General Principles of Interpretation.

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charisenexcelcis

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Consider the context. Context means that the setting of the text defines the meaning. There are two levels: near context (within paragraphs) and far context (within the book). Exampleof near context: John 9:3 "neither hath this man sinned nor his parents." Is Jesus saying that these three were sinless? Of course not. The context is the question posed by the disciples: Who had sinned that this man was born blind. The answer is that neither had sinned--as the cause of the blindness. Example of Far context: Compare II Kings 13:14 and II Kings 2:12. Comparisons between books falls under another rule.
 
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charisenexcelcis

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Understand the Words: This may seem easy, but there are several factors to consider. First, words change over time. For instance, I Thessalonians 4:15 "We which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep." At the time of the Authorized Version this word's common meaning was to precede. Second, many words have different meanings in different contexts. Don't forget to consider the context. Finally, there are some words that are used differently in the Bible or perhaps rarely used outside the Bible. An example is love. The word love has an entirely different meaning in the Bible as opposed to how the world uses it. It is good to have a dictionary at your place of study. Also, trust the English. While you may glean some benefit from looking at helps from the origianl language, it is also easy to misunderstand. If the helps seems to go against the plain reading of the English, check with someone with more training or go with the English. In thirty years of ministry I have never seen the English fail to communicate the essence of the Word of God.
 
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charisenexcelcis

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#3
Understanding the Grammar: Words are to grammar as engine parts are to the engine. It is important that we understand the grammar as well as the words. For instance, in I Corinthians 11:27, it says, "Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord." Does unworthily refer to whosoever, meaning one must be worthy to partake? Or does it refer to eat and drink, meaning that one must partake in a worthy manner. The answer is in the grammar. Unworthily is an adverb, it modifies the verbs eat and drink. therefore, the verse instructs us to partake of the Lord's Supper in a worthy fashion. While Greek and Hebrew are grammatically similar to English there are some differences, particularly in the Greek tenses. The translators are diligent to try to accurately reflect these differences.
 
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lil-rush

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#4
This brings to mind my mommy's favorite Bible verse: 2 Timothy 2:15 "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."
 
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charisenexcelcis

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#5
#5
Grasping the Author's Intent: Some of the Books of the Bible have specific purposes stated in them. For instance, John 29:30-31 says that he recorded the specific stories so that you might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. so we can expect that the stories will reveal something of the person of Christ. This is one of the reasons why you should begin a Bible study by reading through an entire book, trying to see the structure and purpose of the book before you begin an in depth study. Sometimes the purpose is not stated and some books have a more focused purpose than others. Be assured that God has a purpose in the entire Word of God.
 
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greatkraw

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#6
more interesting examples?

why sometimes kingdom of heaven and other times kingdom of God?

are they in fact the same?
 
MahogonySnail

MahogonySnail

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Jan 8, 2009
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They're the same for all practical purposes. That's another thing about interpreting the bible - not everything in the bible has a deeper or mystical significance, like numbers.. and often the same idea can be explained using different words. That the authors or even Christ used different words does not mean they are talking about two different things.
The "elect" is another example. The words believers and elect mean the same thing, but some like to draw distinctions between the two in order to try and establish unfounded doctrines about predestination etc etc. Then there's that idea that being a believer is mandatory for salvation but being a disciple is optional. Again, splitting hairs - there's no difference between a believer and a disciple.
 
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charisenexcelcis

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#8
Study the Background: This may sound difficult to the layman but it isn't. First, the best source is the Bible itself. As you study, you will begin to gain not only a breadth of knowledge, but a depth. So for instance, when Elisha asks for a double portion, an in depth knowledge of scripture might bring to your mind Deuteronomy 21:17, in which the firstborn was to recieve a double portion of the inheritance. Second, get a Bible Handbook, like Haley's. If you want to go a step up, get a Bible Almanac and a Bible Atlas. Generally, these are all trustworthy. If you go too much beyond that, do so with caution. If something sounds strange, be skeptical. You can also find generic information from non-religious sources, like the internet. Keep in mind that while lots of information may be unbiased, there are sources that will have an agenda, especially if you are looking into something that is exclusively Biblical.
 
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charisenexcelcis

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Interpret Scripture by Scripture: The Bible has human authors, but it also has a Divine Author. That means that the Bible is essentialy a single book. That means that there are things written in Daniel that relate to Revelation (and there are such crossrelations between Daniel and Revelation). some books are close parallels, such as the Synoptic Gospels. Others relate in more complex ways, such as comparing James and Romans. Keep in mind that the Bible doesn't truly contradict itself. Seeming contradiction may require further study, but I assure you that you can find the solution within scripture, without having to resort to twisting scripture.
 
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charisenexcelcis

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A final word: Trust God's work of inspiration, preservation and illumination to help you deepen your knowledge of the Word of God. If there is an interest it might be helpful to look at some of the more specialized interpretive principles dealing with such things as types, parables, and prophecy.
 
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greatkraw

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#11
#11
isnt kingdom of heaven specifically used by Matthew?
 
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charisenexcelcis

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greatkraw said:
isnt kingdom of heaven specifically used by Matthew?
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Yes, I think you are right,. What do you conclude regarding that? I have not looked into it.
 
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greatkraw

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#13
Matthew was writing to Jews. They dont like the use of the word G-D
 
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charisenexcelcis

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greatkraw said:
Matthew was writing to Jews. They dont like the use of the word G-D
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Not sure about that being the reason. I'll have to mull this one over....mulling.....mulling......
 
MahogonySnail

MahogonySnail

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Jan 8, 2009
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There are a couple of contradictions in the bible that are still debated today, and we will never know why they are there because we cannot ask the person who wrote them that way. Many non-christians are smart enough to see them. Many christians are not smart enough to acknowledge them.
 
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charisenexcelcis

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MahogonySnail said:
There are a couple of contradictions in the bible that are still debated today, and we will never know why they are there because we cannot ask the person who wrote them that way. Many non-christians are smart enough to see them. Many christians are not smart enough to acknowledge them.
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Examples? How do you reconcile them?
 
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greatkraw

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#17
yeah name one!
 
MahogonySnail

MahogonySnail

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Jan 8, 2009
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Just google, there's websites with plenty of them there. The ancestral records are a good one. There are a few theories why there are gaps in Matthew? I think it is, but no one knows for sure. Few christians are willing to admit that the author could have been having a bad day and accidentally left some out, because you've been indoctrinated to believe that the bible was penned by God, like the Koran was claimed to be, and not by humans.
 
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greatkraw

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#19
#19
when we analyse these issues they turn out to be translation cultural issues

they need to be taken one at a time

like i said give me one specific one
 
MahogonySnail

MahogonySnail

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Jan 8, 2009
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translation cultural issues are only one possibility. I gave you one, the names omitted in the ancestral records. Now I already know the answers (plural emphasis) and reasons (plural) for this, but I think a "boo boo" error should be one of the possibilities.
 
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