HERMENEUTICS

Definition

General hermeneutics is that set of rules employed in all

materials which stand in need of interpretation. It is used, with

proper adaption to the subject matter, in art, history, literature,

archaeology and translation. Something stands in need of

interpretation when something hinders its spontaneous understanding.

To put it another way a gap exists between the interpreter and the

materials to be interpreted, and rules must be set up to bridge this

gap. In that the interpreter is separated from his materials in time

there is a historical gap; in that his culture is different from that

of his text there is a cultural gap; in that the text is usually in a

different language there is the linguistic gap; in that the document

originates in another country there is the geographical gap and the

biological gap (the flora and fauna). In that usually a totally

different attitude towards life and the universe exists in the text it

can be said that there is a philosophical gap.

Biblical hermenteutics is the study of those principles which

pertain to the interpretation of Holy Scripture. Here, we will

briefly consider the following hermeneutics:

Understanding the Purpose of the Book

Understanding the Historical Background

Understanding the Culture

Understanding the Context

Understanding the Meaning of the Words

Understanding the Parallel Passages

Understanding the Literary Styles

Understanding How to Make an Application

PURPOSE OF THE BOOK

There are 66 books in the Bible. Each one has a specific purpose

which relates in the revelation of Jesus Christ. Leviticus has an

entirely different purpose from say, Romans. When you read something

in Leviticus, you would not apply it in the same way as you would

Romans. Understanding the purpose of the Thessalonian letters greatly

helps in trying to understand some of Paul's comments there. Each of

the four gospels has a different purpose, which explains why they are

not identical biographical sketches.

To aid us in understanding the purpose of a book, we use a Bible

Handbook, or a Survey of the Bible. Commentaries will also contain

information on the purpose of the book. Some Study Bibles also

contain this information.

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

One of the more critical principles in understanding the Bible is

to understand the Historical Background of a passage. For instance,

in Luke 4:25-30, we find the Jews trying to throw Jesus off a cliff

because of what He said. We can only understand why they wanted to do

this by understanding the historical background of the two people

Jesus spoke of. In John 10:22, if we knew the historical background,

we would have very interesting information about why the Holy Spirit

saw it as important to add that the feast of the dedication was in

winter. Understanding the historical background of, say Ezekiel 26 in

how the prophecy against Tyre was fulfilled gives us an example of how

God intends us to interpret prophecy, and with what precision it is

carried out. In Revelation 3:18 we read of the things of which the

Lord counsels the church at Laodicea to buy of Him. If we understood

the historical background of the passage, we'd understand the irony

here.

To aid us in understanding the historical background of books and

passages in the Bible, we could look at a Bible Survey, a Bible

Handbook, or a Bible Dictionary. There are also many books available

devoted to the history of specific times during the Bible. Alfred

Edersheim is the classic work on THE LIFE AND TIMES OF JESUS THE

MESSIAH. He also wrote a very interesting work on The Temple.

Josephus was a historian who wrote during the time of Jesus and

discusses some of the verbal traditions of the Jews at the time as

well as a 'secular' view of Jewish history. Charles Ludwig wrote a

book on the Rulers of New Testament Times which is quite inexpensive,

very interesting, and quite helpful. Commentaries, and some really

good Study Bibles will also contain some historical background.

UNDERSTANDING THE CULTURE

Again, a critical subject. Not understanding the culture in a

passage sometimes may lead to a false interpretation of what is read.

In Romans 12:20, for example, if we knew the culture, or customs of

the land, we'd know that Paul is not showing us a way of "Christian

vengeance." In Matthew 13, Jesus draws heavily on the customs of the

day in giving His kingdom parables. Not understanding the customs

has lead many liberal scholars down completely false paths in trying

to understand the purpose of the church.

To aid us in understanding the cultural background of various

passages in the Bible, we use books on manners and customs in the

Bible. Again, some commentaries may contain some of this information.

UNDERSTANDING THE CONTEXT

Misinterpreting Scripture, and wrenching things out of the text

that were never there goes on all the time. It is not difficult to

pull a Scripture out of its context, and give it a completely

different meaning. When interpreting Scripture, it is critical to

keep the text in context. By context, we mean the parts of a sentence

or paragraph, immediately next to or surrounding a passage. Some

passages that seem very difficult clear up nicely when we carefully

examine the context.

The whole prosperity doctrine and presumptuous faith movements

largely build their doctrines on taking scripture out of context and

making the Bible say things that it never said.

There is no book really that can help us learn to study the

context of a passage. Our resources here are limited to possibly

using a commentary as a helpful guide in reinforcing, or contradicting

our interpretation.

UNDERSTANDING THE MEANING OF THE WORDS

One of the obstacles we face in understanding the text is finding

out exactly what the author meant when he wrote the words. We must

not impose our definition on the words, but find out what they meant

when they were written. This is a particularly difficult, or at least

tedious task, since this problem is compounded by understanding the

english word in our translation, understanding the Greek, Hebrew, or

Aramaic word in the original, and understanding what that word meant

when it was written. Words change in meaning even in our own

generation. Words are not static. They are constantly changing in

their use and meaning. There are many ways we can attack this

problem. On the first level, a good english dictionary should not be

overlooked. You might be surprised at how often this will serve as a

valuable tool. On the next level, it begins to get difficult if you

are not familiar with Greek or Hebrew. Strong's Exhaustive

Concordance proves to be the easiest way to do a complete, original

study of a particular word. However, this is only the beginning! In

conjunction with Strong's, we use a set of four books published by

Baker Book House. These include a Greek Concordance, a Hebrew

Concordance, a Greek Lexicon, and a Hebrew Lexicon. These books will

be discussed later in this text.

Another way to study the meaning of a word is to use a book

called Vine's Expository Dictionary. This book lists the english

word, gives the passages which are relevant and discusses the meaning

of that word. The only real shortcoming in using this approach is

that it is not exhaustive. There are words that are not discussed.

However, this is an easy short-cut if your particular word is listed.

Other approaches are to purchase word studies. Wilson's Word

Studies are very popular. Wuest's Word Studies are also popular and

inexpensive.

UNDERSTANDING THE PARALLEL PASSAGES

When studying the Word, one must take into consideration all the

Scriptural passages that shed light on a particular subject. Let the

Bible speak for itself. The Bible in many cases is its own best

commentary. Practice comparing Scripture with Scripture.

Whenever you come across some new amazing discovery in the Bible

relating to a spiritual principle, there is a nice little rule of

thumb I like to use from the Bible itself. That is, 'by two or three

witnesses shall a thing be established.' What I mean here is that if

this new discovery is an important spiritual principle, I should be

able to find it reiterated somewhere else in the Bible.

The book that really helps in this area is a good Study Bible. I

prefer to use Scofield, but there are others as well.

UNDERSTANDING THE LITERARY STYLES

Throughout the Bible, you will encounter various literary styles,

such as history, poetry, prophecy, proverbs, and parables. We cannot

interpret these differing styles in the same way. History passages

should be interpreted literally, while poetry passages are often

written in figurative language. The greatest help we have in these

circumstances is our common sense. We also have the context of the

passage we are dealing with. If we understand the background of what

we are reading, we should rarely have a problem with literary styles.

Being careful not to jump to conclusions will serve us well.

Let's look at a few figures of speech used in the Bible.

The Metaphor

A metaphor is a figure of speech, in which a word or phrase that

ordinarily means one thing is applied to another thing, in order to

suggest a likeness between the two. Examples of metaphors are, "a

copper sky" and "a heart of stone."

The Simile

A simile is also a comparison between two things, like a

metaphor; only, the comparison is indicated by, "like," or "as."

Examples of this are, "a face like stone," "as hard as nails," and

"his eyes were like fire."

The Analogy

An analogy is a likeness in some ways between things that are

otherwise unlike. There is an analogy between the human heart and a

pump, the Lord and a shepherd, and the saints and sheep.

The Hyperbole

The hyperbole is an exaggerated statement, used for effect, and

not meant to be taken literally. An example is in Matthew 7, where

Jesus talks about the person looking for the specks in his brother's

eye, while having beams in his own eye.

The Personification

The poetic device which takes inanimate objects, and gives them

human characteristics is called a personification. An example is

saying that the mountains sing, or clap their hands.

The Idiom

Every language has certain peculiar phrases, which cannot be

analyzed by the usual grammatical process. Idioms are a mode of

expression that defies the rules, and depends on the society to supply

the definition. The dictionary defines idioms as, "a small group or

collection of words expressing a single notion." We often say that

"we're in a pickle," or "it's raining cats and dogs," or "he's dead

from the neck up." These are all idioms, and we depend on everyone

"getting the picture" because they live in our society.

MAKING THE APPLICATION

How do we apply the truths found in the Word? There are some

passages of Scripture that are obviously not to be applied in the same

way they were applied at the time of their writing. Yet, if there was

no application for us today, the passage would never have been in the

Bible for "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is

profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction

in righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly

furnished unto all good works." (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

Often, in the Bible there are multiple levels of application.

Let's briefly look at a few of these levels:

The Practical Application

Easily seen and most obvious level of application, this is when

the bible hits you right between the eyes - "..this is His

commandment, that we should believe on the name of His Son, Jesus

Christ, and love one another, as He gave us commandment." There is no

problem in figuring out how to apply this passage. It is practical,

and applicable to our lives right now, this instant, and also next

Tuesday when we are wronged by a brother.

The Secondary Application

A Secondary Application is often needed when we see commandments

or teachings that primarily apply to the culture during the time of

the writing. For example, in 1 Corinthians 11, Paul instructs

Christian women to cover their heads. At that time, an uncovered

female head was either an unfaithful wife, or a prostitute. Paul was

instructing the women of the day not to exercise their freedom in this

regard in violating the standards of their culture, thus bringing a

scandalous appearance and a reproach to the Gospel.

One of my favorite illustrations of this secondary application

came from a Christian musician who spoke during a concert. He

recalled the story of Peter walking on water. Here, there are TWO

secondary applications. We all know the story, Peter jumps out of the

boat and begins to walk on water then he takes his eyes off of Jesus

and begins to sink. Our application is to keep our eyes on Jesus and

not look at our circumstances. The other application is that there

were 12 people on the boat. The only one who had enough faith to even

jump out of the boat was Peter. The application is that it is better

to at least make mistakes for the Lord than to sit in a nice

comfortable "boat."

The Prophetic Application

In this application, we are not so much considering the end times

as much as we look at God's plan for man. There are scads of places

in the Bible where we use this application, mostly in the Old

Testament. This is easily seen in all of the laws and regulations

laid out in the Torah, or the five books of Moses. There are

fantastic discoveries awaiting you by studying each and every detail

in these tedious laws. The many sacrifices all look forward to Jesus

Christ as the final, ultimate sacrifice. Daniel's prophecies tell of

the last days, Isaiah 53 tells of the coming Messiah, Ezekiel 28 tells

of Satan. Almost every chapter in the Old Testament has a prophetic

application.

The Mystical Application

What I mean here is applying the text in order to understand the

Lord more. All over the Bible, we are commanded to know the Lord.

The Lord often says, "And they will know that I am the Lord." We can

learn of the ways in which God deals with people, points that the Lord

tries to make, get an insight into eternity, we can gain insight into

understanding how God thinks, and why He does certain things. In this

case, the question we seek to answer is, "Why did God put that there?"

One of the most dramatic and consistent insights we get from making

the Mystical application is the evidence of design in the Bible. We

can see Jesus Christ on every page. We see the fingerprint of the Holy

Spirit throughout the Bible. This strengthens your faith, and gives

you a respect for the authority of the Word in every situation.

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