How to interpret the Bible - Hermeneutic

Component 3: Historical Analysis

Correct biblical interpretation must always include historical analysis. This helps us to appreciate the times and seasons of the period in which the Bible was written and why. Whether secular or not, historical accuracy is important. Although we cannot put God in a test tube and determine His existence, historical accuracy where possible strengthen our faith in the Word, hence God, that it is not a book of myth.

Therefore where possible, take note of the time period and the historical nuances. A good study bible or commentary will give you a good run-up to the history of the time. Look into the belief systems of the day and social norms. Understand for example why God was particular about the Israelites not intermarrying with foreign women when they enter the Promised Land. Examine the worship of foreign Gods and their practices, for example the worship of Baal, where sexual acts with both male or female temple prostitutes were understood to please Baal who then brought rain to make Mother Earth fertile, represented by a female consort, Asherah, where you get the Asherah poles that were worshipped.

Exodus 34:13

Break down their altars, smash their sacred stones and cut down their Asherah poles.

Prophet Elijah challenged the wicked king Ahab that there will be no rain because of his idolatrous ways. This is a direct challenge to "rain making". 1 King 16:29-32.

We see the same warning by Apostle Paul to the Corinthians about temple prostitutes in 1 Corinthians 6.

Key questions to ask:

(1) Where and why is the book or letter written?

(2) What are the political, economic and social climates they are facing, both author and readers?

(3) What are the cultural practices of the time?

How to interpret the Bible - Hermeneutic

Click on here to get a larger image. Great overview tool on the books of the Bible

Component 2: Grammar

Having considered the nature of specific genre, we now look at grammatical analysis. What is grammar? Grammar is the system of a language. It is the “rules” applied to how words are put together. The irony is of course no language has rules, except for the language “Esperanto”, which is an invented language. It was created to serve as a universal second language to foster peace and international understanding. If we use the word "rules", like programming rules, somebody has to create the rules of programming before we can program. In the same way, it may sound like somebody created a rule of language and then starts to speak the language and make meaning out of it. But we know languages started by people making sounds which then later evolved in to words, phrases and sentences. No commonly-spoken language is ever fixed in concrete. All languages change over time and a great example of it is English itself which borrowed many words from different languages. What we call "grammar" is simply a reflection of a language at a particular time and this is an important part of interpreting the Bible according to the original intention of the writer.

We don’t have to study grammar to learn a language. When we were young, we started speaking even before we learnt that there is such thing call grammar. Of course, we learnt by modelling after what we heard and read. That’s why Malaysian English can only be understood fully by another Malaysian. Attached at the end of this post is a great joke about Singlish. Have a good laugh! But if we are serious about learning a foreign language, then grammar can help us learn a language more quickly and more efficiently. Grammar is a help tool to understand a language better. Once you mastered it, you can comprehend many things without consulting anyone.

It is logical therefore in bible hermeneutics to examine grammar properly since it is inherently more consistent than the remaining elements of the interpretive process. The way a sentence is structured does not change. Subjects, verbs, objects, and modifiers are the tools of communication. But it is important to note that even if you know how a word functions in a given sentence, it does not by itself give you the meaning of the passage. Often the grammar is like a signpost or a map that points you to or provides insight into the meaning of the text. For e.g. the word “saved” does not only refers to spiritual salvation but it could mean one being physical healed or delivered from a dangerous situation.

Words also evolve over time. What it means at one time may mean another at a different time. Consider the word “gay”. Earlier, it means “happy” or “cheery”. Now it also means someone who is a homosexual. What diverse meanings! Therefore word studies help the interpreter to trace the development of a word from its beginnings to the time period of the particular writing under consideration. So in interpreting, one must consider the period from which it is written and from there what the author actually meant within the context and grammar. Another example, whenever you hear the phrase “You are God’s temple” from the Scripture, the ‘you’ is always plural. The implication is vast because it points to the importance of the congregational life of the church and not merely an individualistic faith.

“Be filled with the Spirit” has a continuous tense, which if rightly translated would mean, keep on being filled, which suggest a far more different meaning than just a one time filling. What this means is that grammatical analysis also covers grammatical structure which deals with arrangement of terms within a given passage of Scripture which will reveal a relationship of words that shows purpose, result, time, concession, means, manner, condition, comparison, and contrast are indicated by adverbs and adjectives. Phrases and clauses will also indicate these relationships.

I was told DUMC is a church where good English is spoken during preaching. What I think this means is that people appreciate the fact that grammar is used well (I hope). :) We don’t usually think about grammar although it is used everyday. We are not conscious of grammatical analysis although our brains interpret the meaning of the sentences we hear at lightning speed. But to a foreign or earlier language at a different time, grammatical analysis is crucial to the hermeneutical process. While we take care to understand each word, phrase, or clause, the ultimate purpose is to understand the Author (God) or author's intended meaning. We fit the jigsaw puzzle pieces until the full picture is seen. Grammar will not solve everything but it will certainly help us converge to the possibilities. There are a few different words for “love” in Greek. Which one does it mean? Agape, phileo, storge or eros? In getting the answer firstly to the meaning of an individual word would lead to the understanding of the sentence and hence the passage.

Singlish Joke:

The English did invent the English Language, but they cannot use it effectively (as few words as possible) when communicating their intentions.

Just compare these few phrases that Singaporeans and Britons use to say the same thing:

Returning a Call...

Britons: Hello, this is John Travolta. Did anyone page me a few

moments ago?

S'poreans: Hallo! Who page?

When someone is in the way...

Britons: Excuse me, I'd like to get by. Would you please make way?

Singaporeans: S kews !

When someone offers to pay...

Britons: Hey, put your wallet away, this drink is on me.

Singaporeans: No nid.

When asking for permission...

Britons: Excuse me, but do you think it would be possible for me to

enter through this door?

Singaporeans: (while pointing at door) Can or not?

When asking to be excused...

Britons: If you would excuse me for a moment, I have to go to the gents/ladies. Please carry on without me, it would only take a moment.

Singaporeans: Toy lert, toy lert.

When entertaining...

Britons: Please make yourself right at home.

Singaporeans: Don't shy, leh!

When doubting someone...

Britons: I don't recall you giving me the money.

Singaporeans: Where got?

When declining an offer...

Britons: I'd prefer not to do that, if you don't mind.

Singaporeans: Doe waaaan.

When deciding on a plan of action...

Britons: What do you propose we do now that the movie's sold out and all the restaurants are closed?

Singaporeans: So how?

When disagreeing on a topic of discussion...

Britons: Err. Tom, I have to stop you there. I understand where you're coming from, but I really have to disagree with what you said about.....

Singaporeans: You mad, ha?

Entertaining customer....

Britons: I'm sorry, Sir, but we don't seem to have the sweater you want in your size, but if you give me a moment, I can call the other outlets for you.

S'poreans: No Stock!

When asking someone to lower their voice...

Britons: Excuse me, but could you please lower your voice, I'm trying to concentrate over here.

Singaporeans: OOei! Shaddap !!

When asking someone if he/she knows you...

Britons: Excuse me, but I noticed you staring at me for some time. Do I know you?

Singaporeans: See what see?

How to interpret the Bible - Hermeneutic

Someone posted this comment here:

Not only should we consider the word meaning and context we should also consult the grammar.Often people focus on just the meaning of the word by itself. Many times the context and grammar will actually change the meaning of the word, sometimes only slightly.

I thought it would be good for me to help some of you in the whole area of biblical interpretation in the next few posts. This may be helpful to those of you faithfully reading and journaling your thoughts through our Bible Reading Plan.

How do we read the Bible for all its worth? We are to read it with a wholistic approach to biblical method of interpretation. Remember the story of the six blind men who was brought to the zoo to help them experience by touch what an elephant is. Each blind man felt a different part of an elephant and came to his own conclusion what an elephant is. The man who touched the body said the elephant is like a wall. The second man who touched the tusk said the elephant is like a spear. The third thought the trunk is like a snake. The fourth man held the leg and exclaimed it’s like a tree trunk. The fifth man who touched the ear said surely the elephant is like a big fan. The last man said they are all wrong because upon touching the tail, he said the elephant is really like the rope. Who’s right? They are all right in their own perspective but certainly not adequate to understand what the elephant really is. Each man had one of the few defining traits of an elephant.

In the same way, we must be careful not to be like the blind men! There are five critical components in discovering the writers’ intended meaning. In writers, I also mean to include the One who inspired the writers. These five components include literature, grammar, history, context, and theology. Each of these components is a defining trait of the Bible books.

Component 1: Literature

We start any study by asking what type of literature it is. There are seven distinct types or genre: narrative, prophecy, wisdom, psalm, gospel, epistle and apocalyptic. Each type of literature has specific defining traits. If we attempt to interpret a verse or paragraph, we must ask ourselves what defining trait this is.

a. Narrative literature (e.g. Exodus), as the name implies, are narratives texts of the writer to convey a story with facts, accounts and even biographies of certain individuals from a theological perspective. Often, we are to take everything at face value as they are descriptive.

b. Prophetic literature (e.g. Isaiah) is literally conveying what God actually said to the people about a particular issue. A response is expected from the people who will determine God’s action towards them whether present or future.

c. Poetic literature (e.g. Song of Solomon) is an expression of the writer’s heart, emotions, mind and spirit.

d. Gospel literature (e.g. Matthew) describes and documents the earthly life of Jesus Christ, his teachings and historical timeline.

e. Epistolary literature (e.g. Galatians) are personal letters written to either churches or individuals to encourage, reason, defend, correct, rebuke or to teach and present ideas, concepts, doctrines, etc.

f. Wisdom literature (e.g. Proverbs) as the name suggests teaches basic truth concerning how one can live wisely.

g. Apocalyptic literature (e.g. Revelation) – this would probably be the hardest to understand as it points often to the future. It is really about a message of hope to God's people in a time of trials and tribulation and not to give up because things will be way better in the end. It is written in different styles: figures of speech, narrative, poetry, and prophetic utterances.

A great student and reader of the Bible would not attempt to discover the meaning of a verse without a full understanding of these traits. Otherwise he will make errors in interpretation. This is as good as using the Bible like some kind of horoscopic book where we pick and interpret the verses that we like for our convenience.

Reminds me of a funny story which some of you may have heard: "A man received an unexpected sum of money and he is toying with the idea of spending it on himself or giving it to mission. He knows the right thing to do but he also wants to indulge in himself. He has a hidden agenda. The man asked God for a sign, so with his eyes closed he opened the bible randomly and placed his finger on a page, and it reads: Jesus answered, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." (Matthew 19:21) This can’t be right? He closed the Bible and try again. "And Judas hanged himself". (Matthew 27:5) The man quickly closed the bible and decided to do it again, and when he placed his finger on another page of the bible, it read: "Go and do likewise". (Luke 10:37) :)

I will go to component two of grammar in the next post.