, to retain these words which now convey meanings they did not intend."
8. Begin your personal study with less difficult passages. While most Christians are intrigued by prophecy, it is not always the best thing for them. Many believers will complain that they do not understand prophecy. This may often be the result of launching an immature or new Christian into an in depth study of the book of Revelation. A young or recently restored believer must become accustomed to the milk of the Word before attempting to digest solid foods.
ABOVE ALL ELSE . . .
9. Study God's Word with the purpose of being changed by Its truths. Each time we open the Bible we should let Psalm 119:18 be our prayer, "Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law.” God has promised that if we will call upon Him, He will show us "great and mighty things" which we know not (Jeremiah 33:3)

 

PART II. THE INSPIRATION AND AUTHORITY
OF THE SCRIPTURES
1. Notable Sayings about the Bible (A few of these quotes, I have been told, may not be genuine. I left them in anyway for your consideration.)
Abraham Lincoln: "I believe the Bible is the best gift God has ever given to man. All the good from the Savior of the world is communicated to us through this book."
George Washington: "It is impossible to rightly govern the world without God and the Bible."
Napoleon: "The Bible is no mere book, but a Living Creature, with a power that conquers all that oppose it"
Daniel Webster: "If there is anything in my thoughts or style to commend, the credit is due to my parents for instilling in me an early love of the Scriptures. If we abide by the principles taught in the Bible our country will go on prospering. . ."
Thomas Carlyle: "The Bible is the truest utterance that ever came by alphabetic letters from the soul of man [from the soul of God!], through which, as through a window divinely opened, all men can look into the stillness of eternity, and discern in glimpses their far distant, long forgotten home."
Patrick Henry: "The Bible is worth all of the other books which have ever been printed."
U.S. Grant: "The Bible is the sheet-anchor of our liberties."
Andrew Jackson: "That book, sir, (referring to the Bible) is the rock on which our republic rests."
Robert E. Lee: "In all my perplexities and distresses, the Bible has never failed to give me strength."
Lord Alfred Tennyson: "Bible reading is an education in itself."
Immanuel Kant: "The existence of the Bible, as a book for the people, is the greatest benefit which the human race has ever experienced. Every attempt to belittle it is a crime against humanity."
Charles Dickens: "The New Testament is the very best book that ever was or ever will be known in the world."
Sir Isaac Newton: "There are more sure marks of authenticity in the Bible than in any profane (secular) history."
2. The Age of the Bible
The earliest books of the Old Testament were written around 1450 BC according to conservative scholars. Modern scholarship attempts to discredit the Mosaic authorship of the Pentateuch (Genesis - Deuteronomy) by assigning a late date to the time of writing. If it was written many years after the death of Moses, then It's integrity is questioned and It's authority weakened. The earliest extant (still in existence) manuscripts of the Hebrew Old Testament Scriptures date from around the second century BC. The discovery of these manuscripts, known as the "Dead Sea Scrolls", gives a overwhelming evidence that God has preserved His Word through the copies that we have today. These Old Testament scrolls are virtually identical to the Bible we have and use today.
The New Testament was written from about 45 to 95 AD. Our earliest extant manuscripts of the New Testament are pre-dated by quotations in secular and ecclesiastical (Church) literature. Near the close of the second century AD an Epicurean philosopher named Celsius wrote a book called The Word of Truth. This book was an attack against Christianity. The important fact is that this book contains over eighty quotations from the New Testament. While we have no copies of the New Testament which are that old, we do find reference to the Scriptures in other literature. This demonstrates that the New Testament had been written and was viewed as the Word of God by this time. Earlier, near the beginning of the second century, Marcion, a noted heretic, claimed that the books of Matthew, Hebrews, James and Peter were for the Jews only. This would have been senseless if these books were not in existence by this time.
3. The Languages of the Bible
The Old Testament was originally written in Hebrew, with the exception of a few short sections (Daniel 2:4-7:28; Ezra 4:8-6:18; 7:12-26; and Jeremiah 10:11 are written in Aramaic-Chaldea). During the third and second centuries BC the Hebrew Scriptures were translated into Greek by seventy scholars in Alexandria, Egypt. This version is known as the Septuagint and is sometimes abbreviated by the roman numeral LXX (70). This was the most widely used version at the time of Christ.
The New Testament was written in Koine (common, not classical) Greek. The New Testament has been translated into more languages than any other book ever written. Today a copy of the Bible is printed and distributed somewhere in the world every three seconds.
4. The Uniqueness of the Bible
When we say that the Bible is a unique book we mean more than that it is just an unusual book. There never has been, nor will there ever be, another book like the Bible, God's Holy Word. The Bible was written by some 40 different authors over a period of 1500 years on three different continents; yet, it has one theme throughout. It consists of 66 different books, each with it's own special emphasis; yet they relate to one another in such a way that they could almost be considered as chapters of one book.
The authors were from many different backgrounds. . .
∙ Moses was trained to lead Egypt as the son of Pharaoh.
∙ David was a shepherd boy who became king of Israel.
∙ Solomon was the wisest man who ever lived.
∙ Joshua was a great military leader and strategist.
∙ Matthew was a tax collector.
∙ Paul was an Orthodox Jew, a strict Pharisee, and a maker of tents.
∙ Peter was a simple fisherman.
∙ Luke was a physician.
The unique thing about these writers is that although they often overlap in the subject matter they write about, they never contradict one another. It would be virtually impossible to get 40 contemporary historians to agree in their writings, even if what they wrote was prearranged. The writers of Holy Scripture were from many different backgrounds, cultures, countries, and centuries. The fact that Scripture gives a harmonious account of history as well as accurate predictions of the future is nothing short of miraculous.
Although the Bible was not intended to be a textbook on science or mathematics, there are no inaccuracies within it's pages. In fact it frequently went against the common teachings of the day. When the King James Version was being prepared, the teaching that the earth was flat pervaded all scientific thought. Yet, the Bible plainly declares that the earth is circular in shape (Isaiah 40:22). The Israelites were instructed to quarantine individuals with communicable diseases before this was an accepted practice (Leviticus 13:45, 46). Historically, archaeology constantly verifies the statements of God's Word as new evidence is uncovered. The Bible makes frequent references to the Hittite empire. Until recently (1906) archaeologists and scholars had taught that the Hittites were simply a backward tribe of nomadic people; they laughed at the powerful nation portrayed within the pages of the Bible. The discovery of Boghazkuei, The capital city of the Hittite nation, has now led historians to believe that the Hittites were the third most powerful nation in the ancient world.
5. Fulfilled Prophecy Demonstrates Inspiration
Many times we hear of a modern day "prophet" who will make predictions about the future. Many times these predictions are so general that they will fit almost any event. Most often, they simply do not come true. If by chance a predicted event should happen to occur the reporters get all excited and publishers want to do a life story on the person involved. Most fortune tellers claim to get their information from God or an angel. Yet scripture is clear in stating that the test of a true prophet of God is that all of their predictions come true. The Bible gives us the only record of true prophets of God. Fulfilled prophecy is a strong demonstration of the authority of God's Word.
In Ezekiel 26, we have a very detailed account of the destruction of Tyre. The amazing thing about this is that when Ezekiel wrote, he was years ahead of the events of which he was speaking. In verses 6-11 the prophet predicted that first the daughter cities (suburbs) would be taken and then the main city itself. He said that the actual city would be thrown into the sea (verse 12); even stating that the very dust of the city would scraped up and the site of the city would be left as clean as the top of a rock (verse 4). Ezekiel further promised that the city would become a place for the "spreading of nets in the midst of the sea" (verse 5) and just for good measure he added that the ancient city of Tyre would never be rebuilt (verse 14).
All of these prophecies must have seemed a bit unusual, to say the least, in light of the fact that Tyre was probably the richest, strongest, and most prominent city in the world at the time. The prophecy concerning being cast into the sea and becoming a place for the fishermen to spread their nets must have especially seemed ridiculous since Tyre was at that time the "mistress of the seas" with the most powerful navy in the world. (Carthage was only a colony of Tyre and history tells us that the troops of Carthage, under Hannibal almost conquered Rome.)
The fulfillment of these prophecies is history. We know that Babylon, under Nebuchadnezzar, first captured the cities surrounding Tyre and then in 585 BC he overthrew the main city itself. After the battle the city was burned to the ground by the conquering Babylonian army. Many of the people of Tyre escaped to a neighboring Island which lay about a half mile offshore. With their strong navy they continued to defy the armies of Babylon from this new place of safety. At that time they appeared to be quite safe since Babylon had neither the time nor the money to attack them in their new place of safety. The remaining part of the prophecy waited a few more centuries before final fulfillment. In 333 BC, Macedonia under the leadership of Alexander the Great, overthrew the Persian empire. Before going on to conquer Egypt, he decided to attack the new city of Tyre, now on the Island. During the two hundred year interval between the war with Nebuchadnezzar and this time the city had become almost impregnable. The entire island was surrounded by a 150 foot high wall and the waterways approaching the island had been mined with under water obstructions which would sink any vessel running upon one of them.
Alexander knew that his navy was no match for that of Tyre so he decided to build a causeway from the mainland out to the island. To get the material for the causeway he decided to use the rubble from the old city which had lain in ruin since the time of Nebuchadnezzar. In order to complete the project his engineers had to use even the dust from the former city to fill in the causeway. As the centuries have passed sand from the sea has turned the causeway into a peninsula upon which fishermen now spread their nets. The prophecy has been fulfilled to the smallest detail.
Peter Stoner, a mathematician, once applied the law of compound probabilities to seven biblical prophecies concerning Tyre. He assigned conservative estimates of probability to each of the seven statements to see if Ezekiel's prophecy could have been fulfilled by chance. He concluded that Ezekiel's chances of writing this prophecy and having it come true by luck amounted to one chance in 75,000. Yet everything came true, to the letter, to the minutest detail. (John Phillips, Exploring the Future, Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1983, p. 17).
When you consider that there are hundreds of prophecies in the Bible, the chances of them ever coming true by chance do not exist. For those who take the time to learn the facts, there can be no doubt but that the Bible is indeed the Word of God.