Interpretation

Interpretation is determining what the book or passage meant to the original hearers or readers.

Interpretation is not what it means to the 21^st century reader, but what it meant to the original audience. This involves understanding the author’s viewpoint as well as the viewpoint of his audience. Sometimes this is twofold. For example, in a Gospel one must consider how Jesus’ words impacted the people who heard them and secondly one needs to consider how those words were understood by the first readers.

Interpretation builds on the foundation of observation and thorough observation results in better interpretation.

Observation focuses on what is in the text. Interpretation asks why is this said? What does this mean? “Interpretation is to explain or tell the meaning of something.” (pg. 41, Joy of Discovery).

We have compiled a list of questions which you can ask and which will aid you in moving into the second step of Bible study. You can apply these questions in an overview fashion to the whole book or to specific passages, sections or segments.

1. What is the historical context of this book or passage?

- Who is addressed?

- From the text, what do you see are the author’s / reader’s concerns, questions, emotions, characteristics, convictions, strengths and weaknesses.

- What cultural issues need consideration?

- When did the events occur?

- Determine whether the issues addressed apply to the local situation in the author’s day or universally to all believers. Are they temporal or timeless?

2. How does the type of literature affect my interpretation?

3. In the Epistles, determine from the text what questions the believers were asking, and what struggles they were encountering.

This is like listening to one side of a phone conversation. For example, in Paul’s letters, we know what Paul says but we must do some thinking as to what the congregations may have been asking or thinking that would result in Paul responding as he does.

4. Interpret the elements of structure and composition.

- What elements of composition or structure are used in this book or passage?

- How do these affect the understanding of the author’s intended meaning?

5. Pay careful attention to the context.

- How does this passage fit in with the overall message of the whole book?

- What is its relation to the surrounding paragraphs?

6. Is this literal or figurative language? Interpret accordingly.

7. Bombard the text with WHY questions.

8. Ask meaning questions.

- What is the meaning of this word, phrase, statement, passage or theological concept?

- What did it mean to the author?

- What did it mean to his audience?

To develop this, one should:

- Ask, “how is this word, term or concept used in context of this passage, in the rest of the book, and in other writings by the author?”

- Look it up in Vines Expository Dictionary of New Testament Word.

- Look it up in a concordance.

- Look it up in other word study book.

- Look it up in a dictionary of your mother tongue.

After doing all this then relate your findings back to the original context of the passage you are studying.

9. Does the author give his own interpretation?

- Does he state why he wrote the book?

- Does he interpret his use of symbols?

10. What is the significance of any quoted Scripture?

Look up the passage quoted and observe their context. Why does he quote this passage:

- to prove a point?

- to illustrate a truth?

- to support the author’s argument?

- to contribute to the emotion of the passage?

11. What is the significance of the observed:

13. Consult Bible dictionaries, concordances, encyclopedias, atlases and historical background resource materials for unanswered questions or more information.

14. Write out a summary statement of the book, a division, a section, a segment or a paragraph:

“It seems that the author is saying….”

15. Read the book or the passage in another translation.

16. Have I committed one of the 20 reading errors? (See the following page)

17. Summarize, meditate, reflect on the material you’ve observed and interpreted.

- Does your proposed interpretation agree with the rest of Scripture?

- The New Testament interprets the Old Testament and clear passages are to shed light on the unclear and obscure passages.

18. Consult a commentary.

- Do this last. Use the commentary as a tool, not a crutch.

- Dialogue with the commentary.

- What did you learn from the commentary?

- Do you agree or disagree with the author’s conclusions?

19. If you’re having difficulty, then ask yourself if you need to backtrack and do some more observation.

1. Inaccurate Quotation : A Biblical text is referred to, but is either not quoted the way the text appears in any standard translation or is wrongly attributed.

2. Twisted Translation : The Biblical text is retranslated without the accordance of sound Greek scholarship.

3. The Biblical Hook : A text of Scripture is quoted primarily as a device to grasp audience attention, then is followed by a non-Biblical message (Most folks would probably even dismiss it as too dubious had it not been preceded by Scripture.).

4. Ignoring the Immediate Context : A text of Scripture is quoted, but removed from the surrounding verses which form the immediate framework for its meaning.

5. Collapsing Contexts : Two or more verses which have little or nothing to do with each other are put together as if one were a commentary on the other.

6. Over Specification : A more detailed or specific conclusion than is legitimate is drawn from a Biblical text.

7. Word Play : A word or phrase from a Biblical translation is examined and interpreted as if the revelation had been given in that language.

8. The Figurative Fallacy : Either mistaking literal language for figurative or mistaking figurative language for literal.

9. Speculative Readings of Predictive Prophecy : A predictive prophecy is too readily explained by the occurrence of specific events.

10. Saying but not Citing : Saying that “the Bible says such and such,” but not citing a specific text. This is often indicates that there may be no such text at all.

11. Selective Citing : To substantiate a given argument, only a limited number of texts is quoted: the total teaching of Scripture on that subject would lead to a conclusion different from that of the writer / speaker.

12. Inadequate Evidence : A hasty generalization is drawn from too little evidence.

13. Confused Definition : A Biblical term is misunderstood in such a way that an essential Biblical doctrine is distorted or rejected.

14. Ignoring Alternative Explanations : A specific interpretation is given to a Biblical text or set of texts which could well be or have been interpreted in quite a different fashion, but these alternatives are not considered.

15. The “Obviously” Fallacy : Words such as “obviously, undoubtedly, certainly, all reasonable people hold that….” and so forth are substituted for logical reasoning.

16. Virtue by Association : A person associates his / her teaching, either wholly or mostly, with the teaching of figures accepted as authoritative by traditional Christians and not by merit of sound Scriptural teaching itself.

17. Esoteric Interpretation : The interpreter assumes that the Bible has hidden esoteric (private, secret, only meant to be understood by “the select few”) meanings which are open only to those who are initiated into its secrets. The interpreter declares the significance of Biblical passages without giving much (if any) explanation for his / her interpretation.

18. Supplementing Biblical Authority : New revelations from post-Biblical prophets either replaces or is added to the Bible as authority.

19. Rejecting Biblical Authority : Either the Bible as a whole or texts from the Bible are examined and rejected because other “authorities” (eg., reason or other revelation) do not agree with them.

20. World View Confusion : Cultural misinterpretation and / or misapplication of Biblical passages.