What Do We Bring to the Text?

What Do We Bring to the Text?

For the next few lessons we will be discussing the importance of context to biblical interpretation. One context that is often overlooked is the context of the reader—the world from which the reader approaches the text. We as readers of the Bible are not by nature neutral and objective. We bring a lot of preconceived notions and influences with us to the text when we read. Thus we need to discuss and evaluate these “pre-text” influences, lest they mislead us in our search for the meaning of the text.

Preunderstanding

One major influence that can skew our interpretive process and lead us away from the real meaning in the text is what we call preunderstanding. Preunderstanding refers to all of our preconceived notions and understandings that we bring to the text, which have been formulated, both consciously and subconsciously, before we actually study the text in detail.

Preunderstanding is formed by both good and bad influences, some accurate and some inaccurate. It includes all that you have heard in Sunday school, at church, in bible studies, and in your private reading of the Bible. However, preunderstandings of biblical texts are also formed by hymns and other Christian music, pop songs, jokes, art, and nonbiblical literature, both Christian and secular. Likewise, culture constantly creeps in.

Note that your preunderstanding of any given passage may indeed be correct. The problem, however, is that often it is not, and until you study the text seriously, you simply do not know whether it is accurate.

Another dangerous aspect of preunderstanding surfaces when we come to the text with a theological agenda already formulated. That is, we start into a text with a specific slant we are looking for, and we use the text merely to search for details that fit with our agenda.

A related danger is that of familiarity. If we are thoroughly familiar with a passage we tend to think we know all there is to know about it and are prone to skip over it without studying it carefully. Familiarity with a passage creates preunderstanding. As we revisit these familiar texts, we must resist the temptation of letting our familiarity dictate our conclusions before we even get started studying a text.

One of the most powerful, yet subtle, aspects of preunderstanding is that of culture. Our theology tells us to ask, What would Jesus do? Our culture, however, may subconsciously be telling us to ask, What would Stallone do? Undoubtedly, our culture has a tremendous influence on how we read and interpret the Bible. For example, even though we believe that Jesus is our Lord and Savior, when he tells us to turn the other cheek, a voice in the back of our head objects. After all, turning the other cheek is not really the American way. Thus, when we read of such a command from Jesus, we immediately try to interpret it in such a way that it does not conflict with cultural norms, especially those set by culture’s heroes, be they Sylvester Stallone or Mel Gibson. This culture driven predisposition we call cultural baggage. What exactly is meant by culture? Culture is a combination of family and national heritage.

Your family background is also a central element in your cultural world. You have inherited many, many values, ideas, and images (for good and for bad) from your family. Your family also provides you with your strongest frame of reference regarding relationships.

This lesson has merely delineated the problems we as readers bring to the text—the cultural baggage and preunderstandings that we must deal with as pre-text issues. The solution to the problem lies within the Interpretive Journey.

How to Read the Bible-Discourses

How to Read the Book-Discourses

This teaching focuses on discourses. The term discourse refers to units of connected text that are longer than paragraphs. The Bible is not a collection of short, disconnected sentences or unrelated paragraphs. The Bible is a story. Themes are intertwined throughout the text from paragraph to paragraph. Much of the message of the Bible is embedded in larger units of text. The basic discipline that you developed in the previous lessons involving focused, intensive observation is exactly the skill you need to sink your teeth into longer units of text. However, in this lesson we will add a few more items to your list of things to look for-items that are more specific to reading at the discourse level. These features will be illustrated for you with some intriguing passages.

Things to Look for in Discourses

1. Connections Between Paragraphs and Episodes.

After reading carefully and observing thoroughly at the sentence level and at the paragraph level, it is important to ask how your paragraph (in the letters) or your episode (in the narratives) relates to and connects with the other paragraphs/episodes that come before and after the one you are studying.

Example: Mark 8:22-26

Let’s look at the episode in Mark 8:22-26 and see if we can determine any connections between it and the episodes that precede (8:14-21) and follow (8:27-30).

First, read Mark 8:22-26

22And they came to Bethsaida. And some people brought to him a blind man and begged him to touch him. 23And he took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village, and when he had spit on his eyes and laid his hands on him, he asked him, "Do you see anything?" 24And he looked up and said, "I see men, but they look like trees, walking." 25Then Jesus laid his hands on his eyes again; and he opened his eyes, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. 26And he sent him to his home, saying, "Do not even enter the village."

The previous episode is Mark 8:14-21:

14Now they had forgotten to bring bread, and they had only one loaf with them in the boat. 15And he cautioned them, saying, "Watch out beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod." 16And they began discussing with one another the fact that they had no bread. 17And Jesus, aware of this, said to them, "Why are you discussing the fact that you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive or understand? Are your hearts hardened? 18Having eyes do you not see, and having ears do you not hear? And do you not remember? 19When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?" They said to him, "Twelve." 20"And the seven for the four thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?" And they said to him, "Seven." 21And he said to them, "Do you not yet understand?"

The following episode is Mark 8:27-30

27 And Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi. And on the way he asked his disciples, "Who do people say that I am?" 28And they told him, "John the Baptist; and others say, Elijah; and others, one of the prophets." 29And he asked them, "But who do you say that I am?" Peter answered him, "You are the Christ." 30 And he strictly charged them to tell no one about him.

Conclusion about the connection.

In the first episode Jesus asks his disciples some questions and realizes that they do not really understand who he is. They see only partially. By the third episode, however, they see clearly, acknowledging him as the Christ. The middle story, the blind man episode, is an illustration of the process that the disciples are experiencing. It is not so much a story about Jesus’ healing as it is about a man’s seeing. He only sees partially at first, as do the disciples. Then he sees clearly, as do the disciples. So the blind man episode is really an interruption in the flow of a section about the disciples’ understanding of Jesus. It provides a colorful, real-life illustration of what was occurring in the lives of the disciples.

2. Story Shifts: Major Breaks and Pivots

In the first three chapters of Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, he presents a doctrinal explanation about the Ephesians’ new life in Christ and the implications of that new life, especially regarding the unity of Jews and Gentiles in that new life. Ephesians 4:1, however, signals a major break, for Paul now begins to give practical exhortations about how the Ephesians ought to put the doctrine of Chapters 1-3 into practice. So while chapters 1-3 deal primarily with doctrine, chapter’s 4-6 focus on practical living.

In 2 Samuel the difference between the first half and the second half of 2 Samuel is striking. The strong, victorious, confident David in the first half of the book is contrasted sharply with the insecure, weak, indecisive David in the second half. What happens in the middle that leads to this change? Where does the pivot occur and what happens to bring it about?

The pivot event is in 2 Samuel chapters 11-12. David sins by sleeping with Bathsheba and having her husband Uriah killed. Prior to this episode, David cruises through life as the beloved, respected, national hero; afterwards, David’s magnificent reputation begins to unravel. It is crucial for understanding 2 Samuel to see this pivot and to note the central role it plays in changing the direction of the story.

3. Interchange

Interchange is a literacy device, used primarily in narrative, that involves contrasting or comparing two stories at the same time as part of the overall story development. Usually the narrative will move back and forth from one story to the other, often to show contrast.

The early chapters of Samuel 1 exhibit this feature. In the first few chapters the story develops two contrasting families. Eli, the fat, lazy priest, and his two decadent, disobedient sons, Hophni and Phinehas, are contrasted with devout Hannah and her pious, obedient son, Samuel. The two stories unfold at the same time, with the narrative moving back and forth from one to the other. As you read narrative, look for some purpose in the interchange. Why does the author employ this literary device in the telling of his story? In Samuel the interchange is used to underscore the strong contrast between Samuel and the corrupt priesthood he replaces.

4. Chiasm

Chiasm is a fascinating literary feature that is seldom used in English but is employed frequently by the biblical authors, especially in the Old Testament. In a chiasm a list of items, ideas, or events is structured in such a manner that the first item parallels the last item, the second item parallels the next to the last item, and so forth. For an illustration of chiasm consider the following silly example:

I got up this morning, got dressed, and drove into town. I worked hard all day, returning home, put on my PJ’s, and went to bed

To analyze the chiasm we list the events and look for parallels. We will list the first item as a and the corresponding parallel item as a’. The parallels of the story line up as follows:

a I got up this morning

b got dressed

c drove into town

d I worked hard all day

c’ returned home

b’ put on my PJs

a’ went to bed

If the middle event does not have a parallel, it functions as the main point or the focal point of the chiasm. The stress of this ridiculous example is on the narrator’s working hard all day.

Conclusion

Keep in mind that we are still only at the first step of grasping God’s Word. Later in the book we will move on to discovering the meaning and applying the meaning. These first four lessons, however, are critical, because if you bypass the careful reading step and move straight to application after only a superficial reading, you will almost certainly miss the meaning of the passage. In addition, the Bible will become boring for you because you will never see anything in it that you haven’t already seen. If you read carefully, however, and observe, observe, observe, you will be much more likely to arrive at the true meaning, and the Bible will become interesting to you because you will be seeing new things.

How to Read the Bible-Paragraphs

In the last lesson you learned to make observations at the sentence level. Now the focus will shift the focus of your observation from the sentence level to the paragraph level. Learning to see details is a skill that does not come naturally, but one developed through practice.

Things to Look for in Paragraphs

1. General and Specific-Sometimes an author will introduce an idea with a general statement-that is an overview or summary of the main idea. The author will them follow this general statement with the specifics of the idea. An example of this would be Galatians 5:16 being a general statement and Galatians 5:19-21 being the specific statement.

2. Questions and Answers-Occasionally an author will raise a rhetorical question and then answer that question. Paul does this several times in Romans. An example of this would be the question asked by Paul in Romans 6:1 and the answer given in Romans 6:2.

3. Dialogue-When you encounter a dialogue ask the following questions. Who are the participants? Who is speaking to whom? What is the setting? Are other people around? Are they listening? Are they participating in the dialogue? Is the dialogue an argument? A discussion? A lecture? Friendly chitchat? What is the point of the dialogue? You may find it helpful to color-code the dialogue. Assign one specific color to each participant and then color the conversation accordingly.

4. Purpose Statements-Always identify purpose statements. These are phrases or sentences that describe the reason, the result, or the consequence of some action. Examples are Ephesians 2:10, John 3:16, John 15:16, Deuteronomy 6:3, and Psalm 119:11.

5. Means (by which something is accomplished)-When an action, a result, or a purpose is stated, look for the means that brings about that action, result, or purpose. How is the action or result brought into reality? How is the purpose accomplished? Psalm 119:9 is an example. The purpose or action desired is for a young man to keep his way pure. What is the means? Living according to God’s Word.

6. Conditional Clauses-Identify all conditional clauses. These are clauses that present the conditions whereby some action, consequence, reality, or result will happen. The conditional aspect will usually be introduced by the conditional conjunction “if.” The resultant action or consequence will occasionally be introduced by “then.”

7. The Actions/Roles of People and the Actions/Roles of God-Biblical passages often refer to actions of people as well as those of God. Identify these and mark them separate. Ask the questions: What does God (further identify as the Father, the Son, or the Holy Spirit) do in this passage? What do people do in this passage? Then ask whether there is any kind of connection between what God does and what people do.

8. Emotional Terms-The Bible is not a book of abstract, technical information. It is a book about relationships, primarily relationships between God and people. Emotions play a big role in relationships. This is frequently overlooked in biblical interpretation. As part of your careful reading, when you observe the text, be sure to underscore words and phrases that have emotional overtones-that is, words that convey feeling and emotion. Also be sure to note words such as “father,” “mother,” “child,” “daughter,” “son,” and the like.

9. Tone-Try to identify the tone of the passage. This will often be closely related to the identification of emotional terms. However, once you have noted any emotional terms, continue on to determine the overall tone of the passage. Is it one of anger? A scolding tone? A sorrowful tone? Or a tone of unimpassioned explanation?

How to Read the Book-Sentences

If you move straight from your initial reading of a passage to the application of that passage, you will remain tied to your previous understanding of that text. You will rarely see anything new and exciting in the text, and the Bible will become boring for you. Any teaching or preaching you do will likewise tend to be flat and boring or a reflection of something other than Scripture. The Bible, however, is the Word of God, and it is not boring. We simply need to learn how to read it with more insight and understanding.

If you want to dig out real gold from the Bible-if you desire to pull out of God’s Word some of the serious “meat” that he has placed there for us to sink our teeth into-you have to exert considerable effort. It takes work-hard work! And you, the reader, have to decide whether you are content with shallow “baby food” that comes from casual reading or whether you want to work for the “mature food” that comes from serious reading.

One of the most critical skills needed in reading the Bible is the ability to see the details. Most of us read the Bible too quickly, and we skip over the details of the text. However, the meaning of the Bible is intertwined into the details of every sentence. Our first step in grasping a biblical text is to observe as many details as possible.

So, how do we develop the skill of observing the Bible? We read the text over and over, noting the details of the text. There are several basic features to look for that will help us to get started with this observation stage. These features include repetition of words, contrasts, comparisons, lists, cause and effects, figures of speech, conjunctions, verbs, and pronouns. This list, however, represents only some of what you might search for. Observation includes looking carefully at all the details of the text.

THINGS TO LOOK FOR IN SENTENCES

1. Repetition of Words-Look for words that repeat. First, be sure to note any words that repeat within the sentence you are studying. Then survey the sentences around the text you are reading and look for repetition in the larger passage.

Look, for example, at 1 John 2:15-17:

15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16For all that is in the world— the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions—is not from the Father but is from the world. 17And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.

Which word repeats in the first sentence? Does this word (“world”) appear in the next sentence as well? How many times in this passage does “world” occur? Is it in every sentence? Does it always have the definite article “the,” as in “the world”? Did you also notice the repetition of “love”? How many times does “love” occur? Simply by observing the repetition of words, we have an early indication of what the passage may be about. It has something to do with the world-in particular, about loving the world.

2. Contrasts-Look for items, ideas, or individuals that are contrasted with each other. For an example of contrast, take a look at Proverbs 14:31:

Whoever oppresses a poor man insults his Maker,
but he who is generous to the needy honors him.

Two different types of people are contrasted in this passage. Both in the way they treat the poor and in the way this behavior toward the poor reflects their attitude toward God. One type oppresses the poor, an action that reflects contempt for God, their Creator. The other type of person is kind to the poor. His action towards the poor honors God.

3. Comparisons-Contrasts focuses on differences. Comparison focuses on similarities. Look for items, ideas, or individuals that are compared with each other.

Proverbs 25:26 provides a good Old Testament example:

Like a muddied spring or a polluted fountain
is a righteous man who gives way before the wicked.

How is a righteous man who gives way to the wicked like a muddied spring? Because the spring, like the man, was once clean, pure, and useful, but know is contaminated and useless for service.

4. Lists-Any time you encounter more than two itemized things, you can identify them as a list. Write the list down and explore its significance. Is there any order? Are the items grouped in any way? For example, what three things are listed in 1 John 2:16?

What is listed in Galatians 5:22-23?

And what is listed in Galatians 5:19-21?

5. Cause and Effect-Often the biblical writers will state a cause and then state the effect of that cause. Proverbs 15:1 has two cause-and-effect relationships.

A soft answer turns away wrath,
but a harsh word stirs up anger.

The first cause is a “soft answer.” What is the effect of this cause? It “turns away wrath.” The second cause is a “harsh word.” What does that result in? As we all well know, it “stirs up anger.”

6. Figures of Speech-Figures of speech are images in which words are used in a sense other than the normal, literal sense. For example, think about the lamp image in Psalm 119:105:

Your word is a lamp to my feet
and a light to my path.

God’s Word is not a literal “lamp” to light up a dark trail for us. Rather, it is a figurative lamp that allows us to see our way through life (feet/path) clearly. Note that both “lamp” and “feet/path” are figures of speech.

7. Conjunctions-If we imagine the biblical text to be like a brick house, then conjunctions are the mortar that holds the bricks (phrases and sentences) together. One critical aspect of careful reading is to note all of the conjunctions (“and,” “for,” “but,” “therefore,” “since,” “because,” etc. Our tendency is to skip over them-but don’t do it! Without the mortar the bricks fall into a jumbled mess. So always take note of the conjunctions and identify their purpose or function. That is, try to determine what the conjunction connects.

For example, if you encounter the conjunction “but,” you might suspect some sort of contrast. Look in the text for the things being contrasted by this conjunction. Recall Romans 6:23:

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

The conjunction “but” indicates a contrast between the wages of sin (death) and the gift of God (eternal life).

8. Verbs-Where All the Action Is- Verbs are important because they communicate the action of the sentence. As you observe the text, be sure to note the verbal action. Try to identify what kind of verb is used. Is the verb a past, present, or future tense verb (I went, I go, I will go)? Does it present a progressive idea; that is, does it have a continued action (I was going, I am going, I will be going)? Is it an imperative verb (Go!)?

9. Pronouns-Note all pronouns and be sure to identify the antecedent (to whom or to what the pronoun refers).

Now it’s your turn. Take a look at Romans 12:1-2. Make as many observations as you can using the 9 things to observe that we have covered so far. The above list is far from exhaustive and is presented to help you get started. As you get into a text, observe as many details as possible. Spend time in the passage. Each sentence in the Bible has dozens and dozens of details just waiting for you to observe. Look carefully at the text. Read it over and over! Post your comments, reflections, or thoughts by clicking on the comments link below.