Chapter 1

The Challenge of Bible Interpretation

We are responsible then to seek to know the truth as presented in God’s Word. This is essential for our own spiritual lives and for effectiveness in ministering to others.

In sharing the Word of God, whether in personal counseling, teaching a Sunday School class or Bible study group, or preaching, the knowledge we impart, based on our understanding of the Scriptures, will definitely affect others. Their lives are in our hands.

Without proper biblical interpretation, the theology of an individual or of an entire church may be misdirected or superficial and its ministry unbalanced.

Understanding the Bible is a lifelong process. As you study the Word, you will be asking yourself, What does this mean? Is this view correct? Why or why not? What about this interpretation? Is it valid?

As you hear sermons and listen to teachers, you are continually confronted with the question, Is what he is saying about the Bible correct?

As you discuss the Bible with others, you will be faced with the question of which of several possible views is more likely the meaning of the passage being considered. Seeking to determine what a passage really means is an intriguing intellectual and spiritual challenge.

And as you share the Word of God, people will be asking you, “What does this verse mean?” “How are we to understand this passage?”

Because of the extent of content in the Bible, and the diversity of the kinds of literature in the Bible, hermeneutics is an area of study with numerous problems and issues.

For example

How do we know if a passage was intended only for the people to whom it was initially addressed or if it is intended for ensuing generations?

Can a passage have more than one meaning, and if so, how are they to be determined?

Did some of the Bible authors write more than they understood?

Is the Bible more than a human book?

If it is also a divine book, how does this affect our interpretation of various passages?

How are we to interpret various proverbs in the Bible?

Are they universally applicable?

If we believe in literal interpretation, how does that affect our understanding of figures of speech?

If the Bible includes figures of speech, then is all the Bible to be interpreted in a “spiritual” or mystical sense?

How do we understand prophecy?

Since there are varying views on how to interpret Bible prophecy, how can we know which view is more likely the accurate one?

Why does the New Testament quote the Old Testament in ways that seemingly alter the way the verses read in the Old Testament?

How can we move from interpretation to application?

Problems in Bible Interpretation

One of the major reasons the Bible is difficult to understand is that it is an ancient book.

The first five Old Testament books were written by Moses around 1400 b.c. The last book of the Bible, Revelation, was written by the Apostle John around a.d. 90.

So some of the books were written about 3,400 years ago and the latest one was written about 1,900 years ago. This suggests that in hermeneutics we must seek to bridge several gaps posed by our having such an ancient book in our hands.

A Time Gap (Chronological)

Because of the extensive time gap between ourselves and the writers and initial readers of the Bible, a huge chasm exists. Since we were not there, we cannot talk with the authors and with the initial hearers and readers to discover firsthand the meaning of what they wrote.

A Space Gap (Geographical)

Most readers of the Bible today live thousands of miles from the countries where Bible events took place. The Middle East, Egypt, and the southern Mediterranean nations of present-day Europe were the places where Bible people lived and traveled. These extend from Babylon in present-day Iraq to Rome (and possibly Spain, if Paul traveled there). This geographical distance puts us at a disadvantage.

The Customs Gap (Cultural)

Great differences exist between the way people in the Western world do things and think and the way people in Bible lands lived and thought. Therefore it is important to know the cultures and customs of peoples in Bible times. Often faulty interpretations stem from an ignorance of those customs. For this reason, an entire chapter in this book is being given to that subject.

A Language Gap (Linguistic)

Besides gaps in time, space, and customs, there is also a chasm between our way of speaking and writing and the way people in Bible times spoke and wrote. The languages in which the Bible is written—Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek—have peculiarities unknown in the English language. For example, the Hebrew and Aramaic of the original Old Testament manuscripts included only consonants. Vowels were understood and therefore not written (though they were filled in hundreds of years later around a.d. 900 by the Masoretes). Also, Hebrew and Aramaic are read from right to left rather than from left to right. In addition, no spaces were inserted between words. The words in all three biblical languages ran together.

An example of this in English would be the following: DNRTCHTGNRB. Reading these words from right to left the Hebrew reader would automatically sense that it included four words, which in English would be as follows: BRNG TH CT RND. It is not too difficult to sense that the sentence is saying “Bring the cot around.” On the other hand, the two letters CT could be understood as cat or coat as well as a cot. How then would a reader know which word was intended? Usually the context would give the reader a clue to the intended meaning. If earlier or later sentences referred to a cot, then it is most likely that this sentence would also refer to a cot. In some cases, however, the context may give no clue and therefore it becomes a problem in interpretation to know which word was actually intended.

Another reason the language gap is a problem is that the original Bible languages have unusual or obscure expressions, difficult to comprehend in English. Also some words occur only once in the entire Bible, thus making it impossible to compare them with how they are used in some other context to help us understand their meaning.

Another problem contributing to the linguistic gap is the transmission of the original manuscripts down to us today. As manuscripts were copied, scribal errors occasionally crept in. Sometimes one scribe read a manuscript to another scribe. The copyist wrote what sounded like the word pronounced by the reader. The words, “This is led” might be written, “This is lead.” Sometimes a copier would mistake one letter for another letter that was very similar to it in shape. The Hebrew letters for d and r are similar (though not identical), as are the letters w and y. Sometimes a word was repeated and other times a word was skipped. If a manuscript included some of these accidental scribal mistakes, they might then be copied by the next copyist, thus transmitting the readings for probably several “generations” of manuscripts. Other times, however, a scribe would correct what he thought was an incorrect word or letter. The process of seeking to determine which readings are the original ones is called textual criticism. These variations, however, do not affect major doctrines of Scripture, nor do they affect the doctrine of the inerrancy of Scripture, which relates to the original manuscripts, not the copies.

A Writing Gap (Literary)

Differences exist between the styles and forms of writing in Bible times and the styles and forms of writing in the Western world today. We seldom speak in proverbs or parables, and yet a good portion of the Bible is proverbial or parabolic. In addition the fact that there are approximately 40 human authors of the Bible books sometimes poses problems for Bible interpreters. One Gospel writer stated, for example, that one angel was present at Jesus’ empty tomb and another referred to two angels. Figurative language, frequently used, sometimes poses problems for our understanding. For instance Jesus said, “I am the door” and “I am the Shepherd.” Obviously He did not mean He is literally made of wood with hinges nor that He actually owns sheep which He cares for in a field. It is the business of the interpreter to seek to ascertain what Jesus did mean by those statements.

A Spiritual Gap (Supernatural)

It is also important to note that a gap exists between God’s way of doing things and our way. The fact that the Bible was written about God puts the Bible in a unique category. God, being infinite, is not fully comprehensible by the finite. The Bible speaks of God’s performing miracles and making predictions about the future. The Bible also speaks of difficult-to-comprehend truths such as the Trinity, the two natures of Christ, God’s sovereignty and man’s will. All these and others contribute to our difficulty in understanding fully all that is in the Bible.

Since God is the divine Author of the Book, it is totally unique. It is one of a kind. The Bible is not simply a book with man’s thoughts about God, though it includes them. It is also God’s thoughts about God and man. The Bible reports what God did and communicates what He is and what He desires. The Bible is also unique in that it was written by God and man. Human authors wrote as they were guided by the Holy Spirit

).

2 Peter 1:21 ESV

21 For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

This fact of dual authorship poses problems. How could God use people of differing personalities to record the Scriptures and yet have the final product be the work of the Holy Spirit? How does this affect the individual authors’ own personalities and writing styles?

This fact of dual authorship poses problems.

How could God use people of differing personalities to record the Scriptures and yet have the final product be the work of the Holy Spirit? How does this affect the individual authors’ own personalities and writing styles?

These six gaps pose serious problems when a person seeks to understand the Bible. Even the Ethiopian in faced several of these gaps, including the chronological, geographical, linguistic, and supernatural.

Definitions in Hermeneutics

While much of the Bible is plain and easy to understand, admittedly other parts are more difficult. Even Peter wrote, “Our dear brother Paul also wrote … some things that are hard to understand”

2 Peter 3:15–16 ESV

15 And count the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, 16 as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures.

Exactly what is hermeneutics? And how does it differ from exegesis and exposition? The English word “hermeneutics” comes from the Greek verb hermēneuō and the noun hermēneia. These words point back to the wing-footed messenger-god Hermes in Grecian mythology. He was responsible for transmuting what is beyond human understanding into a form that human intelligence can grasp. He is said to have discovered language and writing and was the god of literature and eloquence, among other things. He was the messenger or interpreter of the gods, and particularly of his father Zeus. Thus the verb hermēneuō came to refer to bringing someone to an understanding of something in his language (thus explanation) or in another language (thus translation). The English word interpret is used at times to mean “explain” and at other times “translate.” Of the 19 times hermēneuō and hermēneia occur in the New Testament, they are more frequently used in the sense of translating. In the verb diermēneuō is used: “And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning Himself.” When Jesus spoke to Simon He said, “You will be called Cephas’ (which, when translated, is Peter)” (). The word “translated” renders the Greek hermēneuō. In a sense a translation is an explanation, explaining in one language what is conveyed in another language. Thus interpretation involves making clear and intelligible something that was unclear or unknown.

Some Bible verses remain a mystery even to the most skilled interpreters.

Hermeneutics, as mentioned earlier, is the science and art of interpreting the Bible. Another way to define hermeneutics is this: It is the science (principles) and art (task) by which the meaning of the biblical text is determined. As Terry wrote:

Some Bible verses remain a mystery even to the most skilled interpreters.

Hermeneutics, therefore, is both a science and an art. As a science, it enunciates principles, investigates the laws of thought and language, and classifies its facts and results. As an art, it teaches what application these principles should have, and establishes their soundness by showing their practical value in the elucidation of the more difficult Scriptures. The hermeneutical art thus cultivates and establishes a valid exegetical procedure.3

What then is exegesis and exposition? Exegesis may be defined as the determination of the meaning of the biblical text in its historical and literary contexts. Exposition is the communication of the meaning of the text along with its relevance to present-day hearers. Exegesis is the actual interpretation of the Bible, and hermeneutics consists of the principles by which the meaning is determined.

Homiletics is the science (principles) and art (task) by which the meaning and relevance of the biblical text are communicated in a preaching situation, and pedagogy is the science (principles) and art (task) by which the meaning and relevance of the biblical text are communicated in a teaching situation.

Exegesis is the study in private, and exposition is the presentation in public. Exegesis is done in the study; exposition is done in the pulpit or at the teacher’s desk or podium. The primary concern in exegesis is an understanding of a biblical text, whereas the primary concern of exposition is the communication of the meaning of the text.

3 Milton S. Terry, Biblical Hermeneutics, 2d ed. (1883; reprint, Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, n.d.), 20.

@inbook{Campbell_1991,

place={Colorado Springs, CO},

title={Foreword},

booktitle={Basic Bible Interpretation: A Practical Guide to Discovering Biblical Truth},

publisher={David C. Cook},

author={Campbell, Donald K.},

editor={Bubeck, Craig, Sr.Editor},

year={1991},

pages={14–20}}