Who Controls the Meaning?

Our approach to interpreting the Bible focuses on authorial intent rather than reader response. God has communicated with us through the Scriptures. He has worked through human authors to convey his meaning to us through the text. As readers we do not create the meaning; rather, we seek to find the meaning that has already been replaced into the text by the author (both divine and human). This is why careful reading, context, historical background, word studies, translations, and genre are so important. these are the items we must grapple with if we are to grasp the intended meaning of the author.

Bible Translations

Choosing a Translation

1. Choose a translation that uses modern English. The whole point of making a translation is to move the message of the original text to a language you can understand. History teaches us that languages change over time, and English is no exception. The English of John Wycliffe’s day of 1611 is simply not the same as the English of the twenty-first century. There is little to be gained by translating a Greek or Hebrew text into a kind of English that you no longer use and can no longer comprehend. For that reason, it is recommended that you choose among the many good translations that have appeared within the last fifty years.


2. Choose a translation that is based on the standard Hebrew and Greek text. The standard text for the Old Testament is the Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia (BHS). For the New Testament the standard text is reflected in the latest edition of the United Bible Societies’ Greek New Testament (GNT) or Nestle-Aland’s Novum Testamentum Graece. The majority of scholars prefer an ecletic original text rather than the Tex tus Receptus used by the KJV and the NKJV.


3. Give preference to a translation by a committee over against a translation by an individual. Translating requires an enormous amount of knowledge and skill. A group of qualified translators will certainly possess more expertise than any one translator possibly could. In addition, a group of scholars will usually guard against the tendency of individual scholars to read their own personal biases into their translation.


4. Choose a translation that is appropriate for your own particular purpose at the time. When you want to read devotionally or read to children consider a simplified, functional translation such as the New Living Translation or the New Century Version. If you are reading to nontraditional or unchurched people, consider the Contemporary English Version or The Message. If you are reading to people with English as a second language, consider the Good News Bible. If you are reading to a “King-James-only” church, consider the New King James. But for your own personal serious Bible study, it is suggested that you choose the New American Standard Bible, the New International Version, Today’s New International Version, the New Revised Standard Version, the English Standard Version, the Holman Christian Standard Bible, or the NET Bible.

This writer uses the English Standard Version and if you want to know why visit
www.esv.com

Word Studies

Introduction

This unit is all about studying the words of Scripture. Even if you don’t know the original biblical languages, Hebrew and Greek, you can still learn to use interpretive tools to do a word study properly, and we will show you how. The study starts by alerting you to common mistakes people make when studying words. It will then be explained how to identify words in a passage that need further study, how to determine what a word could mean, and finally how to decide what a word does mean in context.

Common Word Study Fallacies

English-Only Fallacy

The English-only fallacy occurs when you base your word study on the English word rather than the underlying Greek or Hebrew word and, as a result, draw unreliable or misleading conclusions.

Root Fallacy

One of the more common fallacies is the notion that the real meaning of a word is found in its original root. (i.e., in the etymology of the word). Think about how silly this can be even in English. Is a butterfly actually a fly that has lost control and crash-landed into a tub of butter? Is a pineapple a certain kind of apple that grows only on pine trees?

Time-Frame Fallacy

This fallacy occurs when we latch onto a late word meaning (usually a meaning popular in our own time) and read it back into the Bible, or when we insist that an early word meaning still holds when in fact it has since become obsolete.

Overload Fallacy

Most words can mean several different tings. The overload fallacy is the idea that a word will include all of those senses every time it is used. For example, the English word “spring” can refer to a season, a metal coil, an act of jumping, or a source of water. You would be overloading “spring: (pun intended…perhaps) to assume that in every passage in which it occurs, the word carries not just one, but all of those senses. Which meaning for “spring” does the context demand in the sentence, “Spring is my favorite season of the year”? If you said “all of the above” or even if you chose any meaning except a season of the yea, you would be guilty of the overload fallacy.

Word-Count Fallacy

We make this mistake when we insist that a word must have the same meaning every time it occurs.

Word-Concept Fallacy

We fall prey to the word-concept fallacy when we assume that once we have studied one word, we have studied an entire concept.

Selective-Evidence Fallacy

When we cite just the evidence that supports our favored interpretation or when we dismiss evidence that seems to argue against our view, we commit the selective-evidence fallacy.

Choose Your Words Carefully

Doing a word study properly takes time. Be realistic and admit that you cannot possibly study every word in your passage and still have any time for your friends. Use the following guidelines to help you choose the words you need to study.

1. Look for words that are crucial to the passage.
2. Look for repeated words.
3. Look for figures of speech.
4. Look for words that are unclear, puzzling, or difficult.

Determine What the Word Could Mean

Why do we need to determine what the word could mean before we decide what it does mean? Because most words can mean several different things (e.g., “spring”), but will usually carry only one of those meanings in a particular context. By clarifying what a word could mean, we will not confuse the various meanings of a word when interpreting a particular passage of Scripture.

Semantic Range

Once we see all the possible meanings of a word—what we refer to as a word’s range of meaning or semantic range—we will be in a better position to decide what the word actually does mean in a specific context.

Concordance Work

The first step is to use an exhaustive concordance to locate the original Hebrew or Greek word. As you see the definitions of the word and the different ways the word has been translated into English, you will begin to get a feel for what the word could mean (i.e., its semantic range).

Context Studies

This brings us to the second thing you can do to discover a word’s range of meaning. You must examine the context to see how your word is used. The one rule in doing word studies that overrules all other rules is this: Context determines word meaning.

Decide What the Word Does Mean in Context

In light of the context, the first thing you must do is to select from the possible meanings the one meaning that best fits your word. What we said earlier about the importance of context bears repeating: Context determines word meaning!

Conclusion

The process is simple, even though it takes time: (1) Determine what the word could mean, and (2) decide the most likely meaning of the word in context.

The Literary Context

Introduction

Imagine that you are a college student strolling to class one day when a total stranger hits you with a one-liner. “Go for it!” How would you respond? Would you say, “Sure,” and walk away thinking that he or she was one fry short of a happy meal? Or would you take the message with all religious seriousness and conclude God must be speaking to you through that person, answering your prayers about your dating dilemma or your decision regarding a major or your problem of whether to take the summer job?

To unveil the meaning of “go for it,” most of us would probably come back with a few questions of our own. “What exactly do you mean?” or “Go for what?” We would ask questions as part of our search for a context to give meaning to those three little words. Without a context, “go for it” can mean almost anything. Without a context, words become meaningless.

When it comes to interpreting and applying the Bible, context is crucial. In fact, we would go so far as to say that the most important principle of biblical interpretation is that context determines meaning. When we ignore the context, we can twist the Scriptures and “prove” almost anything.

What is Literary Genre?

Of every passage of Scripture, we must first notice the form it takes (i.e., how does it mean?) before we look at its content (i.e., what did it mean?). The word genre is a French word meaning “form” or “kind.” When applied to biblical interpretation, the expression literary genre simply refers to the different categories or types of literature found in the Bible. In the Old Testament you will encounter narrative, law, poetry, prophecy, and wisdom. The New Testament forms include gospel, history, letter, and apocalyptic literature. Both Old and New Testaments feature a number of subgenres (e.g., parables, riddles, sermons).

What is Surrounding Context?

Surrounding context simply refers to the texts that surround the passage you are studying. You can think of it as the textual world in which your text lives. This includes the words, sentences, paragraphs, and discourses that come before and after your passage.

Dangers of Disregarding Literary Context

You have probably heard it said that you can make the Bible say anything you want. That is true only if you disregard the literary context. There are a number of dangers associated with disregarding literary context. Here we will discuss only two of the most common problems—the first associated with individual interpreters, the second with preachers.

Ignoring the Surrounding Context

The first danger is simply ignoring the surrounding context. This usually happens when individuals focus on a single verse without paying attention to how the surrounding verses might affect its meaning.

Topical Preaching

A second danger associated with disregarding literary context is that of topical preaching. Topical preaching is a valid approach to preaching when the various passages are understood in context and the overall message doesn’t violate those individual contexts. But far too often topical preaching distorts the meaning of Scripture by disregarding the literary context.

How to Identify the Surrounding Context

1. Identify how the book is divided into paragraphs or sections. Look at several different Bible Translations to see how the translators have divided the book into smaller units.
2. Summarize the main idea of each section in about a dozen words or less. When writing your summary, think about two things: (a) the topic or main idea of the section, and (b) what the author says about the topic or main idea. As you do this, you will have to resist the temptation to get lost in all the details. Stick with the main point, the big idea.
3. Explain how your particular passage relates to the surrounding sections. Now that you can see the author’s flow of thought through the entire book by reading your section summaries, it is time to look at how your passage fits into its surroundings.

Conclusion

We study literary context because the interpretation that best fits the context is the most valid interpretation. When we disregard literary context, we run the risk of forcing the Bible to say what we want it to say. This may appear to satisfy people’s immediate needs, but ultimately, this approach hurts people by robbing them of God’s liberating truth. People are seeking time-tested answers to problems that are stating them in the face, answers that contemporary culture simply cannot supply. When we take the literary context seriously, we are saying, “We want to hear what God is trying to say to us.”

The Historical-Cultural Context

Introduction

To grasp God's Word we must understand the meaning of the text in context and apply that meaning to our lives. Context takes two major forms: literary context and historical-cultural context (commonly referred to as "background"). In this lesson you will learn about historical-cultural context as we ask and answer some important questions. Why do we need to bother with studying the historical-cultural background of a passage? Is it really important? What exactly is involved in studying historical-cultural context? Are there any pitfalls along the way? What tools are available to help us get the job done? The goal of this lesson is to show you how to study the historical-cultural context of a passage and to persuade you that knowing the background of a text can help to clarify its meaning and reveal its relevance to your life?

Why Bother with Historical-Cultural Context?

We do so because it offers us a window into what God was saying to the biblical audience. Since we live in a very different context, we must recapture God's original intended meaning as reflected in the text and framed by the ancient historical-cultural context. Once we understand the meaning of the text in its original context, we can apply it to our lives in ways that will be just as relevant. God's Word is eternally relevant. Our task as students of his Word is to discover that relevance by doing our contextual homework.

What Is Historical-Cultural Context?

Generally speaking, this kind of context involves the biblical writer, the biblical audience, and any historical-cultural elements touched on by the passage itself.

The Biblical Writer: What is the writer's background? Where does he come from? When does he write? What kind of ministry does he have? What is his relationship with the people he addresses? Finally, why is he writing

The Biblical Audience: Discovering the historical-cultural context also involves knowing something about the biblical audience and their circumstances.

Other Historical-Cultural Elements: In the parable of the prodigal son, we think nothing of the father running to greet his returning son. But when we learn that elderly Jewish men were considered much too dignified to run, we begin to see that Jesus is telling us how God feels about and responds to sinners when they come home. If you have ever been in the far country spiritually, you'll be glad to know that when you decide to return home. god stands ready to "ditch his dignity" and run to meet you.

Dangers Associated with Studying Background

While the greatest danger is ignoring the historical-cultural context, there are also dangers associated with studying it. to begin with, you need to watch out for inaccurate background information. Look at Matthew 19:23-24 as an example.

You may have herd it explained that the "camel's gate" was a small gate through which a camel could squeeze if its load was removed and the animal got down on its knees. The problem with this explanation is that there is no evidence for this kind of gate. The "eye of a needle" meant essentially waht it means today (i.e., the eye of a sewing needle). Jesus is using the largest animal in Palestine and one of the smallest openings to make a forceful statement about how hard it is for the rich and powerful to enter God's kingdom.

This is just one example of how inaccurate information can get passed down through generations of preachers and teachers. Just because background material makes a great sermon illustration does not mean that it is accurate. Your information will only be as good as your resources, and not all resources are created equal.

Tools for Identifying Historical Cultural Context

To identify the historical-cultural context you need to (1) grasp the historical-cultural context of the book that contains your passage and (2) recognize the specific historical-cultural context of the passage itself.

Bible Handbooks: Bible handbooks usually begin with general articles about the Bible and the world of the Bible.

Old Testament and New Testament Introductions and Surveys: These resources supply detailed background information on each book as well as an overview of the book's contents.

Commentaries: In most cases a good commentary will be your best bet for up-to-date, detailed information about the historical-cultural context of the book that contains your passage.

Historical-Cultural Context of the Passage Itself

After you have a good sense of the background of the book that contains your passage, you need to identify the historical-cultural context of the passage itself. This involves examining any elements of history and culture that are connected to or mentioned in the passage (e.g., geography, politics, religion, economics, family life, social customs). To accomplish this, the following resources are recommended.

Bible Atlases: If you want to learn more about the people, places, and events mentioned in your passage, take a look at a Bible atlas.

Bible Dictionaries and Encyclopedias: This is a place to go when you need information about a particular topic mentioned in your passage. for instance, if you want to know more about the Garden of Gethsemane, consult a Bible dictionary or encyclopedia.

Commentaries: Commentaries are mentioned again because the good ones are also extremely helpful in shedding light on background matters within your passage.

Background Commentaries: This relatively new type of commentary focuses not on the meaning of each passage, but on historical-cultural background essential to grasping the meaning.

Old Testament and New Testament Histories: Histories are most useful when you want detailed background information on particular topics within your passage.

Special Studies in ?Ancient Life and Culture: These resources provide detailed discussions on selected topics. They can be helpful when you really want to dig deep on a particular topic.

Computer Software and the Internet

You will be able to find some of the resources mentioned above in electronic format.

Conclusion

We study the historical-cultural background of the Bible because God chose to speak first to ancient peoples living in cultures that are radically different from our own. As we recapture the original context of God' Word, we will be able to grasp its meaning and apply that meaning to our lives. Remember, a valid interpretation of any text must be consistent with the historical-cultural context of that text.