Wednesday in the Word

what the Bible means and how we know

101Theory

10 rules for interpreting the Bible and an example

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10 rules for interpreting the Bible - Bible Study | WednesdayintheWord.com

I was lucky to be able to listen to 7 lectures by Wayne Grudem on “how to interpret the Bible” (2010). The following information is from the notes I took in class.

10 Rules for Interpreting the Bible

  1. The three most important rules are: Read it (as opposed to reading books about the Bible).
  2. Read it again. (The Bible was written in ordinary language for everyone to understand.)
  3. Read it in detail (Pay attention to the text).
  4. The interpretation of Scripture is an ordinary process (not magical). Scripture was written in the ordinary words of the day. There are no secret meanings or codes.
  5. Every interpreter has only four sources of information about the text: 1) the meaning of individual words; 2) the context; 3) the teaching of the whole Bible; and 4) historical and cultural background information.
  6. You must be able to give reasons for your understanding and thereby attempt to persuade others (as opposed to “I just feel it means this”).
  7. The meaning must be consistent with what the original author meant to communicate to the original hearers.
  8. There is only one meaning for each text, though there may be many applications. That one meaning may be complex.
  9. If you’re preparing a bible study, use the time you have. Don’t get discouraged by thinking it must be a long and complicated study. Don’t quit because you don’t have “enough” time.
  10. Pray for the Holy Spirit’s to enable you to understand Scripture rightly.
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5 Big Picture Questions to ask of every text

The Bible is a historical document about God. Therefore it’s important to always ask:

  1. Where are we in biblical history? (Know the basic timeline and where your passage fits).
  2. What did the original author want the original readers to understand?
  3. What does the text tell us about God?
  4. What does this text tell us about God’s plan for redemption and His Messiah, Jesus Christ?
  5. What application did the original author want his original readers to make to their lives?

Example

32And David said to Saul, “Let no man’s heart fail because of him. Your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.” 33And Saul said to David, “You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him, for you are but a youth, and he has been a man of war from his youth.”  34But David said to Saul, “Your servant used to keep sheep for his father. And when there came a lion, or a bear, and took a lamb from the flock,  35I went after him and struck him and delivered it out of his mouth. And if he arose against me, I caught him by his beard and struck him and killed him.  36Your servant has struck down both lions and bears, and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them, for he has defied the armies of the living God.”  37And David said, “The LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” And Saul said to David, “Go, and the LORD be with you!”  38Then Saul clothed David with his armor. He put a helmet of bronze on his head and clothed him with a coat of mail,  39and David strapped his sword over his armor. And he tried in vain to go, for he had not tested them. Then David said to Saul, “I cannot go with these, for I have not tested them.” So David put them off.  40Then he took his staff in his hand and chose five smooth stones from the brook and put them in his shepherd’s pouch. His sling was in his hand, and he approached the Philistine.  41And the Philistine moved forward and came near to David, with his shield-bearer in front of him.  42And when the Philistine looked and saw David, he disdained him, for he was but a youth, ruddy and handsome in appearance.  43And the Philistine said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods.  44The Philistine said to David, “Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and to the beasts of the field.”  45Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.  46This day the LORD will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you down and cut off your head. And I will give the dead bodies of the host of the Philistines this day to the birds of the air and to the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel,  47and that all this assembly may know that the LORD saves not with sword and spear. For the battle is the LORD’s, and he will give you into our hand.”  48When the Philistine arose and came and drew near to meet David, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet the Philistine.  49And David put his hand in his bag and took out a stone and slung it and struck the Philistine on his forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the ground.  50So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and struck the Philistine and killed him. There was no sword in the hand of David.  51Then David ran and stood over the Philistine and took his sword and drew it out of its sheath and killed him and cut off his head with it. When the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled. – 1 Samuel 17:32-51

What did the original author want his readers to think about when they read about the armor and the stones?

Without asking this question, you might be tempted to look at David trying on Saul’s armor in 1Samuel 17:38-40 and be tempted to “fanciful allegory.”

Fanciful allegory: Saul’s sword is like liberal theology that will let you down and mislead you. Saul’s armor is occult practices like going to psychics and fortune tellers who will weigh you down in life. The 5 smooth stones are five elements of successful ministry (e.g. prayer, worship, Bible reading, fasting and sound doctrine). Or if you’re more charismatic, the 5 smooth stones are the 5-fold manifestations of the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 5:110. Or if you’re a Calvinist, the 5 stones David defeated Goliath with are clearly the 5-points of Calvinism. If you’re an army chaplain, you know the 5 stones are the 5 sides of the pentagon that keep us safe from the “Goliaths” that might attack us, etc.

These are fanciful allegories because the original author could not possibly have wanted his original readers to understand any of these ideas when they read about Saul’s armor and the five stones.

The author thought Saul’s sword meant Saul’s sword and the five stones were five stones.

What does this story tell us about God?

The point is NOT something like ‘David had courage, therefore we should have courage.’ That treats the story as a moralistic tale. The text tells us that David trusted in God and God gave him courage (1Samuel 17:26; 1Samuel 17:37; 1Samuel 17:45-47). The point is not that David is brave, the point is that “all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel (1Samuel 17:46)” and the “battle is the Lord’s (1Samuel 17:47).

God chose a man after His own heart to be king of Israel and David is going to become king. God empowered David to defeat the most powerful enemy of God’s people, Goliath. He is still faithful to protect and empower His people for whatever tasks He calls them to. No earthly power could stand against the Lord (note the descriptions of Goliath’s size & strength); we can trust the power of God.

What do we learn about God’s plan for redemption?

David trusted God to the point of putting his own life on the line. His greatest descendant will do the same. God will empower His coming Messiah to defeat the greatest enemy of God’s people: sin and death. No earthly power will be able to stand against God’s Messiah, just as Goliath could not stand against God’s servant, David.

How did the author want his readers to respond?

The author tell us that David trusted in the Lord to protect him and to work through the abilities and weapons God gave him (1Samuel 17:34-37). Since the author tells us that David trusted in Lord, it seems likely he wants his readers to also trust in the Lord to protect them and look to David as an example.

If you want to have confidence in your application, first ask: what application did the author expect his original readers to make?

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Where to next?

Bible Study 101

Resource Library

Resources Book of the Bible

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Interpretation terms defined

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Interpretation terms defined | WednesdayintheWord.com

Exegesis, eisegesis, hermeneutics? Wondering what all those terms mean? Here’s the definitions.

Interpret

Here are three definitions from the Concise Oxford Dictionary. All three the idea of “meaning” in common.

  1. “to expound the meaning of” (i.e. proclaim, exposit something you already know and what to tell)
  2. “to make out the meaning of” (i.e. work at figuring out; meaning is relatively obscure and need some work to be discerned)
  3. “to bring out the meaning of” (i.e. to elucidate, expand upon a clear meaning)

Meaning

Three definitions from the Oxford English Dictionary

  1. “intention, purpose”
  2. “that which is intended or to be actually is expressed or indicated”
  3. “significance”

Exegesis

  • from the Greek: “leading out, drawing out”
  • “the explanation of what a passage of Scripture meant in its literary and historical context”

Eisegesis

  • From the Greek: “leading into”
  • “the reading into a passage of Scripture what is not there in the meaning of the text”

Hermeneutics

  • “The explanation of what a passage of Scripture means in the context of the whole of Scripture with particular reference to its application for any person or situation”
  • Hermeneutics builds upon exegesis and focuses on the contemporary application rather than meaning to the original readers.
  • “The only proper control for hermeneutics is to be found in the original intent of the biblical text” (Fee & Stuart, pg. 26).

Part of the Series: Bible Study 101

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Augustine’s principles of interpretation

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Augustine's Principles of Interpretation | WednesdayintheWord.com

Augustine, the Bishop of Hippo, was a theologian and philosopher who lived from 354-430 AD. He is viewed as one of the most important Church Fathers, and his writings influenced the development of Western philosophy.

Theological principles of interpretation from Augustine’s On Christine Doctrine:

  1. The historical background of a passage helps in our understanding of it (even if learned apart from the church).
  2. The literal and historical sense is important.
  3. The interpreter must understand the author’s meaning and not read his own ideas into the text.
  4. A verse must be studied in context.
  5. The Holy Spirit is not a substitute for the hard work of learning the history and languages relevant to a text.
  6. No doctrine should be built on passages which are difficult to understand.
  7. The difficult passages are to be understood in light of clearer passages.
  8. There is a progressive element in revelation.
  9. Study more earnestly the clearer doctrines so that later the more obscure passages can be the more accurately interpreted.

More: Interpretation

Part of the Series: Bible Study 101

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3 Tips for Bible study in a “post-truth” world

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Bible Study in a "post-truth" world | WednesdayintheWord.com

The TED talk “What to trust in a ‘post-truth’ world” by Alex Edmans got me thinking about Bible study in a “post-truth” world. The Oxford Dictionary defines “post-truth” as “relating to or denoting circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief.”  Now, we might call it a “fake news” world.

Do we live in a post-truth Bible study world?

Increasingly sermons are heavy with stories and emotional appeals and light on critical explanations of the author’s intent.  Sermons today tend to read the passage and jump immediately to application. While the speaker may (or may not) have done great bible study to reach those stories and appeals, it’s not modeled or shown in the presentation, leaving listeners little room for discernment.

But Bible study still involves asking hard questions, and I, for one, would like to see more of those questions discussed on Sunday mornings.

Belief is a matter of will

Among several interesting points,  Edmans said:

But due to confirmation bias, we never consider the rival theories, because we’re so protective of our own pet theory.

Scripture talks about belief being a matter of the will.  Ultimately, we believe what we want to believe.  The first step toward saving faith is the willingness to believe the gospel might be true, and this principle also applies to Bible study.

We have to be willing to believe a different interpretation might be the best one. Good Bible students learn to ask questions of the text with the underlying assumption that our preferred answer might be wrong.  (Why would the author pick that word?  Why not pick a different word?  How does this thought relate to the previous one?  How does this phrase modify what he just said?  Why would he make that point in this context? etc.)

We ought to approach the text with the purpose of looking for rival theories and interpretations.  Rather than seeking to confirm our bias, we learn to ask questions even if we think we already know the answers.  Then we learn to approach the answers with the humility to accept that our pet answer might be wrong.

Testing theories is essential

Edmans also said:

Because that’s the second example of confirmation bias. We accept a fact as data. The biggest problem is not that we live in a post-truth world; it’s that we live in a post-data world. We prefer a single story to tons of data. Now, stories are powerful, they’re vivid, they bring it to life. . . But a single story is meaningless and misleading unless it’s backed up by large-scale data. But even if we had large-scale data, that might still not be enough.

Again like Bible study, it’s not enough to support your chosen interpretation.  You have to rule out other possibilities.

Edmans explains with a study by psychologist Peter Wason where he gives subjects a set of three numbers and asks them to determine the rule that generated the numbers.  If the numbers are 2, 4, and 6, a first good guess is that the rule is successive even numbers.  You might test this theory by proposing 4, 6, 8 and you might learn that set also fits the rule.  But if you keep testing only with sets like  8, 10, 12 and 20, 22, 24, you only confirm your theory; you do not prove it.

As Edmans explains, a better test is 4, 12, 26, because if that set also fits the rule, it eliminates the successive even numbers theory.   And if 4, 13, 26 also fits the rule, you learn the numbers need not be even, perhaps they only have to increase.

That kind of testing is essential to good Bible study.

Bible students need to learn to test their interpretations with those kinds of hard questions.  We ask questions, we propose interpretations to learn the “rule” of the authors original intent, we ask questions that challenge our interpretation, and we revise accordingly. 

The goal is not only to confirm our pet interpretation; the goal is to eliminate rival interpretations.   But that kind of “testing” requires the humility to discover that our pet interpretation might be wrong, something our own confirmation bias finds uncomfortable.

As Edmans concludes:

Indeed, Thomas Edison famously said, “I have not failed, I have found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” Finding out that you’re wrong is the only way to find out what’s right. …. So, what have we learned? A story is not fact, because it may not be true. A fact is not data, it may not be representative if it’s only one data point. And data is not evidence — it may not be supportive if it’s consistent with rival theories.”

3 Tips

Edmans concludes with 3 tips for living in a post-truth world.  I’d like to offer 3 tips for Bible study in a “post-truth” world.

  1. Approach every text with the assumption that you could be wrong.  Attitude matters.  A healthy dose of humility and willingness to be wrong goes a long way toward being right.
  2. When you consult commentaries, always check more than one, pick both classic and contemporary works, and include at least one commentary with which you are likely to disagree.  The wider the viewpoint net you cast, the more you are likely to learn.
  3. Hold both these goals: to learn what you believe and why; and to understand the other side(s) well enough to know why it fails to persuade.

Where to next?

Bible Study 101

Resource Library

Resources Book of the Bible

Click here for a transcript of Alex Edmans’ talk

Photo by Joel Bengs on Unsplash

Interpretation

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Bible Study 101: Interpretation | WednesdayintheWord.com

After you’ve done your observation, word studies, outlining and answered the questions you generated, it’s time to put it all together. In this step, you want to collect, refine, and organize all those details you observed into a coherent meaning.

Observation primarily focuses on the questions: “what does it say and how do I know?” 

Interpretation focuses on the questions: “what does it mean and how do I know?”

Interpretation is largely a “trial and error” process where you look for the central thought and trace its progression through the passage, purposefully thinking about the steps you used to arrive at each conclusion. Then you evaluate your interpretation using the 5C’s:

  • Credible: My interpretation should understand the words, syntax & grammar according to their normal usage at the time the author wrote.
  • Comprehensive: My interpretation should explain every detail, even if the contribution is insignificant or stylistic.
  • Coherent: My interpretation should fit the flow of thought in the passage and in the larger context of the chapter and book.
  • Consistent: My interpretation should be consistent with information which is not in this book (the author’s other letters and the rest of Scripture)
  • Conforms: My interpretation should conform to the author’s purpose and the author’s plan.

Keep trying ideas until all the puzzle pieces fit. When I think I’m done, I write a paraphrased translation in my own words. If I can’t paraphrase, then I know I need more study.  If I can, then I have the basis to explain what I’ve learned to someone else.

I use the principles I learned from Bob Smith’s Basics of Bible Interpretation to help me determine what’s “error” in the “trial and error” phase of interpretative. These are:

Listen to your heavenly Teacher

Attitude matters! Approaching Bible study with a humble heart, with prayer and thoughtfulness, expecting God to teach you makes a big difference. Is your attitude:

  • Defeated (I can’t do it) or positive (I can do it)?
  • Negative (I’m probably wrong) or receptive (I can learn)?
  • Closed (I won’t learn anything) or expectant (God will teach me)?
  • Lazy (It’s too hard) or faithful (I’ll keep practicing)?

While good Bible study skills will not make you holy. nor will they make you right, they will help you gain wisdom and understanding. The goal of Bible study is not to accumulate knowledge and theology. The goal is to gain the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith in Jesus Christ (2Timothy 3:15-16).

Keep focused on the author’s intent

It’s easy to get sidetracked by details, tangents, “what ifs” and rabbit trails. When I worry “I’ll never figure this out” or “there are too many open questions” or “how will I ever explain this,” I circle back to the author’s intent. I put aside all the other nagging questions and focus on the “big idea.” I try to put myself in the writer’s sandals and ask what is his main point?

Interpret literally unless you have reason to believe the language is figurative or metaphorical

Asking “do I have a reason to take this figuratively” can keep you out of trouble. In general, we want to assume the author is using words according to their usual literal sense unless he gives us a reason to think otherwise.

Observe the context again

It’s easy to get so excited by all that a word can mean that we sometimes forget to ask what the word actually means here in this phrase, sentence, paragraph and context. When I become overwhelmed by possibilities, I ground myself in the context, using it to eliminate and prune ideas.

Relate to the historical/cultural setting

Often, the historical and cultural setting will rule an interpretation in or out. Returning to the occasion of a letter (e.g. Paul wrote Colossians to a church on the verge of believing a heresy) can answer the question: “Would Paul say that here to these people at this point in the letter?”

Consider the genre

Make sure you’re considering poetry versus prose, narrative versus didactic instruction, and so on. Genre is part of the author’s intent, and can often help you prune interpretations. 

Understanding genre

Stay within the author’s scope

No one passage of Scripture covers every subject. Each book covers a limited subject. The author may not announce his scope, but it is usually discernible with observation and study. Stay within that scope.

Compare Scripture with Scripture

Study corollary passages alongside the passage you’re studying. For example, knowing what Paul said about husbands and wives in Ephesians can inform your understanding about he says in Colossians on the same subject. Let the more clear passages help you untangle the more obscure passages.

God uses ordinary human language to communicate

God chose to communicate with us through inspired human authors using normal human language. He intends for us to understand. Bible study may take some work, but it is not an impossible task.

Where to next?

Bible Study 101

Resource Library

Resources Book of the Bible

 Photo used here under Flickr Creative Commons.

Figurative Language

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Figurative Language - Bible Study 101 | WednesdayintheWord.com

Genesis 49 recounts Jacob calling his sons together to bless them. How are we to understand this passage? Is Judah really a “lion’s whelp (49:7)? Zebulun a haven for ships (49:13)? Issacher a strong donkey (49:14)? Are we to take Jacob’s words literally or not?

We use figurative language all the time: I’ll have to face the music. I’m bored to tears. She has a green thumb. Don’t let the cat out of the bag. He died of embarrassment.

Biblical writers also used figurative language and vivid imagery. How are we to understand it?

Literal interpretation means taking the language in its normal sense, and expecting the writer to communicate in the ways people normally communicate. “Taking the bible literally” means we do not look for hidden clues, esoteric numbers or secret meanings. But it also means that if Jesus says Herod is a fox, we don’t assume Herod has a red bushy tail. We assume this is figurative language and Jesus is comparing some trait of a fox to a trait of Herod.

Guidelines

Use the literal sense unless there is some good reason not to. 

People tend to “over-spiritualize” the Bible. We lean toward making a metaphor out of everything that happens in a story.  For example, “The disciples got in a boat and crossed the sea of Galilee while Jesus stayed behind. Aren’t we like that?  We start our plans and forget to include Jesus.  Jesus wants to be in the boat with us. . . . What is your boat? Your job  Your good looks?” Or we make everything in the Old Testament refer to Jesus, whether the writer intended to talk about the Messiah or not.

Use the figurative sense when the context demands it. 

For example, dreams and visions tend to require figurative interpretation  Verbal clues (‘like,’ ‘as’, ‘may be compared to’, ‘resembles’) indicate metaphor and comparison. Expect figurative language when a literal interpretation would contradict the context of the passage and/or would be contrary to the style of the passage (e.g. poetry, proverbs). Use the figurative sense when a literal interpretation contradicts other Scriptures.

Use the figurative meaning if a literal sense is impossible or absurd.

For example,  “Out of his mouth came a two-edged sword (Rev. 1:16)”.

Use the figurative sense if the literal sense would imply the immoral

For example, John 6:53-55.

Use the figurative if the expression is an obvious figure of speech.

Common Figures of Speech

Anthropomorphism: The attribution of human features or actions to God. “Behold, the LORD’s hand is not so short That it cannot save; Neither is His ear so dull That it cannot hear (Isaiah 59:1).”

Apostrophe: Addressing a thing as if it were a person; or an absent person as if he were present. “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting? (1Cor 15:55)”

Euphemism: The use of a obscure expression in place of a shocking expression. “Would that those who are troubling you would even mutilate themselves (Gal 512).”

Hyperbole: Exaggeration to make a point. “I robbed other churches, taking wages from them to serve you (2Cor 11:8).”

Hypocatastasis: A comparison in which likeness is implied rather than directly stated. “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy (Luke 12:1).”

Idiom: An expression peculiar to a particular people. “Jacob … breathed his last, and was gathered to his people (Gene 49:33).”

Irony: Saying the opposite of what you mean. “No doubt you are the people, and wisdom will die with you (Job 12:1).”

Merism: A substitution of two contrasting or opposites parts for the whole. “You know when I sit down and when I rise up (Psalm 139:2).”

Metaphor: A comparison in which one thing represents another. “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden (Matthew 5:14).”

Paradox: A statement that seems absurd or contradictory to make a point. “For whoever wishes to save his life shall lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake shall find it (Matthew 16:25).”

Personification:The attribution of human features to inanimate objects. “Then the moon will be abashed and the sun ashamed (Isaiah 24:23).”

Simile: A comparison using “like” or “as.” “And he will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water Psalm 1:3).”

Synecdoche: The part stands for the whole or vice versa “My tears have been my food day and night…Psalm 42:3).”

Where to next?

Bible Study 101

Resource Library

Resources Book of the Bible

Photo by Nathaniel Kohfield on Unsplash

Bible Study Procedure

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Bible Study Procedure - Bible Study 101 | WednesdayintheWord.com

Wondering how to put all the tools and pieces of Bible study together so that you can tackle a specific passage of Scripture?  Here’s the overall procedure.

Start

  • Select a unit of study.
  • Typically, it works best to study the whole, then the parts, then the whole:
  • Book –> chapters –> paragraphs –> verses –> sentences –> phrases –> words –> phrases –> sentences –> verses –> paragraphs –> chapters –> book.

Read

  • Read the passage in the larger context. 
  • Observe and mark up your passage to form an initial impression of its meaning.

Guess

  • Form an initial overall guess (working overall hypothesis) as to the general meaning of the passage (theme or main point).
  • Start a list of questions you need to answer to either proof/disprove your hypothesis (e.g. 5Ws and H).

Focus

  • Focus on a particular interpretative problem (e.g. word, phrase, syntax, background, grammar, flow of thought, etc.) that answers one of our questions.

Guess Again

  • Form a guess (working specific hypothesis) as to the meaning of/solution to that problem.

Test

  • Test this hypothesis. Study, gather information, try the nuances & implications in the flow of the passage, see if it is consistent with the author’s other works, etc.
  • Revise your hypothesis as necessary until it fits all the clues you have in the passage and all the clues in the relevant information outside the passage.

Repeat

  • Repeat steps 4-6 with respect to each different interpretative problems until you have revised your hypothesis of the overall meaning and refined it so that it fits all the clues in the passage and the 5C’s of Bible study.

Derive Doctrine

  • Once you have reached your conclusions, determine any universal truths or principles from the passage.

Check

  • Check your principles against those from the rest of Scripture. Revise as necessary.

Apply

  • Finally, decide how those principles can be applied in specific situations.

What is exegesis?

We are taking “exegesis” to mean the discovery of what the text means in itself, i.e. the original intention of the writer, and the meaning the passage would have held for the readers for whom it was first intended.  This is exegesis proper.  The further step of application of this original meaning to our own situation is strictly a separate discipline.

Exegesis is seldom a simple case of black and white, where all honest scholars must inevitably reach the same conclusion. . . . Where the reader disagrees with the proposed exegesis, he should ask himself whether the author has adopted the wrong method to solve this particular problem, or whether he is using the right method, but using it wrongly.  Both are, of course, entirely possible!

One commentary is not enough, for few commentators (including, no doubt, the present writer) can resist the temptation to make all the evidence point towards their chosen solution, and to play down or even ignore the less convenient facts. – R.T. France, “Exegesis in Practice: Two Samples” in New Testament Interpretation: Essays on Principles and Methods, I.H. Marshall, editor, Erdmans, 1977.

Where to next?

Bible Study 101

Resource Library

Resources Book of the Bible

Photo used here under Flickr Creative Commons.

Observation

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Bible Study 101: Observation | WednesdayintheWord.com

The first step in Bible study is observation.  The goal is to slow down your reading and generate a list of questions that must be answered to understand the passage.  I tend to break observation into the following 5 steps which generally correspond to my first few readings through the passage.

Step 1: Mark up the passage

During your first reading, print a copy of the study text, get a good set of colored pencils or highlighters, and mark up your passage.  The mark up makes you slow down and notice what is in the passage.  Here are the kinds of things I mark:

  • Mark paragraph breaks and underline the topic sentence of each paragraph. (Underlining all verbs can sometimes help you identify paragraphs and thesis statements).
  • Circle key words or phrases (these are the words you must understand to understand the main point)
  • Color code repeated words and phrases (some of which may be circled as key words)
  • Box connecting words that explain the logical connection and flow of thought
    • Comparison  (e.g. and, like, as, just as, also, so also, even so)
    • Contrast (e.g. but, rather, yet, however)
    • Purpose and/or result: (e.g. that, so that, in order that, as a result, with the result)
    • Cause or inference: (e.g. because, since, for, for this reason)
    • Explanation (e.g. therefore, because, for)
    • Conditions: (e.g. if, if-then)
  • Mark pronouns, names and places, watching for shifts and changes.

More: What to observe

Step 2: Summarize the main point

Looking at your marked and color-coded passage, identify the topic sentence of each paragraph and the primary theme(s) of the passage.  In other words, you’re seeking to identify and summarize the main point, the central truth or the “big idea”.  Make your first attempt at using your own words to boil down the main point to 1-2 sentences and to identify the the flow of thought.

Step 3: Create a list of Questions

Using the “5Ws and H” (who, what, when, where, why, how), create a list of questions generated by your “mark up” and your first attempt to summarize. Hint: Read slowly and try to be aware of what assumptions you’re making.

Step 4: Dig for answers

Start answering the questions generated in Step 2.  Use bible dictionaries, encyclopedias, grammars, word searches, research and commentaries to start putting it altogether.  Re-write, refine and revise your summary from Step 2.  Check off questions from Step 3 that you have answered and keep a list of those still needing work. 

As my understanding starts to crystallize, I start working on an analytical outline  to clarify my conclusions and expose gaps in my understanding.

Step 5: Put it all together

Your done when you can do the following: Identify the author’s main point in your own words. Understand and explain his flow of thought and line of reasoning in your own words. Unpack any metaphors or figurative language.

Then ask the question, “so what?” What does this passage mean to us today? What truth(s) does it teach and how does that truth make a difference in the way I live my life?

Where to next?

Bible Study 101

Resource Library

Resources Book of the Bible

Photo used here under Flickr Creative Commons.

How NOT to interpret the Bible

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How NOT to interpret the Bible - Bible Study 101 | WednesdayintheWord.com

One of the most common mistakes in interpreting the Bible is riffing on a particular word or phrase at the expense of context. No one thinks they fall into this trap. Yet, if you listen for it, you’ll hear it everywhere.

One of my bible teachers taught me how to spot this method through this analogy:

Think twice

Imagine that 100s of years after your death someone discovers your writings on this archaic device called a “blog.”

These future folks are amazed at your wisdom and common sense insights — now missing from their post-post-post-modern culture. They read your blog as a companion to scripture, using your explanations to help them understand ancient culture, and holding you up as their exemplar. In effect, you become the posthumous founder of a new religion.

In one of your writings, you addressed a friend on the brink of disaster. Fearing she was making a serious mistake with disastrous consequences, you wrote to her, “I urge you to think twice before you take any action.”

Upon reading that “verse” (“I urge you to think twice”), your followers in the distant future recognize it as the key to peace, fulfillment and happiness.

“Our founder has urged us to think twice,” they say. Thus, they develop a daily discipline where they never think twice before every decision. They write books about various techniques for achieving success at thinking twice. They create mnemonics that all begin with the letter T to help them put “think twice” into action. And, they develop a 12-step plan to help failed “twicers” get back on the wagon.

Then some innovative group realizes if thinking twice is good, then three times must be even better. And the “thricers” are born!

If you were transported to the future, and the “twicers” and “thricers” flocked to your feet to hear your wisdom, what would you tell them? Is that what you meant? Did you mean to inspire a set of religious disciplines when you wrote: “I urge you to think twice”?

No, of course not.

Context is King

You wrote those words in a particular context, speaking to a friend who was about to make a terrible decision. You meant, “I want you to reconsider the foolish way you have been thinking and come to a different conclusion.” You used a common expression of our day (though it may no longer be in use 100s of years from now) in a specific context to a specific person warning of a specific course of action.

Riffing off a phrase is bad methodology. Even though I exaggerated to make the point, examples of this methodology are legion.

When Paul writes “set your minds on the things that are above (Colossians 3:2)” or “put off your old self (Ephesians 4),” we build a religious discipline around it, like “think twice.”

Context matters. Application and exhortation sections of the Bible have a context just as much as didactic sections. We must let the biblical authors set their own agenda.

It’s tempting to lift exhortation sections out of context because they appear to standalone. They are usually shorter and dash from one idea to the next. We treat them like isolated musical notes, missing the beautiful melody they play when connected by context and a line of thought.

Where to next?

Bible Study 101

Resource Library

Resources Book of the Bible

Photo by Matt Lee on Unsplash

Basics of Bible Interpretation

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Basics of Bible Interpretation - Bible Study 101 | WednesdayintheWord.com

I recently re-visited the first book I ever read on how to study the bible: Bob Smith’s Basics of Bible Interpretation.  My paper copy was published in 1978, but the book is now available for free online.

Though the language and examples are sometimes dated, this book stands the test of time.  If anything, it is more relevant today than ever, as the art of expository bible teaching has become an endangered species in our instant society.

Consider these points from chapter 3 about the goal of Bible study:

Sermonizing is not Bible study. 

Sermons are often emotional, motivational appeals to action.  Teachers frequently springboard off the language of the text, diving deep into platitudes and catchy stories designed to inspire and motivate us to the chosen call of action.  At their worst, they have nothing to do with the passage of Scripture read. As Smith writes: “The speaker wheeled back and forth like an eagle over the text but he never came to rest upon it.”

Whipping up three or four good exhortations from a text is not Bible study. 

Exhortations are great, as long as they come from the passage at hand.  Often they are merely calls to action and repentance.  As Smith writes: “After the text was read there issued a torrent of words exhorting us to five different things.  God knows that we needed at least ten exhortations, but God also knows that the relationship of the text to the exhortations was completely accidental.”

Academic exegesis is not Bible study. 

While most sermons today don’t regale us with their understanding of the aorist or the jussive, they often regale us with their scholarly analysis of popular culture, psychology and research statistics. Again, impressive but not the goal of bible study.

Propagandizing is not Bible Study. 

Smith wrote it best: “Like the fingers of the pianist race up and down the keyboard, so his fingers raced through the Bible finding the relevant verses.  Plunk, ping, plunk! It did not take long before I realized we were not having Bible study but a party line. The Bible was a keyboard and the teacher was playing his own tune upon it.”

Pious observations are not Bible study. 

“The poor man of God does everything but explain the text.  I got 30 minutes of various and diverse unrelated and uninspiring pious observations.  Each observation was a worthy one.  But the passage itself remained untouched.  We had been all around the text but never in it.”

Smith concludes:

The actual goal of Bible study is to convey the meaning to the people of a set number of verses. …. The heart of Bible study must always be the matter of meaning.  The first question of Bible study is not: “What is devotional here?” nor “What is of practical importance here?” nor “What is inspirational here?” but “What does this passage mean?”

If you’re looking for a summer refresher course on Bible study or to begin learning how to study, Basics of Bible Interpretation by Bob Smith is still a good choice.

Want more?

When you finish Bob Smith’s book, here are a few more good choices.

Knowing Scripture, by RC Sproul is designed to help people master the basic rules of biblical interpretation.

How to Read the Bible for All It’s Worth, by Gordon Fee & Douglas Stuart – this is a must have resource; no Bible student should be without and it now comes as an e-book. Re-read the chapter for your particular type of passage when you start a new study.

How to Get the Most from God’s Word by John MacArthur; free on archive.org

Living by the Book (Book and Workbook) by Howard G Hendricks & William Hendricks – also available as an ebook and a video series. Don’t be intimidated by the size of the book. The writing is clear and engaging and you will learn a lot.

Living by the Book by Howard G. Hendricks. Available free on archive.org.

The Joy of Discovery in Bible Study by Oletta Ward – a classic resource for small groups to work through together; teachers guide is also available.

The Joy of Discovery in Bible Study by Oletta Ward. Available free on archive.org.

The Language of God: A Commonsense Approach to Understanding and Applying the Bible by Ron Julian, J.A. Crabtree and David Crabtree — (out of print; but still can be found).  This is a GREAT book for understanding the principles, methodology and philosophy of Bible study. The authors apply what they teach to a very difficult passage (James 5). The book is worth it just to understand James 5.

Where to next?

Bible Study 101

Resource Library

Resources Book of the Bible

Photo by Alice Hampson on Unsplash