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Observation teaches you to see precisely what the passage says. It is the basic for accurate interpretation and correct application. Observation answer the question: What does the passage say? Observation is the beginning point and foundation in all Bible Study. Unless we observe the text properly, there is no way we can interpret it correctly, let alone apply it appropriately to our lives. If we try to apply God’s Word without thorough observation and accurate interpretation, we may become something that God never intended us to be. And if we try to proclaim God’s Word without first observing, interpreting and applying it to our lives, we may be in danger of proclaiming a distorted gospel and cruelly misrepresenting God! We have to develop the mentality of a detective! A good detective begins with investigating all possible clues, and never with a pre-conceived conclusion. The detective’s job is to discover things that others haven’t seen in their failure to carefully observe all the clues. A good detective NEVER ignores detail. All clues are always meticulously explored. LET’S DEVOTE OURSELVES TO BECOMING THE VERY BEST BIBLE DETECTIVE POSSIBLE!!! The First Thing That We Will Do Is To Discover What The Text Says.
The Structure of a Book
It’s there, but you’ve got to find it. “A book comes to you with flesh on its bare bones and clothes over its flesh. It is all dressed up. You do not have to undress it or tear the flesh off its limbs to get at the firm structure that underlies the soft surface. But you must read with x-ray eyes, for it is essential for your apprehension of any book to grasp its structure.” How to Read a Book, Adler & Van Doren, p 75 Types of Structure which communicate the ‘WHAT’:
Many elements could appear in the text, but we need to observe the main ones the author used to structure his book. So what we’ve seen here is ‘WHAT’ is being said. It is about places, time, people etc. However, we need to discover ‘HOW’ the above is being communicated. The following page discusses how the message is being communicated.
Like an artist, an author uses Laws of Composition to arrange paragraphs, segments, sections, and divisions into a literary unit. The Laws of Composition reflect an author’s style. They are to be discovered, not imposed upon the text. An understanding of these Laws of Composition will help you discern what the author is seeking to communicate. The following list is not exhaustive, but includes some of the most common. The relationship between the parts you should look for is:
Genre of Literature
Literary genre is crucial to interpretation. Before ever launching into a study of a book, the first thing a reader needs to know is what that book’s author meant it to be. In other words, what kind of literature was he writing? What literary form did he employ? Examples of literary genre used in the Bible: ( This is not a complete summary of all the books and the categories they belong to). 1. Drama : A work of literature that can be acted or read as a play. (eg. Revelation, Job, Song of Solomon, etc.) 2. Epistolary (Epistle) : A letter. An Epistle is a written communication between persons apart, whether personal and private or official. (eg. Pauline letters, etc.) 3. Parabolic literature (Parable) : A short, descriptive story usually designed to inculcate a single truth or answer a single question. Parables present the listener with interesting illustrations from which can be drawn moral and religious truths. (eg. Matt 13:24-30; Luke 15:3-10; Mark 12:1-12) 4. Anthology : A collection of poems, or of other writings, often on the same subject, chosen from different books or writers. (eg. Proverbs, Psalms) 5. The Gospel : Literally, “Good News”. One of four records which chronicles the ministry and teachings of Jesus. Characteristic of each Gospel is the apostolic tradition – i.e. the eyewitness account of Christ as written by one of the original apostles or by one of their closely trusted converts. (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John) 6. Poetry (Hebrew Poetry) : Various compositions in both Testaments characterized by several patterns of rhythm, rhyme and figures of speech. Many times, Poetry is laden with vivid imagery with some compositions originally having been set to music. Hebrew poetry, in particular, is rich in parallelisms, though metre (rhyme) as we know it today in the 21st century is non-existent. (eg. Psalms, Ecclesiastes, Proverbs, Job) 7. Historical Narratives : A historical account written in story / Chronicle format. (eg. Genesis - Ezra, the Gospels, Acts) 8. Apocalyptic : A highly stylized form of literature marked by its own conventions of symbolism and terminology. This type of literature is full of dreams, visions, and symbolic imagery, often centered around the heavenly throne-room. Apocalyptic literature often exhibits a close but critical interaction with the international culture of its time. (eg. Ezekiel, Daniel, Zechariah, Revelation) 9. Covenant Document : A piece of literature containing the conditions of a relationship between two parties. There are several types of Covenant Document in the Bible such as Parity, Suzerainty, Promissory, etc. (eg. Deuteronomy) 10. Didactic : A written teaching earmarked by logic and reason in its presentation of information. The purpose of Didactic literature is to bring deeper understanding and / or correction to specific situations and issues faced by those originally receiving its message(s). (eg. Romans; Galatians; Titus) 11. Logical & discursive : A piece of literature using reasons to persuade the readers or hearers. It’s often in a form of bringing a group of ideas together to prove a point or to present an argument. (eg. Romans) 12. Topical : Something that is related to, dealing with or being a subject of present interest to the original hearers or readers. (eg. Jeremiah, Matthew) 13. Wisdom Literature : It is not intended to be didactic and must always be read as a whole / in context. (eg. Job; Ecclesiastes)
1. SIMILE: A direct comparison of two things that are essentially different. This is characterized by the use of words such as: like, as, so, etc. e.g. Ps 1:3 “He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water.”
2. METAPHOR: A comparison in which one thing represents another. e.g. Matt 5:14 “You are the light of the world.”
3. PARADOX: A statement that seems absurd, self-contradictory, or contrary to logical thought. e.g. Matt 16:25 “Whoever wishes to save his life shall lose it; but whoever loses his life for my sake shall find it.”
4. HYPERBOLE: Exaggeration, not with the intent to deceive, but to emphasize and intensify an impression. e.g. Gal 4:15 “…you would have torn out your eyes for me…”
5. RHETORICAL QUESTIONS: A question that requires no response, yet forces one to answer mentally and consider its ramifications. e.g. I Cor 1:13 “Is Christ divided?” “Was Paul crucified for you?”
6. IRONY: The author implies something different, even the opposite of what is stated. It is used for the effect of humor or sarcasm. e.g. I Cor 4:8 “Already you have all you want! Already you have become rich! Quite apart from us you have become kings! Indeed, I wish that you had become kings, so that we might be kings, with you!”
7. ANALOGY: A rather full comparison, showing several points of similarity between unlike things. e.g. John 15:1-9 ‘The vine and the branches.’
8. PERSONIFICATION: Ascribing human characteristics or actions to inanimate objects (lifeless objects) or animals. e.g. Is 24:23 “The moon will be abashed and the sun ashamed.”
9. EUPHEMISM: The use of a less offensive expression to indicate a more offensive one. e.g. Gal 5:12 “Would that those who are troubling you would even mutilate themselves.”
10. APOSTROPHE: Addressing a thing as if it were a person, or an absent or imaginary person as if he were present. e.g. I Cor 15:55 “O death, where is your victory? Oh death, where is your sting?”
11. IDIOM: An expression peculiar to a particular people. e.g. Judges 15:1 “And Samson said, I will go in to my wife in her room.”
12. ANTHROPOMORPHISM: The attribution of human features or actions to God. e.g. Is. 59:1 “The Lord’s hand is not short that it cannot save; neither is His ear so dull that it cannot hear.”
13. LITOTES: This is the use of understatement. It is the opposite of hyperbole and is often used as irony. e.g. Acts 15:2 “…no small dissension”
14. METONOMY: This is the substitution of one term for another. e.g. Rom 3:30 “Circumcision” for “Jews”
15. SYNECDOCHE: Part of something is mentioned, but the whole is meant. e.g. Gal 1:16 “…did not confer with flesh and blood…”
TYPEA type prefigures something or someone who is to come. An OT character or event often prefigures a character or event in the NT. e.g. ‘Passover’ foreshadows Christ’s sacrificial death. (I Cor 5:7)
SYMBOLThis is an object that has a spiritual meaning in addition to its ordinary meaning. It is usually a visual image that represents an invisible concept. In interpreting symbols we’re not free to impose our own interpretation. We must discover the author’s intention, taking into consideration the culture, principles of interpretation, the overall message of the book and, in many cases, the author’s own specific definition. The book of Revelation is full of symbols. e.g. 1:12,20
Inter-relationships Between Terms
Exploring How Words are Related together.
There are six major areas of relationship:
A key word is one that is essential to the text. It might be a noun, a descriptive word, or an action that plays a part in conveying the author's message. A key word or phrase is one which, when removed, leaves the passage devoid of meaning. Often key words and phrases are repeated in order to convey the author's point or purpose for writing. They may be repeated throughout a chapter, a segment of a book, or the book as a whole. For example, notice that some form of the word suffering is used three times in 1 Peter 5. As you mark key words, ask the same who, what, when, where, why, and how questions of them as you did of the passage as a whole. For example, who suffers?, what caused the suffering?, etc. Key words can be marked in several ways:
The value of a distinctive marking system cannot be overestimated. Whichever system you choose, mark each key word the same way every time you observe it. Then, in future study, the visual impact of your marks will help you track key subjects and quickly identify significant truths throughout Scripture. To be sure that you are consistent, list key words, symbols, and color codes on an index card and use it as a bookmark in your Bible. Be sure to mark pronouns (I, you, he, she, it, we, our, and so on) and synonyms (words that have the same meaning in the context) the same way you mark the words to which they refer. For example, a synonym for the devil in 1 Peter 5:8 is "adversary." The pronoun "him" in verse 9 also refers to the devil. Notice now marking the synonym "adversary" for the devil gives additional insight into his nature.
Marking lists can be one of the most enlightening things you do as you study a section of Scripture. Lists reveal truths and highlight important concepts. The best way to discover lists in the text is to observe how a key word is described, note what is said about someone or something, or group related thoughts or instructions together. 1 Peter 5:2, 3, for example, contains a simple list instructing the elders how to shepherd their flock. You can number simple lists within the text for easy reference. Topical lists capture a truth, quality, or characteristic of a specific subject throughout a passage. One way to discover a topical list is to follow a key world through a chapter and note what the text says about the word each time it is used.
The relationship of events in time often sheds light on the true meaning of the text. The timing of something can be observed in exact statements such as "on the tenth day of the eleventh month" or "at the Feast of Booths." These phrases can be indicated in the margin by drawing a simple clock face or a similar symbol. Time is also indicated by words such as until, then, when, and after. These words show the relationship of one statement or event to another. Marking them will help you see the sequence of events and lead to accurate interpretation of Scripture.
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