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  BIBLE INTERPRETATION
  by Garlandtony
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Garland's guide to principles of Bible interpretation, providing a systematic
approach to understanding and applying the Scriptures faithfully.

  Chapters: 7

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  TABLE OF CONTENTS
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    1. 01 - Basic Principles of Communication
    2. 02 - Understanding the Language of Scripture
    3. 03 - The Importance of Context
    4. 04 - Understanding the Setting
    5. 05 - Special Topics in Bible Interpretation
    6. 06 - Applying the Scripture to Life Today
    7. 07 - Exercise for Handling a Bible Difficulty

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  CHAPTER 1: 01 - BASIC PRINCIPLES OF COMMUNICATION
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Basic Bible Interpretation:

Basic Principles of Communication

Introduction A "Pre-Worldview Course"

· Someone might say, "But I thought this was going to be a worldview course!"

· What determines whether someone has a Biblical worldview?

· When confronted with any issue his first question will be, "What does the
Bible say about this?"

· But let’s back the question up further: "How can we accurately determine what
the Bible does say about various issues?"

· Without a solid foundation for being able to accurately interpret the
Scriptures, every person could make the Bible say anything he wants it to say.
Obviously, this is not what God wanted when He gave us the Scriptures.

·Therefore, we need to understand and apply the basic principles of Bible
interpretation ("hermeneutics" in theological terms). A Bigger Picture ·When we
say we want a Biblical worldview, here are some of the issues involved:

1. How to think and act biblically.

2. How to accurately interpret the Bible.

3. How the Bible came to us in language we can understand.

4. How we view the Bible: its origin, inspiration, inerrancy, and authority.

5. How we understand the nature and character of God.

· In this workshop we will not be dealing with all of these issues. We will
focus on developing sound principles for interpreting what the Bible says.
However, there are some "rules" for interpretation that arise from these "big
picture" issues:

1. Work from the assumption that the Bible is God’s onlyinspired, inerrant, and
authoritative revelation to us.

2. Understand that saving faith and the illumination of the indwelling Holy
Spirit are required in order to properly interpret God’s Word.

3. Interpret personal experience in light of Scripture, rather than interpreting
Scripture in light of personal experience.

4. The Church does not determine what the Bible teaches, the Bible must
determine what the Church should teach.

5. Every Christian has the right and responsibility to study and interpret God’s
Word for himself.

Why Do We Need These Principles?

Write a "Thank You" Note

· Take a moment to write several sentences expressing your thanks to someone for
something they have done for you recently.

· Try to give some specific details of the situation, and describe how you felt
as a result of their actions. Or share something you learned about yourself or
the other person as a result of the situation.

Any Communication Requires Interpretation

· Whenever we use language in order to communicate something, the "rules" of
proper interpretation must also be used.

· All thought and language require the stability of categories in order to be
effective. If something could be a dog one minute and then transform into a
sheep the next, we would never be able to talk about it.

· In the field of logic, this would be called the Law of Non-Contradiction: "The
same attribute cannot at the same time belong and not belong to the same subject
and in the same respect." In other words, it is not possible for something to be
"A" and "not-A."

· This "stability of categories" is unavoidable because it was built into the
fabric of the universe by God. Therefore, the Law of Non-Contradiction must be
assumed to be true by anyone who wants to think or say anything meaningful. It
is necessary for making any kind of distinction, affirmation, or denial. "If
someone were to say, ’There is no such thing as truth, and the Law of
Non-Contradiction is meaningless,’ he has done two things. First, he has assumed
that his view is true as opposed to false, and thus he uses the Law of
Non-Contradiction.... Second, he has violated the Law of Non-Contradiction by
suggesting that there is no such thing as truth while at the same time and in
the same sense insisting that there is such a thing as truth - the truth of his
own view." 1

· When applied to language, this means ... "that every word in the sentence ’The
line is straight’ has a specific meaning. The does not mean any, all, or no.
Line does not mean dog, dandelion, or doughnut. Is does not mean is not.
Straight does not mean white or anything else. Each word has a definite meaning.
In order to have a definite meaning, a word must not only mean something, it
must also not mean something."2 When applied to the language of the Bible, this
means that every word in every verse has a specific meaning.

· Is it possible to determine what is the valid meaning of a text? Are there
multiple valid meanings? If so, are some meanings more valid than others? Can I
arrive at the meaning of the text simply by asking, "What does it mean to me?
These are questions that we must answer before we can accurately interpret the
Bible.

· As in the example of your Thank You note, each word and phrase was intended to
have a specific meaning. But who was the determiner of that meaning? It was the
author of the text that decided which words to use in order to express a single,
specific intended meaning.

· As with any other book, the Bible was written in languages that were intended
to communicate specific concepts to the readers. "The desired result is that the
hearers or readers will understand in their minds the ideas conveyed from the
mind of the speaker or writer. A person can know the mind of a speaker or author
only by what he says or writes. Since the Bible is written in human languages,
obviously the purpose is to convey truths from God, the ultimate Author, to
human beings."3 In studying the Bible, we must arrive as closely as possible to
the meaning that God intended to communicate through the inspired words that His
servants wrote.

How do we know whether we have determined the true meaning?

· We think carefully, study in a disciplined manner, and follow the best
possible principles of interpretation.

· These principles will be the subject of the remaining sessions of this
workshop. We will be discussing:

1. Understanding the written language of the Bible.

2. Understanding the history, geography, and culture of the Bible writers.

3. Understanding the literary forms of the Bible, as well as how to interpret
special types of language.

4. Understanding the unity of the Scriptures, as well as how to interpret the
Bible theologically and systematically.

5. Understanding the principles for proper application of the Scriptures to our
lives today.

Why study the principles of interpretation?

· Without learning how to think properly and to accurately interpret the words
and phrases of the Bible, we will be in danger of misinterpreting Scripture. The
apostle Peter warns against the destruction that comes from distorting the
meaning of Scripture (2 Peter 3:14-16). A study of sound principles of biblical
interpretation will help us to avoid twisting Scripture to make it say something
that it was not intended to say.

· "History shows that erroneous principles have often spoiled the exegetical
work of fine men, some of whom are great saints. This should be a warning to us
against careless interpretation. There is less excuse for us because we can
profit by the lessons of the past."4

·"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?"5 Interpretation as a Step in a Larger Process

OBSERVATION

What does the text say?

INTERPRETATION

What does it mean by what it says?

CORRELATION

How does this fit with the rest of the Bible?

APPLICATION

How does this apply to my life today?

Resource List for General Bible Interpretation Hermeneutics Books 1.Roy Zuck,
Basic Bible Interpretation 2.Robertson McQuilkin, Understanding and Applying the
Bible 3.Henry Virkler, Hermeneutics: Principles and Process of Biblical
Interpretation 4.Bernard Ramm, Protestant Biblical Interpretation 5.John
MacArthur, Think Biblically Bible Study Methods 1.Kay Arthur, How to Study Your
Bible 2.Tim LaHaye, How to Study the bible for Yourself 3.John MacArthur, How to
Study the Bible 4.Gordon Fee & Douglas Stuart, How to Read the Bible for All Its
Worth 5.Walter Henrichsen & Gayle Jackson, Studying, Interpreting, and Applying
the Bible 6.Woodrow Kroll, How to Understand the Bible 7.Irving Jensen, Enjoy
Your Bible

8. Dan McCartney & Charles Clayton, Let the Reader Understand: A Guide to
Interpreting and Applying the Bible

Endnotes 1 Norman Geisler & Peter Bocchino, Unshakable Foundations (2001), 24.

2 Gordon Clark, Logic (1985), viii.

3 Roy Zuck, Basic Bible Interpretation (1991), 61.

4 A. Berkeley Mickelsen, Interpreting the Bible (1963), 20.

5 Zuck, 15.


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  CHAPTER 2: 02 - UNDERSTANDING THE LANGUAGE OF SCRIPTURE
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Basic Bible Interpretation: Understanding the Language of the Bible Gaps Between
Us and the Biblical Writers

· Our goal in Bible interpretation is to come as close as possible to the
intended meaning of the biblical author, but we must realize that there are
several "gaps" between us and the original writers.

1. Time Gap: there is a time gap of hundreds or thousands of years between us
and the original writers of the Scriptures.

2. Distance Gap: there is a gap of hundreds or thousands of miles between us and
the foreign countries where the events of the Bible happened.

3. Culture Gap: there is a wide difference between how we live today and how
people lived and acted in the societies of the original writers.

4. Language Gap: there is a great difference between the way we speak and write
today compared with how people spoke and wrote during the time of the original
writers.

· Look at this text and see if you can interpret it: Do, carodd Duw y byd
gymaint nes iddo roi ei unig Fab, er mwyn i bob un sy’n credu ynddo ef beidio â
mynd i ddistryw ond cael bywyd tragwyddol.1

· If you want to know what these words say you can either (1) learn the original
language, or (2) ask someone who already knows this language to translate it for
you. This is what we also do with the written Scriptures, since they were
originally recorded in the Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek languages.

Interpret the Bible?WhichBible?

· Since our goal is to come as close as possible to the intended meaning of the
biblical author, how can we determine which of the available English Bible
versions is a close rendering of the words that the biblical writers actually
recorded? Unfortunately the process of translation almost always involves some
degree of interpretation, which may introduce distortions of the original
author’s intended meaning.

· Studies have been done to classify different Bible versions according to how
"literally" they render the words of the original biblical authors.
"Word-for-word" translations come closest to the original text, but the
resulting English may not be very readable. "Concept-for-concept" translations
are more readable in English, but they may take some liberties with the original
intention of the author. "Paraphrase" translations are very readable in English,
but they usually render the original text in modern idioms or slang that often
expresses meanings different from those intended by the original author.

· The following list ranks several different versions of the English Bible
according to their translation style (most literal to least literal):

1. American Standard Version (ASV) 2. King James Version (KJV) 3. New King James
Version (NKJV) 4. New American Standard Bible (NASB) 5. New American Bible (NAB)
6. Revised Standard Version (RSV) 7. Modern Language Bible (MLB) 8. New
International Version (NIV) 9. The Good News Bible (GNB) 10. The New English
Bible (NEB) 11. The Jerusalem Bible (JB) 12. The Phillips Modern English Bible
13. Today’s English Version (TEV)

14. The Message 15. The Living Bible (LB)

· For the purpose of studying and interpreting the Bible, it is best to select
one of the top four English translations that are more literal in their
rendering of what the biblical author has recorded.

Interpreting the Language of Scripture The more skilled we become in using and
interpreting language of all kinds, the more useful we can be to God and others
in every area of life that involves communication. "True language consciousness
on the part of the interpreter is essential. To develop this in the original
languages (Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek) is very rewarding. But if one cannot study
the original languages, then a language awareness in English will help the
interpreter to escape many pitfalls and to lay hold of many truths which he
might otherwise pass by."2 Understanding theMeaningsof Words (Lexicology)

· We must remember that a word can only mean one thing at a time. Therefore,
when a biblical writer uses a word, we should make every effort to determine
that single intended meaning.

·In order to do this, we first need to know the possible range of meanings that
the specific word might have. Dictionaries (lexicons) and other word study tools
can be very helpful in describing the variety of meanings for particular words.
"To say that there is a range of meaning does not mean that one can identify the
whole range and then pick the meaning that best suits what he would like the
author to have said. No, the author had a very specific meaning in mind. If God
the Holy Spirit took the care to inspire the very words, we must be careful to
search out the intent of the author in his choice of words."3 ·We also must know
the factors that affect the meaning of words: oWord Origin (etymology) = what is
the original root meaning of the word? Etymology may provide a useful word
picture to aid our understanding, but it can also be misleading. Etymology does
not tell us as much about the meaning of a word as it does about the history of
a word. oWord Usage = the meanings of words are established by their common
usage during the time of the writer. oContext = the specific meaning of a word
is always determined by its use in a particular context.

·The more skill you have with the original languages of the Bible, the more
tools become accessible to study those languages. "It is possible to do a
competent word study without a working knowledge of the original languages.
However, if the serious student can quickly learn both the Hebrew and Greek
alphabets and their standard transliterations into English, he is then equipped
to use more concordances, dictionaries, and commentaries."4 Understanding
theRelationshipsof Words (Syntax) ·We must understand the basic parts of speech
and how they function in sentences. oIdentifying nouns will help us see the
subjects and objects in sentences, and identifying adjectives will show us how
these nouns are being described. oIdentifying verbs will show us what action is
being expressed in sentences, and identifying adverbs will help us see how this
action is occurring. oIdentifying prepositions and connecting words
(conjunctions) will show us how the ideas in the sentences are connected to form
a complete thought.

· Connecting words (conjunctions) are often important in understanding the flow
of thought in a passage, because they indicate the relationships between the
ideas that they link together. Here are several conjunctions the the type of
relationships they indicate:

Relationship

Conjunction or Connecting Word(s)

CAUSE / REASON

Because, For this reason, Since, That

COMPARISON

As, Also, Just as, Like, Likewise, More, More than, So as, So also, Too

CONDITIONAL

If

CONTINUATION

And, Either, Neither, Nor, Or

CONTRAST

Although, But, Except, Even though, However, Much more, Nevertheless, Only,
Otherwise, Whereas, Yet

EMPHASIS

Indeed, Only

EXPLANATION

For, Now

LOCATION / POSITION

At, In, On, Over, Where, Wherever

PURPOSE / RESULT

For this purpose, In order that, So that, That, Then, Therefore, Thus

TIME

After, As, Before, Now, Then, Until, When, While

· Sentence diagrams can visually show the relationship of the parts of
sentences, but they can sometimes be difficult to read. A simplified form of
"structuring" is another way to represent a text such as, "I thank my God always
concerning you for the grace of God which was given you in Christ Jesus" (1
Corinthians 1:4).

WORD

ANALYSIS

I

Pronoun (Subject). What noun does this stand for? (Paul)

thank

Verb(eucharisteo) = to express gratitude, give thanks, offer a prayer of
thanksgiving.

my God

Noun (Object). Literally, "the God of me."

always

Adverb describing the time of the action (whenever Paul was praying).

concerning you

Prepositional phrase (peri) describing the object of Paul’s thanks to God (the
Corinthian believers).

for the grace of God

Prepositional phrase (epi) describing what it is about them that Paul thanks God
for ("On account of the favors which God has bestowed on you").

which was given you

Adjective phrase describing how they received this grace. Literally, "the
given-to-you" [grace].

in Christ Jesus

Prepositional phrase (en) describing the sphere in which this grace-gift was
given to believers.

How to OBSERVE Things in the Language of the Bible

· Most Bible readers do not see things because they do not know what to look
for. We learn what to look for by asking the right questions. Questions bring
details to our attention.

· Rudyard Kipling’s "Six Honest Serving-Men"

I keep six honest serving-men, they taught me all I knew; Their names
areWhatandWhereandWhenandHowandWhyandWho.

1. WHAT? Notice the main actions, objects, or ideas being discussed.

2. WHERE? Notice the places or positions being discussed.

3. WHEN? Notice the time references or the order of events.

4. HOW? Notice the way things happen or the qualities of objects.

5. WHY? Notice the reasons or explanations for the actions or ideas.

6. WHO? Notice the main people that are involved or discussed.

· One question may lead to another question. For example, in a study of John 3:2
you might ask WHEN? and see that Nicodemus came to Jesus at night. So you might
ask WHY did he come at night?

Resource List for Interpreting Bible Language General Bible Study Software

1. e-Sword = a free Bible study program that has wonderful tools for determining
the meaning of biblical words. (<http://www.e-Sword.net> for free download and
updates).

2. Swordsearcher = an inexpensive Bible study program, also with good language
tools. (http://swordsearcher.com <swordsearcher.com> for a free evaluation
download).

3. Other Bible study software: costly and usually not as easy to use as e-Sword.

Biblical Word Meanings (Ranked by level of skill required and by price - least
to greatest) 1.Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament
Words (W. E. Vine) 2.The Complete Word Study New Testament (Spiros Zodhiates)
3.Vincent’s New Testament Word Studies (Marvin Vincent) 4.Word Pictures in the
New Testament (A. T. Robertson) 5.Word Studies in the Greek New Testament
(Kenneth Wuest) 6.Word Meanings in the New Testament (Ralph Earle) 7.Thayer’s
Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament (Joseph Thayer) 8.The
Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon (Brown, Driver, & Briggs)
9.Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament (Harris, Archer, & Waltke)
10.Abridged Theological Dictionary of the New Testament (Kittel & Bromiley)
Complete or Exhaustive Concordances

1. Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance (KJV); NIV Exhaustive Concordance (NIV); NAS
Exhaustive Concordance (NASB); other concordances by Bible version.

2. Englishman’s Greek Concordance & Englishman’s Hebrew Concordance (George
Wigram)

Endnotes

1 This is the text of John 3:16 from Y Beibl Cymraeg Newydd (The New Welsh
Bible) by The British and Foreign Bible Society, 2004.

2 A. Berkeley Michelsen, Interpreting the Bible (1963), 114.

3 Robertson McQuilkin, Understanding and Applying the Bible (1992), 110.

4 McQuilkin, 114.


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  CHAPTER 3: 03 - THE IMPORTANCE OF CONTEXT
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Basic Bible Interpretation: The Importance of Context in Understanding Bible
Language What Does the Context Include?

· It is important to understand what is meant by "context" when using it to
interpret a passage of Scripture. The context of a passage includes all of the
following things:

1. The verses immediately before and after the passage.

2. The paragraph and book in which the passage appears.

3. Other books by this author, as well as the overall message of the entire
Bible.

4. The cultural environment of the time when the passage was written.

5.The historical period (dispensation) of "Progressive Revelation" during which
the passage was written. The Immediate Context of a Passage

· Context is important because it forces the interpreter to examine the biblical
writer’s overall flow of thought. The meaning of any passage is nearly always
determined, controlled, or limited by what appears immediately beforehand and
afterward in the text.

· "By observing what precedes and what follows a passage, the interpreter has
greater opportunity to see what the writer was seeking to convey to his original
readers. These readers did not plunge into the middle of the letter and seize
out a few consecutive sentences. They read carefully the whole document. To
treat material fairly the modern interpreter must enter into the total train of
thought. No axiom is better known and more frequently disobeyed than the oft
quoted: ’Atextwithout acontextis just apretext.’ Faithful adherence to context
will create in the interpreter a genuine appreciation for the authority of
Scripture."1 A respect for the authority of Scripture means that we will seek
its meaning rather than putting ourselves in authority above Scripture as the
determiner of its meaning.

·We all have a tendency to take verses out of context and use them to support
points that we think are important. This is called "proof-texting" -- and it is
our own attempt to make the Bible say what we want it to say, rather than
letting the text of Scripture say what God intended to communicate. "The most
common failure in interpretation is to violate this most simple and basic
principle: the context must control."2 Examples of Interpreting in Context

· Galatians 5:4 -- Does "Falling from grace" mean that a person can lose his
salvation? In the context of this passage, the apostle Paul was discussing the
legalistic "Circumcision Party" and their attempt to bring the believers under
the bondage of the Mosaic Law. He warned these believers that if a person seeks
justification by God through human effort in obeying the Law, then he has
rejected the way of salvation that God provided through the gracious gift of His
Son -- he has departed from the way of grace, or is "fallen from grace."

· 1 Corinthians 7:1 -- "It is good for a man not to touch a woman." Does this
mean that there should be no physical contact whatsoever between men and women?
In what sense is a man not to "touch" a woman? This passage occurs in the
context of the importance of abstaining from sexual immorality (1 Corinthians
5:1-5; 1 Corinthians 6:9-20; 1 Corinthians 7:2, 1 Corinthians 7:9), and that is
the sense in which a man is not to touch a woman. It would be wrong to conclude
that any man should never touch any woman, but sexual purity should be the goal
for every man and woman.

· 2 Thessalonians 2:7 -- "For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work;
only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way." Who is
the one who restrains lawlessness? Unfortunately, the apostle Paul never
directly identified the restrainer, but he assumed that the Thessalonians knew
(based on his previous teaching: see 2 Thessalonians 2:5, 2 Thessalonians 2:15).
Our study of the context of this passage indicates that whoever the restrainer
is (1) he must have actively existed from the time of Paul through the period of
history until the "man of lawlessness" [Antichrist] will be revealed; (2) he
must have the authority to dictate, control, and direct human actions and
events; (3) he must be powerful enough to hold back mighty spiritual forces --
even those of Satan himself -- see 2 Thessalonians 2:9; (4) he must be able to
hold back lawlessness everywhere at once on a global scale; and (5) he must
maintain or uphold the standard of absolute holiness during this time period.
The only plausible candidate who meets all of these requirements is God the Holy
Spirit (especially through his unique ministry during the Church Age).

· 1 John 3:6-10 -- "No one who abides in Him sins; no one who sins has seen Him
or knows Him." Does this mean that, in order to maintain his status as a
Christian, a believer must never sin? In the context of the entire book of First
John this interpretation would be incorrect, because John clearly states that
Christians do sin (see 1 John 1:8, 1 John 1:10; 1 John 2:1; 1 John 5:16), and
that believers have a remedy when that occurs (see 1 John 1:9). Therefore, we
must seek another interpretation of 1 John 3:6-10 that is more consistent with
the context of the entire message of the book.

Understanding the Overall Flow of Thought

· The purpose of the biblical writer will influence the meaning of every passage
in the book. Understanding the writer’s general purpose will provide a larger
context for each specific passage, and this will help to determine the author’s
intended meaning. We should allow his purpose to control our interpretation. A
basic rule is that each passage should be interpreted in light of the overall
purpose of the biblical writer.

·An isolated passage cannot be interpreted as if it were disconnected from all
of the ideas that come before and afterward. Outlines are very helpful in
discerning the overall plan of a book. In order to identify and outline the flow
of thought, it is important to look for changes or transitions in the text. The
biblical writers normally present their messages in recognizable steps. To
understand these steps, we must look at the structure and flow of the larger
context. Changes in the text may provide clues to the structure of a writer’s
thoughts. For example: oThe author may clearly announce a new section as he
begins it. oThere may be significant "signposts" in the text. For example, in 1
Corinthians 7:1; 1 Corinthians 7:25; 1 Corinthians 8:1; 1 Corinthians 12:1; and
1 Corinthians 16:1 we see the transition words: "Now concerning." oThere may be
a change in literary form, for example from prose to poetry. oThere may be
grammatical changes in person, number, tense, voice, or mood. oThere may be
obvious changes in subject matter, logic, or thought patterns. oThe author may
use regular repetition. He may compare or contrast things consistently. He may
write in sequence from cause to effect (or effect to cause).

· "It is important to seek an understanding of the purpose through direct
reading of the book before consulting the opinions of others. But it would be a
mistake to make a final decision without consulting what specialists have
concluded. If a Bible introduction book, a Bible handbook, and the introduction
of the biblical book in one or two commentaries all concur as to what the
purpose is, one can proceed with some confidence on that basis as he studies the
book. If there is no general agreement among the specialists, it is probably
because no particular purpose is altogether clear. In that case, no purpose
should be used as a guideline for interpreting a specific passage, except in a
general way."3

· A study of the larger context of a Scripture passage usually shows why the
author wrote to his readers the way he did. "As we understand the purpose of the
original writer, we are deterred from attaching ideas to his writings that are
completely foreign to his purpose or development of thought."4 Our goal should
always be to determine the intended meaning of the biblical author, rather than
a meaning we impose on the text.

Scripture Interprets Scripture ·The best commentary on the Bible is the Bible!

· Sometimes parallel passages in other Bible books can shed light on the meaning
of a passage which is obscure in its immediate context. When we say that a
passage is parallel it may be a direct verbal parallel with similar words and
phrases, or it may be a conceptual parallel where a similar idea is expressed in
different words. For example, parallels exist between parts of 1 & 2 Kings
1:1-18 & 2 Chronicles, between parts of Galatians and Romans, between parts of
Ephesians and Colossians, parts of 2 Peter and Jude, as well as between parts of
Daniel and Revelation.

· Cross-reference resources can help locate other passages that speak about the
same idea or event. But we should not assume that such reference materials are
on the same level with the inspired Word of God. "Marginal references in various
Bibles are famous (or infamous) for providing other materials which have a real
or supposed bearing on the passage being studied. While these should be used,
they should also be critically evaluated to see whether the citation is an
actual parallel, merely a chance resemblance, or an apparent resemblance without
true similarity of thought pattern."5 As responsible interpreters of the Word of
God, we should carefully evaluate parallel passages to see whether they help us
determine the author’s intended meaning for the text we are studying.

·Guidelines for using Scripture to interpret Scripture: oAn obscure or ambiguous
text should never be interpreted in such a way as to contradict the teaching of
a plain or clear passage. For example, in 1 Corinthians 15:29 the words
"baptized for the dead" should not be interpreted to mean that substitutionary
baptism can somehow bring salvation to person who has already died. This would
contradict the plain teaching of many other passages in Scripture. oA
complicated or complex interpretation should not be given preference over a
simple or more natural explanation. For example, in Matthew 16:28 when Jesus
said, "Truly I say to you, there are some of those who are standing here who
will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom," He
was obviously not referring to the Millennial Kingdom because all those present
would die before that time. A simpler explanation is that He was referring to
the foretaste of His kingdom which was experienced six days later on the Mount
of Transfiguration (Matthew 17:1-13). A Final Challenge

·We must not ignore the context when interpreting a passage of Scripture: "It is
a shameful thing to carelessly ignore the context. To deliberately violate the
context is more than shameful; it is sinful, for it is a deliberate substitution
of one’s own words for the Word of God. The student of Scripture, though he may
not understand the original languages, nevertheless has at his command the
single most important tool -- the context. Let him use it diligently!"6 Resource
List for Understanding the Context of a Passage Ranked in order beginning with
the least complicated and least costly resources in each category.

Bible HandbooksBible Handbooks provide outlines and overviews of every book in
the Bible 1.Halley’s Bible Handbook 2.New Unger’s Bible Handbook 3.MacArthur’s
Bible Handbook 4.Larry Richards, The Illustrated Bible Handbook 5.Willmington’s
Bible Handbook and Willmington’s Guide to the Bible 6.Book introductions and
outlines in Study Bibles, Reference Bibles, or commentaries.

Bible SurveysBible Surveys provide helpful overviews of the entire Word of God
1.Henrietta Mears, What the Bible is All About 2.Bruce Wilkinson and Ken Boa,
Talk Thru the Bible 3.Jensen’s Survey of the Old Testament and Jensen’s Survey
of the New Testament

4.Bryan Beyer and Bill Arnold, Encountering the Old Testament and Walter Elwell,
Encountering the New Testament 5.Paul Benware, Survey of the Old Testament and
Survey of the New Testament 6.Robert Gundry, Survey of the New Testament
7.Merrill Tenney, New Testament Survey

Comparing Scripture with ScriptureTopical indexes and cross-reference resources
provide ways to locate parallel passages in Scripture 1.Nave’s Topical Bible
2.The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge 3.Topical Index of the Bible 4.Harmony of
the Gospels 5.Marginal cross-reference systems in Study or Reference Bibles.

Endnotes

1 A. Berkeley Mickelsen, Interpreting the Bible, 104, 113. 2 Robertson
McQuilkin, Understanding and Applying the Bible, 163. 3 McQuilkin, 156. 4
Micklelsen, 105. 5 Mickelsen, 100. 6 McQuilkin, 164.


========================================================================
  CHAPTER 4: 04 - UNDERSTANDING THE SETTING
========================================================================

Basic Bible Interpretation: Understanding the Setting of a Bible Passage

Introduction

· As was mentioned in a previous section, there is a time gap, a distance gap,
and a culture gap between us and the biblical writers, and we must bridge these
gaps if we are to understand the writers’ intended meaning in Scripture.

· Also in a previous section the concept of Progressive Revelation was mentioned
in explaining that God’s Word was given to mankind a little at a time throughout
the course of human history. "The Bible is revelation in history. As such, we
must understand it in the context of its history."1 This principle could be
stated this way: A Bible passage cannot be properly understood apart from its
historical, geographical, and cultural setting.

· The historical period and the cultural environment in which the biblical
writer lived have had an influence on the meaning of his writing. In order to
understand the meaning of any passage, we should discover all we can about the
writer of that passage: his background, where he was located, and his situation
or circumstances when he was writing.

· A knowledge of the history and culture of the writer’s time will also help us
to understand how the original readers of the text would have understood it. We
should find out as much as we can about the intended audience: their identity
and the historical situation in which they would have read the author’s words.

·"Just as we may be puzzled by the way people do things in other countries, so
we may be puzzled by what we read in the Bible. Therefore it is important to
know what the people in the Bible thought, believed, said, did, and made. To the
extent we do this we are then able to comprehend it better and communicate it
more accurately. If we fail to give attention to these matters of culture, then
we may be guilty of eisegesis, reading into the Bible our Western 20th-century
ideas."2 An Overview of Bible History Old Testament Times

· The events ofGenesis 1:1-31; Genesis 2:1-25; Genesis 3:1-24; Genesis 4:1-26;
Genesis 5:1-32; Genesis 6:1-22; Genesis 7:1-24; Genesis 8:1-22; Genesis 9:1-29;
Genesis 10:1-32; Genesis 11:1-32 took place over a period of four to six
thousand years (beginning some time between 8000 and 6000 B.C.). This included
the Creation; the Fall and the judgment of God on human rebellion; the judgment
of God upon human language at the Tower of Babel; the judgment of God at the
global Flood through which all human beings and land animals were put to death
(except for faithful Noah, his family, and the animals on the Ark); God’s
institution of new rules for human government and the growth of the different
people groups, tribes, and nations of the world from the descendants of Noah.

· The time of Abraham and the patriarchs (Genesis 12:1-20; Genesis 13:1-18;
Genesis 14:1-24; Genesis 15:1-21; Genesis 16:1-16; Genesis 17:1-27; Genesis
18:1-33; Genesis 19:1-38; Genesis 20:1-18; Genesis 21:1-34; Genesis 22:1-24;
Genesis 23:1-20; Genesis 24:1-67; Genesis 25:1-34; Genesis 26:1-35; Genesis
27:1-46; Genesis 28:1-22; Genesis 29:1-35; Genesis 30:1-43; Genesis 31:1-55;
Genesis 32:1-32; Genesis 33:1-20; Genesis 34:1-31; Genesis 35:1-29; Genesis
36:1-43; Genesis 37:1-36; Genesis 38:1-30; Genesis 39:1-23; Genesis 40:1-23
w:1-23; Genesis 41:1-57; Genesis 42:1-38; Genesis 43:1-34; Genesis 44:1-34;
Genesis 45:1-28; Genesis 46:1-34; Genesis 47:1-31; Genesis 48:1-22; Genesis
49:1-33; Genesis 50:1-26) began about 2100 B.C., during which time Job also
lived. By this time the large nations of Egypt and Mesopotamia were already well
established. During this period God’s focus was on faithful Abraham and his
descendants. God made specific promises to Abraham, including the fact that his
descendants would become a great nation.

· The Exodus of the nation of Israel from Egypt occurred about 1450 B.C. (Exodus
to Deuteronomy). During a forty-year period God revealed to Moses new laws,
customs, and ways of living that were to be implemented by His chosen nation.

· During the conquest and occupation of Canaan (Joshua to Ruth), the new nation
entered the promised land and lived there under the direct guidance of God, as
well as under judges which He provided. This sad period involved several cycles
of faithfulness and apostasy by God’s chosen people. During their times of
apostasy God brought various nations to oppress them until they returned to
faithfulness. These oppressors included the smaller nations immediately
surrounding Israel: Moabites, Ammonites, Amalekites, Midianites, Canaanites, and
Philistines. None of the larger "super-power" nations were strong enough to
dominate the region at this time (1400 - 1100 B.C.)

· Israel demanded a king to rule them, and First Samuel contains the record of
the first king that Samuel anointed (Saul). This record covers the period of
time between the birth of Samuel and the death of Saul (1095 - 1011 B.C.) King
David was the second king that Samuel anointed, so his life is described in
Second Samuel (and First Chronicles). The "Golden Age" of Israel was during the
reigns of David and Solomon (1010 - 931 B.C.). The life of King Solomon is
described in 1 Kings 1:1-53; 1 Kings 2:1-46; 1 Kings 3:1-28; 1 Kings 4:1-34; 1
Kings 5:1-18; 1 Kings 6:1-38; 1 Kings 7:1-51; 1 Kings 8:1-66; 1 Kings 9:1-28; 1
Kings 10:1-29; 1 Kings 11:1-43 and 2 Chronicles 1:1-17; 2 Chronicles 2:1-18; 2
Chronicles 3:1-17; 2 Chronicles 4:1-22; 2 Chronicles 5:1-14; 2 Chronicles
6:1-42; 2 Chronicles 7:1-22; 2 Chronicles 8:1-18; 2 Chronicles 9:1-31.

· Around 930 B.C.the kingdom was divided, with the northern ten tribes of Israel
making their headquarters in Samaria while the southern tribes of Judah and
Benjamin maintained their capitol in Jerusalem (1 Kings 12:1-33 to 2 Kings
17:1-41, and 2 Chronicles 10:1-19; 2 Chronicles 11:1-23; 2 Chronicles 12:1-16; 2
Chronicles 13:1-22; 2 Chronicles 14:1-15; 2 Chronicles 15:1-19; 2 Chronicles
16:1-14; 2 Chronicles 17:1-19; 2 Chronicles 18:1-34; 2 Chronicles 19:1-11; 2
Chronicles 20:1-37; 2 Chronicles 21:1-20; 2 Chronicles 22:1-12; 2 Chronicles
23:1-21; 2 Chronicles 24:1-27; 2 Chronicles 25:1-28; 2 Chronicles 26:1-23; 2
Chronicles 27:1-9; 2 Chronicles 28:1-27). It was during this time that the
nation of Assyria became an international "super power" that began to dominate
the region. It was also during this period that the prophets Jonah, Amos, Hosea,
Micah, and Isaiah were active in ministry.

· In 722 B.C. the northern kingdom of Israel fell to the Assyrians who scattered
these Israelites across their empire. Afterward the Babylonians rose to become
the dominant "super power" in the region. In 586 B.C. the southern kingdom of
Judah fell to the Babylonians and were taken away as captives (2 Kings 18:1-37;
2 Kings 19:1-37; 2 Kings 20:1-21; 2 Kings 21:1-26; 2 Kings 22:1-20; 2 Kings
23:1-37; 2 Kings 24:1-20; 2 Kings 25:1-30 and 2 Chronicles 29:1-36; 2 Chronicles
30:1-27; 2 Chronicles 31:1-21; 2 Chronicles 32:1-33; 2 Chronicles 33:1-25; 2
Chronicles 34:1-33; 2 Chronicles 35:1-27; 2 Chronicles 36:1-23). During this
time the prophets Zephaniah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Obadiah, and Jeremiah were active
in ministry.

· Jeremiah had predicted a seventy-year captivity in Babylon, but after their
exile several groups of Jews were allowed to return to their homeland between
539-444 B.C. (see Ezra, Esther, and Nehemiah). During this time the prophets
Ezekiel, Daniel, Haggai, Zechariah, Joel, and Malachi were active in ministry.

· New Testament events would only begin after a silence of approximately 400
years (sometimes called the intertestamental period). It was during this time
that the Old Testament canon was finalized, and the Old Testament also was
translated into the Greek language by a group of seventy Jewish scholars. In
addition, this period saw the rise to power of the final two empires (Greece and
Rome) predicted in the prophecies of Daniel.

New Testament Times

· "But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son" (Galatians
4:4). The four gospel accounts of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John cover the time
period during the life of the Lord Jesus Christ (approximately 5 B.C. to A.D.
30).

· After the resurrection and ascension, Christ’s followers began telling their
world what He had accomplished. The book of Acts covers this 30-year period
during which the early church was actively spreading the good news of Christ. It
was also during this time that many of the early epistles were written,
including Galatians, James 1:1-27 st and 2 Thessalonians 1:1-12 st and 2nd
Corinthians, Romans, Ephesians, Colossians, Philemon, and Philippians.

· It was during the period between A.D. 60-95 that the remaining New Testament
books were written, including 1st and 2nd Timothy, Titus, Hebrews 1:1-14 st and
2nd Peter, Jude, 1st John, 2nd John, 3rd John, and Revelation.

What is Included in the Setting of a Bible Passage?

· The "setting" contains at least three aspects: Historical, Cultural, and
Geographical.

· It includes how people thought, what they believed, communicated, and created
during the time when the passage was written. It involves their ways of
speaking, their customs and practices, and the environment of the society in
which they lived. A listing of some of these things would include the religion,
politics, warfare, geography, law, agriculture, business, economics,
architecture, clothing, social customs, and domestic activities of people during
that time.

Examples of Understanding the Setting

Politics Understanding civil or international affairs at the time the passage
was written

· Why would Ahaz refuse to ask the Lord for a sign after Isaiah commanded him to
do so (Isaiah 7:10-14)? This whole incident was intricately connected with the
political situation at the time. Pekah (king of the northern kingdom of Israel
in Samaria) and Rezin (king of the Aramean people in Damascus) made an alliance
to oppose the approaching Assyrian threat. Ahaz (king of the southern kingdom in
Jerusalem) refused to join them, so the northern alliance attacked the southern
kingdom. Ahaz appealed to Assyria for help, rather than appealing to God for
deliverance (2 Kings 16:7-9). His refusal to call upon God for a sign (Isaiah
7:12) simply affirmed his godless character and his complete confidence in his
alliance with Assyria (as if to say, "Who needs God when we have Assyria on our
side?")

· Why would Belshazzar offer Daniel the third highest position in the land
(Daniel 5:7)? Actually it was the highest position available, since Belshazzar
himself was only second in command under his father Nabonidus, who was out of
the country at the time.

Religion Understanding the religious practices of God’s people or those of
surrounding nations

· Why did Moses forbid Israel from cooking a young goat in its mother’s milk
(Exodus 23:19; Exodus 34:26; Deuteronomy 14:21)? According to archaeological
evidence, this procedure was part of a pagan religious ritual among the
Canaanites. God prohibited Israel from practicing the pagan rites of those whose
land He was giving them.

· Why would Elijah suggest Mount Carmel as the site of his showdown with the
prophets of Baal (1 Kings 18:19)? The followers of Baal thought that Mount
Carmel was the dwelling place of their god, so Elijah was giving them every
advantage in the contest (as he did when he poured water on the wood for his own
sacrifice to God). This way the weakness or impotence of Baal would be even more
evident.

Geography Understanding the significance of the places and physical surroundings
of the biblical author

· Why did David flee to En Gedi (1 Samuel 23:29)? En Gedi was south of Jericho
and west of the Dead Sea, and the terrain in that area is extremely difficult to
navigate. There were also caves in that area in which David could hide, as well
as a year-round spring of fresh water. This kind of territory would make a
logical hiding place.

· Why would Jesus say that a man must "go down" from Jerusalem to Jericho (Luke
10:30) when Jericho is located to the northeast of Jerusalem on the map? Jesus
was speaking of the difference in altitude because a man must descend about 2000
feet in elevation when traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho.

Economics Understanding the way business was carried out during the time the
passage was written

· Why would the closest relative of Naomi’s husband give his sandal to Boaz
(Ruth 4:8)? According to ancient manuscripts, this was done when the sale of
land was completed. It was the previous owner’s symbolic statement releasing any
further right to walk on that land.

· Why would a Christian deliberately purchase food that had been sacrificed to
idols (1 Corinthians 8:1-13)? After people offered meat as a sacrifice in the
pagan temples of Corinth, that same meat would be sold at a discount in nearby
markets. Frugal household managers knew that this would be an economical way to
provide food for the table -- and besides, Christians "know that there is no
such thing as an idol in the world, and that there is no God but one" (1
Corinthians 8:4).

Law Understanding the law system of the time when the biblical author wrote

· When Elisha begged Elijah for a "double portion" of his spirit (2 Kings 2:9),
was he being greedy in asking for twice as much power as Elijah? According to
Deuteronomy 21:17, the rightful heir was to inherit a double portion of the
estate, so Elisha was simply asking to be named as Elijah’s heir and successor
in ministry.

· Why did Boaz take his legal matters to the city gate (Ruth 4:1)? The city gate
was where legal business was typically conducted during Old Testament times. The
city elders and judges would sit in a special area just inside the gate to hold
court (see Deuteronomy 21:18-21; Deuteronomy 22:13-15; Joshua 20:4; Job 29:7).

Warfare Understanding the methods of waging war during Bible times

· Why would Jonah be so reluctant to go to Nineveh? The Assyrians were ruthless
in how they treated their enemies. They would behead the leaders of conquered
nations and stack these heads in piles. Sometimes they impaled their enemies on
tall poles, or they would stake out the extremities and skin the person alive.
Jonah may have feared such treatment, but he certainly did not think such a
cruel people deserved God’s message of repentance and grace.

· Why did Habakkuk say the Babylonians "laugh at every fortress and heap up
rubble to capture it" (Habakkuk 1:10)? He was not saying that the Babylonian
army went around collecting trash, but that they would build mighty siege ramps
against the wall of a fortress. These ramps would be constructed from rock,
earth, and any other materials that were available.

Agriculture Understanding the seasonal agricultural practices during the time of
the Bible writer

· Was there anything unusual in the situation when Samuel asked the Lord for
rain at the time of the wheat harvest (1 Samuel 12:17)? The time of year for the
wheat harvest was in the early summer, after the six-month dry season had
already started. If rain were to come during this dry season, it clearly would
declare the power of God.

· When Amos called the women of Bethel "cows of Bashan" was he saying they were
overweight (Amos 4:1)? Bashan was a lush area northeast of the Sea of Galilee,
and the cattle there did become fat. But Amos is saying that the women of Bethel
were lazy and carefree in their prosperity. They did nothing else but enjoy
their wealth, which had been gained at the expense of oppressing the poor.

Domestic Affairs Understanding the details of household life in biblical times

· What was the meaning of the phrase "Gird up your loins like a man" (Job 38:3;
Job 40:7 thew:7 thew:7)? A man would wear a robe tied with a wide sash at his
waist, but when he was working, running, or fighting he would lift his robe and
tuck it into the sash so his legs would have their full range of motion. This
phrase represented the man’s ability to respond quickly to a specific situation.

· Why were the five young women considered foolish for not having extra oil for
their lamps (Matthew 25:1-13)? Oil lamps in those days were small enough to be
held in the palm of the hand, and they would not hold enough oil to burn for
several hours. It was well-known that these events could last for several hours,
so the oil would clearly be consumed before the event was over.

Social Customs Understanding the expected behaviors and expressions of civility
during the period of the biblical writer

· Why did Joseph shave before he went to see the Pharaoh (Genesis 41:14)? Even
though the Hebrews normally grew and wore beards, the Egyptian custom was to be
clean-shaven. In order not to offend the Pharaoh, Joseph followed the local
custom and shaved his beard.

· Why did Christ apparently insult a man for saying he wanted to go bury his
father before becoming His follower (Luke 9:59)? The man was not saying that his
father had recently died. Instead this was a customary way of saying he was
obligated to wait for his father’s death, even if it meant waiting several
years, so that he would not miss out on inheriting his father’s estate. The man
was not being compassionate as much as greedy.

Concluding Thought

·In order to accurately understand a Bible passage, we must understand the
original setting in which it was written and read by those who received it. "It
is apparent that ignorance of these customs could result in misunderstanding the
meaning of the passages. The Bible student confronts many other customs as he
reads the Bible. It is wise, therefore, to be alert to unusual customs referred
to and to determine what the passages meant to the people in those original
settings."3 Resource List for Understanding the Setting Ranked in order
beginning with the least complicated and least costly resources in each
category.

Bible DictionariesA Bible dictionary provides brief articles on almost
everything mentioned in the Bible 1.Zondervan Pictorial Bible Dictionary 2.New
Unger’s Bible Dictionary 3.New Bible Dictionary

Bible EncyclopediasA Bible encyclopedia provides more detailed articles on
almost everything mentioned in the Bible 1.Zondervan Pictorial Bible
Encyclopedia 2.International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

Bible AtlasesA Bible atlas provides maps as well as brief descriptions of the
events that took place in each geographical area mentioned in the Bible 1.Holman
Bible Atlas 2.Zondervan NIV Atlas of the Bible 3.Moody Atlas of Bible Lands
4.Macmillan Bible Atlas

Bible History ResourcesThese resources provide more detailed descriptions of the
historical situations faced by the Bible writers throughout the period covered
by the Scriptures 1.Old Testament Times, R.K. Harrison 2.The Old Testament
Speaks, Samuel Schultz 3.New Testament Times, Merrill Tenney

Bible Culture ResourcesThese resources provide more detailed information about
the practices and customs of the people during Bible times 1.New Manners and
Customs of Bible Times, Ralph Gower 2.Today’s Handbook of Bible Times and
Customs, William Coleman 3.Manners & Customs in the Bible, Victor Matthews
4.Illustrated Manners and Customs of the Bible, J.I. Packer and Merrill Tenney

Bible IntroductionsDespite the title, these resources are typically not
"introductory" treatments of each Bible book, but provide very detailed and
scholarly information about such critical issues as the dating and authorship of
every book in the Bible 1.Survey of Old Testament Introduction, Gleason Archer
2.New Testament Introduction, Donald Guthrie

Endnotes

1 Robertson McQuilkin, Understanding and Applying the Bible, 91. 2 Roy Zuck,
Basic Bible Interpretation, 79. 3 Zuck, 89.


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  CHAPTER 5: 05 - SPECIAL TOPICS IN BIBLE INTERPRETATION
========================================================================

Basic Bible Interpretation: Special Topics in Bible Interpretation

Introduction

· The special topics in Bible interpretation all center around the use of
figurative language in the Scriptures. Figurative language involves "the
representation of one concept in terms of another because the nature of the two
things compared allows such an analogy to be drawn. Nearly all figures of speech
come out of the life of the speaker or writer who uses them. This means that the
student who understands the background of the writer will better understand his
figurative language. Most writers, for example, use comparison to explain the
unfamiliar by that which is already familiar to the reader."1

·These figures of speech are very common in all language, and they are used to
express things in interesting ways. It is important to remember that even when
figurative "picture talk" is used, it is always intended to express a literal
truth. Even though figurative language is widely used, it can present a dilemma
to the Bible interpreter. "Picture-talk is one of the greatest problems of
interpretation. To treat figurative language as if it were literal, and to treat
literal language as if it were figurative, constitute two of the greatest
hindrances to understanding the meaning of the Bible."2 Reasons for Figurative
Language

· Figurative language is often used to speak about abstract concepts in terms of
concrete things. All human speech contains this type of language because it is
intrinsic to the way people communicate.

Very often when we are talking about something which is not perceptible by the
five senses, we use words which in one of their meanings refer to things or
actions that are. When a man says that he grasps an argument he is using a verb
(grasp) which literally means to take something in the hand but he is certainly
not thinking that his mind has hands or that an argument can be seized. To avoid
the word grasp he may change the form of the expression and say, "I see your
point," but he does not mean that a pointed object has appeared in his visual
field. Everyone is familiar with this linguistic phenomenon and the grammarians
call it metaphor. But it is a serious mistake to think that metaphor is an
optional thing which poets and authors may put into their work as a decoration
and plain speakers can do without. The truth is that if we are going to talk at
all about things which are not perceived by the senses, we are forced to use
language metaphorically. There is no other way of talking. Anyone who talks
about things that cannot be seen, or touched, or heard, or the like, must
inevitably talk as if they could be seen or touched or heard.3

Some topics can only be discussed using this type of language. For example,
almost all of the Bible language used to describe God involves metaphor because
that is the only way that finite creatures can speak about the Infinite Creator.

· Figurative language is sometimes used to emphasize a point, make a vivid
impression, or attract attention. A colorful figure of speech typically causes a
response of surprise and immediate interest for the listener or reader. When
told that King Herod wanted to kill him, Jesus could have said, "Go and tell the
king..." Instead Jesus said, "Go and tell that fox..." (Luke 13:32). This
startling expression certainly would have captured the attention of everyone who
heard it.

· Figurative language can motivate people to take action. Instead of saying, "I
am waiting for you to respond," Jesus told the church at Laodicea, "Behold, I
stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will
come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me" (Revelation 3:20). This
figure of speech would have evoked a powerful emotional response in the culture
of that time.

· Figurative language may aid the memory. Most figures of speech create lasting
impressions, and many are absolutely unforgettable. The Pharisees would never
forget Jesus’ description of them as "whitewashed tombs which on the outside
appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men’s bones" (Matthew 23:27).

· Figurative language adds color and vividness for illustrating or clarifying a
point. A figure of speech graphically presents truth without using complicated
descriptions. King David spoke volumes about his relationship with God when he
said, "The Lord is my shepherd" (Psalms 23:1). All that a shepherd is and does
could be applied to God’s watchful care over him by using a single, concise
phrase.

· Figurative language also can be used to obscure the meaning for all but an
intended audience. In rare cases the intention of a Bible figure or riddle is to
hide the meaning, as one would do by communicating in code. Jesus explained to
His disciples why He often spoke in parables: "To you it has been granted to
know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is in parables, so
that seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand" (Luke 8:10).
Matthew 13:34-35 explains that "All these things Jesus spoke to the crowds in
parables, and He did not speak to them without a parable. This was to fulfill
what was spoken through the prophet: ’I will open my mouth in parables; I will
utter things hidden since the foundation of the world.’" In this case, it was
part of the eternal plan of God that only the chosen few would be able to
understand Jesus’ words during His earthly ministry.

General Guidelines for Interpreting Figurative Language

· The purpose of studying figurative language in the Bible is to understand the
meaning intended by the author of that passage.

Christ told us that we are the salt of the earth, and we are not free to choose
our own preference as to what comparison was intended. We must search diligently
to discern what comparison he intended. I once heard a fascinating sermon in
which many characteristics of salt were used in analogy to exhort Christians
toward more appropriate behavior.

1. Salt was used as a preservative, so the presence of Christians in the world
will keep it from moral decay.

2. Salt enhances flavor, so Christians are to add a flavor of godliness to a
tasteless society.

3. In the Old Testament there was a salt covenant and a salt offering,
indicating that God is a covenant God who keeps His promises. In the same way,
Christians are to keep their promises and demonstrate through their lives that
God is faithful.

4. Salt was not to remain isolated in a container but was meant to be sprinkled
around. Likewise, Christians should not remain in monasteries isolated from
society, but should distribute themselves around in order to have an impact on
their world.

5. Salt has an impact out of proportion to its size. In the same way, a small
minority of Christians can impact a large portion of their world. Is it
legitimate to make all of those points of comparison with the assurance that
Jesus had all of that in mind when He said, "You are the salt of the earth"? No
, for the first task of the interpreter is to discern what the author had in
mind by way of comparison, not what our own experience or our own ingenuity may
devise. The guideline is this: the intent of the author must control our
understanding of his meaning.4

·Bible language should be understood in its normal, ordinary, or literal sense
unless there is a convincing reason for considering it otherwise: oIf a
statement would be absurd, irrational, or impossible if taken literally then the
author is probably using a figure of speech. Examples of this would include
trees clapping their hands (Isaiah 55:12) or a person being referred to as a dog
(Php 3:2), a door (John 10:7), or a lamb (John 1:36). oIf an inanimate object is
used to describe a living thing, then the statement may be considered to be
figurative. For example, Jesus described Himself by saying He is the bread of
life (John 6:35) and the light of the world (John 8:12). In a similar way, when
life and activity are attributed to inanimate objects, these statements can also
be considered to be figurative expressions. oIf a statement would lead to an
immoral action, then the figurative sense is probably intended. Eating the flesh
and drinking the blood of Jesus (John 6:53-58) would be an act of cannibalism,
so this passage should be interpreted as a figure of speech. Also, if a passage
runs counter to the statement of another clear passage of Scripture, it is
legitimate to question whether that passage can be taken literally. For example,
hating your "father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters"
(Luke 14:26) is contrary to the teaching of both the Old and New Testaments, so
the interpreter must view this as a figurative expression. (See the related
passage in Matthew 10:37 for a clear interpretation.)

· Often the context of a passage will point out whether a figure of speech is
intended. In many cases, the figurative passage is followed by a clear
interpretation. For example, those who are "asleep" (1 Thessalonians 4:13-15)
are later described as those who have actually died (1 Thessalonians 4:16).
Also, the word "sword" must be understood figuratively in Ephesians 6:17, (1)
because of the prepositional phrase "of the Spirit" and (2) because of the
subsequent explanation: "which is the Word of God."

· The background and setting of the author and the original readers must control
our understanding of what is literal or figurative language, rather than relying
on our own background, setting, perceptions, or presuppositions. "The
appropriateness of a particular figure is not for us to evaluate. Rather, we
must evaluate the language in terms of what the author intended."5

Figurative speech, as already discussed, is a picturesque, out-of-the-ordinary
way of presenting literal facts that might otherwise be stated in a normal,
plain, ordinary way. Saying that "the argument does not hold water" is an
unusual way of saying the more ordinary sentence, "The argument is weak." Both
sentences convey a literal fact. One conveys it in a figurative fashion, the
other in a nonfigurative way. In other words, as Radmacher put it, "Behind every
figure of speech is a literal meaning, and by means of the
historical-grammatical exegesis of the text, these literal meanings are to be
sought out." Any figure of speech depends on ordinary-literal language. When
Peter wrote, "The devil prowls around like a roaring lion" (1 Peter 5:8), the
legitimacy of that figurative comparison is based on our understanding of
something about actual lions. The same is true of types, symbols, parables,
allegories, and fables.6 Identifying Types of Figurative Language

·Figures of Comparison. This is the most common type of figurative language in
the Bible, and it typically expresses a similarity between two things that are
otherwise dissimilar. In examining figures of comparison, remember that
ordinarily only one point of comparison is intended. The comparisons are
limited, and the reader is not permitted to improvise or decide what point of
comparison he likes best or finds compatible with his doctrinal structure. If we
are not careful, the Scriptures will no longer be an independent authority,
sitting in judgment on our ideas, but rather we interpreters will become the
authorities, building unsound doctrine on misapprehension of a figurative
biblical expression.7

· Figures of Substitution. This involves having one thing represent another or
stand in place of another thing. In figures of substitution sometimes part of a
thing will be spoken of as if it were the whole thing, or the whole may stand
for only a part.

· Figures of Personification. This involves taking a characteristic of a person
and attributing it to a non-personal object, or attributing a human
characteristic to God.

· Figures of Exaggeration or Irony. This involves saying more than is literally
required, or saying the opposite of what is literally meant.

· Rhetorical Questions. This involves asking questions without expecting an
answer. This forces the reader to think about the answer and consider its
implications for affirming a specific truth.

· Idiomatic Expressions. An idiom is an expression that cannot be understood
simply from the meanings of the individual words of which it is composed.
Usually it is unique to a particular group of people, and in order to understand
the intended meaning we must bridge the gap between ourselves and that group.

Principles for Interpreting Figurative Language

1. Determine whether figurative language is being used. Use the general
guidelines above to determine whether a passage contains a figure of speech. It
would violate the principle to authorial intent to interpret a figurative
passage literally, or to interpret a literal passage figuratively. Sometimes a
normal statement is wrongly taken as a figure of speech; for example, when John
wrote that 144,000 will be sealed with 12,000 from each of the 12 tribes of
Israel (Revelation 7:4-8), there is no compelling reason to understand this
statement figuratively.

2. Determine what the figure of speech(image)is referring to(referent). For
example, Isaiah 8:7 says, "Therefore the Lord is about to bring against them the
mighty floodwaters of the River." How are we to determine whether these
floodwaters are literal or figurative? This is a figurative expression because
the very next phrase gives the referent: "the mighty king of Assyria with all
his pomp." The floodwaters are the image and the king of Assyria is the
referent. "Sometimes the image is stated, but the nonimage or referent, though
not given explicitly, is suggested by the context. In Luke 5:34 the bridegroom
is not said to be Jesus, but the meaning is implicit since Jesus said in the
next verse that the bridegroom would be taken from them. The guests of the
bridegroom are not specified, though they are most likely Jesus’ disciples who
are eating and drinking, much like bridegroom guests."8

3. Determine the specific point of comparison that is being made between
theimageand thereferent. For example, Isaiah 53:6 says, "All we, like sheep,
have gone astray." The image is sheep, the referent is human beings, and the
specific point of comparison is the tendency of sheep to stray off on their own,
just as human beings stray away from their Shepherd and Creator. Not every
aspect of sheep is part of this figurative comparison - only their tendency to
stray is being emphasized.

4. Determine the specific meaning that was intended by the biblical author when
he used a particular figure of speech in a specific context. Treat each figure
of speech individually according to its specific context, and do not assume that
a particular figure always means the same thing throughout the Bible. For
example, in Hosea 6:4 the figure of "dew" is used to describe the transience of
Judah’s loyalty to God, but in Hosea 14:5 the figure of "dew" describes the
Lord’s blessing on them.

Interpreting Biblical Prophecy

· Bible prophecy is a special topic because it often makes use of figurative
language, and because there are special time elements involved in the prophet’s
message. The two aspects of biblical prophecy have sometimes been called
foretelling and forthtelling because there is a future predictive element as
well as a message of exhortation, reproof, correction, or instruction to a
specific people living at a specific time in history. To correctly interpret
biblical prophecy, "We need an approach that will read nothing into prophecy
that is not there, that will make clear all that the prophet said or wrote to
his own people, and that will make the correctly interpreted message of the
prophet relevant to our own times."9

· Prophecy does have a predictive element, but we must never forget that
biblical prophecy was spoken into a specific historical situation with the
intention of motivating a particular group of people to action in their own day.
The foretelling of the future was included to show that God is working out His
plan in history and is moving forward according to His own timetable. God’s
future actions were meant to influence what the readers or listeners were doing
at the time they heard the message. In light of His future activity, they were
meant to live differently from those who ignore God. "To lose sight of the
original hearers and to focus our attention on what may tickle the fancy of the
curious-minded in the present day is to lose sight of the very reason for the
message. This results in a tragic distortion of the purpose behind the
prophecy."10

·The primary guideline for interpreting biblical prophecy is to view the passage
in its normal, simple, direct, ordinary meaning unless there is a convincing
reason to do otherwise. Just as with any other Bible language, we should
understand predictive passages literally unless there are specific reasons for
viewing them in some figurative sense. "Of course figurative and symbolic
language is used extensively in prophetic passages, but this does not mean that
all prophecy is figurative or symbolic. We should begin with the assumption that
the words are to be taken in their normal sense unless a figure of speech or
symbol is indicated. Deeper and mystical senses should not be sought."11 For
example, when Isaiah described life during the Millennial Kingdom he said that
many people would live well beyond 100 years of age (Isaiah 65:20), and that
they will "build houses and inhabit them; they will also plant vineyards and eat
their fruit" (Isaiah 65:21). There is nothing in this text that suggests that it
should be taken figuratively, but it should be interpreted in its normal,
ordinary meaning as it describes what life will be like in that glorious future
time.

· Regarding the future time elements of prophecy, we must understand that God
did not give his prophets unlimited vision. They were given a limited or
"foreshortened" perspective on future events, much like an artist has when
viewing the peaks of the Rocky Mountains from a distance. For example, many of
the prophets saw the two comings of Christ as if they were two distant mountain
peaks which appeared to be in close proximity, even though there were long
unseen "valleys" of time between them (see Isaiah 9:6-7). Looking back from our
perspective in history, however, we can clearly see this "valley" of time
between the first and second coming of Christ.

Resource List for Special Topics in Interpretation Ranked in order beginning
with the least complicated and least costly resources in each category.

Figures of Speech 1.Basic Bible Interpretation (Chapter 7), Roy Zuck
2.Understanding and Applying the Bible (Chapter 12), Robertson McQuilkin
3.Interpreting the Bible (Chapters 8-10), A. Berkeley Mickelsen 4.Figures of
Speech Used in the Bible, E. W. Bullinger

Parables 1.Basic Bible Interpretation (Chapter 9), Roy Zuck 2.Understanding and
Applying the Bible (Chapter 13), Robertson McQuilkin 3.All the Parables of the
Bible, Herbert Lockyer 4.Interpreting the Parables, Craig Blomberg Symbols and
Types 1.Basic Bible Interpretation (Chapter 8), Roy Zuck 2.Protestant Biblical
Interpretation (Chapter 9), Bernard Ramm 3.Interpreting the Bible (Chapters
11-12), A. Berkeley Mickelsen 4.Interpreting the Symbols and Types, Kevin Conner

Prophecy 1.Understanding Bible Prophecy for Yourself, Tim LaHaye 2.Basic Bible
Interpretation (Chapter 10), Roy Zuck 3.Understanding and Applying the Bible
(Chapter 18), Robertson McQuilkin 4.The Interpretation of Prophecy, Paul Tan

Endnotes

1 A. Berkeley Mickelsen, Interpreting the Bible, 179-180. 2 Robertson McQuilkin,
Understanding and Applying the Bible, 166. 3 C. S. Lewis, Miracles, 88-89. 4
McQuilkin, 172-173. 5 McQuilkin, 172. 6 Roy Zuck, Basic Bible Interpretation,
147. 7 McQuilkin, 174. 8 Zuck, 164.

9 Mickelsen, 280. 10 Mickelsen, 288. 11 Zuck, 242.


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  CHAPTER 6: 06 - APPLYING THE SCRIPTURE TO LIFE TODAY
========================================================================

Basic Bible Interpretation: Applying the Scriptures to Our Lives Today

Introduction

· In previous sessions we have discussed the steps for properly interpreting
language, as well as for bridging the time gap, the distance gap, and the
culture gap. In the last session we discussed special topics in the
interpretation of figures of speech and prophecy.

· This final session will focus on how to handle Bible difficulties, how to
understand the systematic unity of the Bible, and how to properly apply the
message of the Bible to our lives today.

Dealing with Alleged Contradictions or Difficulties in the Bible

· From our previous studies it is apparent that many Scripture passages are
challenging to interpret because of the significant gaps between us and the
Bible writers. But we must not assume that difficult passages are impossible to
interpret, or that these difficulties mean there are errors in God’s Word. This
is why we need to remember the first general principle for approaching the Bible
that we discussed in our very first class: Work from the assumption that the
Bible is God’s only inspired, inerrant, and authoritative revelation to us.

· In a previous session we discussed the principle that Scripture interprets
Scripture. Now, when dealing with difficulties in Bible interpretation we need
to recognize a related principle: "Scripture cannot contradict Scripture."

·In general, how are Bible difficulties to be handled? "We do not grant that a
problem is unsolvable and then proceed to interpret the passage as if it were in
error. We hold that a possible solution is all that is demanded. We do not have
to prove that a possible interpretation is the correct solution but simply that
there is a reasonable solution to the apparent problem. Since the Bible has
proven itself trustworthy through the ages, we hold it innocent until proved
guilty. When problems are unresolved, it is not the Bible that is wrong, but
rather our understanding of it."1 Principles for dealing with Difficulties in
the Bible2

1. To say that Scripture is inspired even to the word and that there is no error
does not mean that verbal identity is necessary. It is only necessary that the
words convey the truth. For example, notice the differences between Matthew
17:14-16, Mark 9:17-18, and Luke 9:38-40 Which of these statements did the man
actually make? He may have made all of them, with one gospel writer selecting
part of his conversation and another selecting another part. There can be no
true meaning without accurate words to convey that meaning. But there may be
more than one way to express the same meaning accurately.

2. One author’s purpose may be different from that of another. For that reason,
many details are not relevant to his purpose and so may be left out. The
biblical author did not add things that did not take place but, quite
legitimately, was selective in what he did record.

3. Christ said similar things on different occasions. Not only did He say
similar things, He also did similar things. I am confident that if He Himself
had not referred to the feeding of the 5,000 and the feeding of the 4,000 as two
separate events, some interpreters would have assumed that they were the same
event and would have noted a conflict between the two accounts.

4. The rules for writing history were not the same in the Hebrew/Greek culture
of biblical times as they are today. The natural language of everyday life was
used, and there was not often a felt need to have an exact transcription such as
we would require for court records today.

5. New Testament quotations of the Old Testament are not required to be exact.
Most of the quotations are from the common Bible in the time of Christ, a Greek
translation of the Hebrew Old Testament. Often the Old Testament passage is
abbreviated or just the thought is conveyed.

6.The Bible must be considered authoritative where it conflicts with other books
of ancient history. Even from an antibiblical perspective, the Bible is the most
accurate historical record of ancient history available. Archaeology has
consistently validated biblical records. The Systematic Unity of the Scriptures

· Since God’s Word was revealed to mankind progressively throughout human
history, one of our tasks is to take the truths in the biblical record and begin
to bring together the teaching about specific truths in a systematic way. In
doing this, we must not forget that the most important step in this process is
to carefully study each individual passage in its original context to determine
the author’s intended meaning.

·"All of us are systematic theologians. That is, we have various ideas about God
that fit together in one way or another. The poor theologian is one who has an
inadequate or limited view of God because he is aware of only some of the
elements of revealed truth, or he is one who has a distorted view of God because
he lacks an overall biblical perspective. A good theologian, on the other hand,
is one who has taken into account all revealed truth about God and has related
each part to a consistent whole."3 The Right Attitude for Theological Study

· It is essential that we remember: God is not as concerned with what weknowas
with what weareand how webehave. When approaching a theological study, we should
have an attitude of humility. "But rock-bottom humility -- actually counting
everyone else better than oneself (Php 2:3) -- is not always easy. How is it
realized? Humility in regard to Bible doctrine comes as the result of facing
certain facts. The sincere Bible student recognizes: (1) revelation is only
partial, (2) we are finite, (3) we are fallen, (4) we need an open mind, and (5)
we must be willing to obey."4

· In God’s wisdom He has chosen not to reveal some things to mankind (see
Deuteronomy 29:29; Proverbs 25:2; 1 Corinthians 13:12). Even if God did fully
reveal His thoughts to us, we would not be able to completely comprehend them
because we are finite creatures and God is the infinite Creator who is the only
One actually able to "think outside the box" of the created order (see Isaiah
55:8-9).

Principles for Theological Study

· Doctrine should be based on a careful study of each relevant Scripture. We
must remember to practice all of the principles of interpretation that we have
learned, and these principles should be applied diligently to every individual
Bible passage that contributes to our understanding of a particular doctrine. As
always, our goal should be to determine the intended meaning of the author in
each case, and we should carefully identify and consider all of the relevant
passages. These passages become the "data" on the subject under consideration,
and we should organize this data in a way that clearly arranges the various
elements of a doctrine into a coherent whole.

· Various Bible passages should be given their appropriate place. Not all of the
biblical materials are of equal weight in formulating sound doctrine. "All data
on a given subject should be considered, and that subject should be related to
other relevant subjects; however, equal weight should not be given to every text
that provides a building block for the doctrine."5 Several guidelines can help
us carefully evaluate the biblical material:

1. Clear passages must be given preference over obscure passages. Doctrine
should never be established on passages whose meaning is unclear. "If the
author’s intended meaning is not altogether certain, and interpreters are at
odds as to its meaning, the text is not an ideal building block for doctrine.
The weight of a doctrine or teaching should rest on the solid foundation of
clear teaching."6

2. Repeated teachings should be given greater weight. Teaching that is
repeatedly emphasized in the Bible should also be emphasized when it comes to
building a system of theology. We should emphasize what Scripture emphasizes.
"It is not wise to build an important doctrine on an isolated text, even though
it is true that God does not need to speak twice to make His statements
authoritative."7

3. Direct non-figurative teaching must be given preference. Passages containing
direct teaching are sometimes called "didactic" passages, and they present
straightforward instruction. "The structure of Bible doctrine ... should not be
built on figurative, poetic, or historical passages, unless that picture
language or those historical passages are literally interpreted by Scripture."8

4.Progressive revelation that is newer is preferred over earlier revelation. The
nature of God’s Word as revelation in history means that earlier instructions
may be superceded, replaced, or amplified by later revelation. "That does not
mean that an Old Testament teaching may be set aside without New Testament
authorization. It does mean, however, that a Christian doctrinal structure must
rest squarely on the New Testament and on those Old Testament teachings and
passages that underlie and provide the foundation for New Testament teaching."9
Applying the Scriptures to Our Lives Today

· There is only one valid interpretation of a Scripture passage, but there may
be many valid applications of the principles contained in a passage. "Texts have
only one meaning. The meaning is the author’s intended one, but the applications
of that meaning may refer to situations which the author, in a different time
and culture, never envisioned."10

· Regarding the application of Bible truth to believers today Roy Zuck said,
"Neglecting to apply the Scriptures reduces Bible study to an academic exercise
in which we are concerned only for interpretation with little or no regard for
its relevance for and impact on our lives. It is wrong to think of the
Scriptures as only a sourcebook for information, as a book to be examined merely
for the knowledge we can gain from it. Of course knowledge of the contents of
the Bible and correct interpretation of it are essential. But more is needed. We
must have a responsive heart, a willingness to appropriate the truths of the
Scriptures into our own experience."11

· Every biblical author wrote for a specific audience in their own historical
situation, so how do their words relate to modern-day readers of God’s Word? Do
their words relate to us in the same way they did to the original audience? If
not, then how are we to determine the appropriate application in our culture and
time?

Principles for Applying the Bible Today

1. Proper INTERPRETATION is the foundation for proper APPLICATION. If we do not
accurately understand what a passage means, then it is almost certain we will
not be able to determine how to apply it correctly to our lives. "Unfortunately,
many people go to the Bible for a blessing or for guidance for the day, ignoring
the interpretive process altogether. In their intense desire to find something
devotional or practical, Christians sometimes distort the original meaning of
some passage of Scripture. To bypass the purpose and original meaning of the
passage, looking for a subjective impression, can lead to serious misuse of the
Bible."12

2. Determine whether a passage is direct teaching or indirect illustration. When
the passage was originally written, was it prescriptive or descriptive?
Prescriptive passages are those that give a command or a "prescription" for
human behavior, and they often provide teaching intended for direct application.
Descriptive passages simply tell what happened at a particular time, often
without providing any value judgment as to whether this was good or bad. "When
Scripture describes human actions without comment, it should not necessarily be
assumed that those actions are approved. When Scripture describes an action of
God with respect to human beings in a narrative passage, it should not be
assumed that this is the way He will always work in believers’ lives at every
point in history."13

3. Recognize the differences in how God has worked with people throughout human
history. Every Bible reader is aware that at various points in history God dealt
with different groups of people in different ways. God’s command for Noah to
build an ark is certainly not a prescription for behavior today. God’s command
for Israel to collect manna as food in the wilderness was obviously not intended
to apply later in history. Some of God’s instructions to people have changed,
while others have carried over from one time period to another. For example, the
Old Testament command to love your neighbor (Leviticus 19:18) still applies
today (Romans 13:9; Galatians 5:14; James 2:8), but only nine of the Ten
Commandments were carried over into the New Testament. Some of the Old Testament
commandments were completely nullified, such as the prohibition against eating
certain foods (Leviticus 11:1-47 vs. Acts 10:9-16) and the requirement for
circumcision (Leviticus 12:1-8 vs. Romans 4:1-25 and Galatians 5:1-26; Galatians
6:1-18).

4. Determine what is "normative" for today vs. what is limited to the biblical
setting. "Behavior that has a certain meaning in one culture may have a totally
different significance in another culture. In American society, for a woman to
follow her husband at a distance of fifteen feet, with her head down, would
usually indicate a problem in their relationship. In another culture, this same
behavior may be considered normal and expected. It may be necessary to change
the behavioral expression of a scriptural command in order to translate the
principle behind that command from one culture and time to another."14

It also may be helpful to determine the reason for a particular command or
practice. If the reason for the command is limited to that specific cultural
situation, then the command itself may also be limited in application. For
example, when Paul said in Romans 15:1-33 that the Gentile churches had a duty
to contribute to the needs of the church in Jerusalem, the reason for this
command was given: "if the Gentiles have shared in their spiritual things, they
are indebted to minister to them also in material things" (Romans 15:27). That
believers have a duty to share materially with those who have blessed them
spiritually is a reason which crosses all cultural boundaries.

Roy Zuck15 presents several guidelines for determining which biblical examples,
commands, and practices apply today:

1. Some situations, commands, or principles are repeatable, continuous, or not
revoked, and/or pertain to moral and theological subjects, and/or are repeated
elsewhere in Scripture, and therefore are permanent and transferable to us.

2. Some situations, commands, or principles pertain to an individual’s specific
non-repeatable circumstances, and/or non-moral or non-theological subjects,
and/or have been revoked, and are therefore not transferable to today.

3. Some situations or commands pertain to cultural settings that are only
partially similar to ours and in which only the principles are transferable.

4. Some situations or commands pertain to cultural settings with no similarities
but in which the principles are transferable.

5.Determine if a biblical command or practice is consistent with the overall
message of the Bible as well as with the unchanging nature and character of God.
"If what happened to someone in Bible times is considered normative for all
believers, it must be in harmony with what is taught elsewhere in Scripture. The
fact that God used Elijah and Elisha each to raise a young man from death to
life (1 Kings 17:17-23; 2 Kings 4:17-37) and used Peter to restore Dorcas to
life (Acts 9:36-43) does not mean God intends for believers today to raise
others from the dead. This is never indicated in Scripture as normative for all
believers. ... Principles, to be valid, must be affirmed elsewhere in Scripture.
How does God’s sending ravens to feed Elijah during a drought (1 Kings 17:6)
apply to us today? Obviously this does not mean God desires to feed Christians
by means of birds. Instead the principle is that God sometimes meets human needs
by unusual means. The application of this principle is that believers can trust
the Lord to supply their needs."16 Concluding Thoughts

· Every Christian should make it his goal to develop the qualities of balance,
humility, and spiritual maturity in order to properly interpret and apply the
Scriptures.

· Bible study should not be done simply for its own sake, or merely for
increasing your own personal knowledge. Every diligent Bible student has a
responsibility to share what has been learned. Ask God to provide an outlet for
your Bible study efforts so that you can teach others what God is teaching you !

· Once we are able to correctly interpret the Bible, to see the systematic unity
of the Scriptures, and to appropriately apply the Word of God to our lives today
-- then we are in a position to develop a truly Biblical Worldview ! A Biblical
Worldview is equivalent to a personal, practical systematic theology for
everyday life.

Resource List for Applying the Scriptures Ranked in order beginning with the
least complicated and least costly resources in each category.

Resources for Applying the Bible Today 1.Basic Bible Interpretation (Chapter
12), Roy Zuck 2.Understanding and Applying the Bible (Chapters 19-20), Robertson
McQuilkin 3.Hermeneutics (Chapter 8), Henry Virkler 4.Interpreting the Bible
(Chapter 17), A. Berkeley Mickelsen Resources for Dealing with Bible
Difficulties 1.Understanding and Applying the Bible (Chapter 17), Robertson
McQuilkin 2.Hard Sayings of the Bible, Kaiser, Davids, Bruce, and Brauch 3.New
International Encyclopedia of Bible Difficulties, Gleason Archer 4.When Critics
Ask: A Popular Handbook on Bible Difficulties, Geisler and Howe 5.Alleged
Discrepancies of the Bible, John Haley Resources for Understanding Systematic
Theology 1.Understanding and Applying the Bible (Chapter 16), Robertson
McQuilkin 2.A Survey of Bible Doctrine, Charles Ryrie 3.Basic Theology, Charles
Ryrie 4.Major Bible Themes, Chafer and Walvoord 5.Lectures in Systematic
Theology, Henry Thiessen

Endnotes

1 Robertson McQuilkin, Understanding and Applying the Bible, 242. 2 Adapted from
McQuilkin, 242-247. 3 McQuilkin, 220. 4 McQuilkin, 223-224. 5 McQuilkin, 232. 6
Ibid. 7 McQuilkin, 233. 8 Ibid. 9 McQuilkin, 234. 10 Henry Virkler,
Hermeneutics, 220. 11 Roy Zuck, Basic Bible Interpretation, 279. 12 Zuck, 282.
13 Virkler, 86. 14 Virkler, 224. 15 Zuck, 92-94. 16 Zuck, 285, 287.


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  CHAPTER 7: 07 - EXERCISE FOR HANDLING A BIBLE DIFFICULTY
========================================================================

Handling a Bible Difficulty Women Saved Through Childbearing

1 Timothy 2:15

Here is an example of a Scripture passage that is difficult to interpret, so it
is important to apply the basic principles of interpretation that we have
learned to determine the intended meaning of this passage. Some of these steps
include:

Identify special or significant words in this passage. Define these words, and
determine how they are related to each other within this sentence. Outline this
verse to see the relationships of the phrases.

Look at the general purpose of the book of 1 Timothy, as well as the overall
flow of thought of Paul as he writes this section.

Determine how 1 Timothy 2:15 is connected with other points within this flow of
thought, as well as how it is related to other passages in the Scriptures.

e-SwordExercise for Researching a Difficult Bible Passage 1 Timothy 2:15(KJV)
Notwithstandingsheshall be saved in childbearing, if they continue in faith and
charity and holiness with sobriety.

· Look at this verse in the e-Sword Bible window. This exercise uses the King
James Version (KJV+). Make sure to select the KJV+ tab in your Bible window.

· Use the mouse to hover over the green Strong Concordance number for the word
“Notwithstanding.” What is the Strong number for this word? ____________. What
Greek word is represented by “notwithstanding” ? _______________

· Click on this green Strong number and look at the Dictionary window in
e-Sword. Which tabs have a small blue&white (i) information icon displayed now?
___________________ ____________________

· Click on the “Thayer” tab in your Dictionary window. What are the possible
meanings for the word you clicked on? ___________, ____________, ___________,
___________

· Check the box below to indicate what “part of speech” this little word
represents? q Noun q Verb q Adjective q Adverb q Preposition q Conjunction

· HINT: This is a connecting word, which indicates that this verse cannot be
properly interpreted without determining how it is connected to what came before
it in the text.

· In your Bible window, notice that the next word with a green Strong number is
“saved.” This indicates that the entire phrase (she shall be saved) is
translating a single Greek word. What is the Strong number for “saved” ?
________________

· With your mouse, hover over the green number and see what the possible
meanings are for this word according to Strong’s Concordance:
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________

· Click on this green Strong number and look at the “Thayer” tab in your
Dictionary window. What are some of the other meanings and definitions described
in this tab?
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________

· Check the box below to indicate what “part of speech” this word represents? q
Noun q Verb q Adjective q Adverb q Preposition q Conjunction

· It would be very helpful to determine the tense, voice, mood, person, and
number for this word. One way to do this is if you have in your Bible window a
GNT-TR+ tab. Even if you are not able to read Greek, you can see the Greek
characters for this word in the Thayer or Strong Dictionary tabs and find the
corresponding word in the GNT-TR+ tab. In small green letters you will see the
Strong number for this Greek word, and in small blue letters you will see the
grammatical form of this word: σωθησεται4982V-FPI-3S This tells you that this is
a Verb in the Future tense, Passive voice, Indicative mood, 3rd person, Singular
number.

· With this information you can see why the translators render this Greek word
as “she shall be saved” If you click on the “Compare” tab in your Bible window
you can see how some of the other Bible version have translated this same verse.
Some use “will be saved” while others use “will be kept safe” or “will be
preserved.” All of these would be valid possible meanings for this word
(according to your research in Thayer and Strong).

· One question that you should answer at some point is “Who does the third
person singular pronoun refer to?” You will need to go back into the previous
context of this passage in order to determine this (HINT: 1 Timothy 2:14).
______________________________________________________________________ · The
next word which has a green Strong number in this verse (back in the KJV+ tab)
is the word “in” What is the Strong number for this word? __________

· According to Strong and Thayer, what are the possible meanings for this word?
______________________________________________________________________ · What
would probably be a better translation for this word (rather than “in”)?
____________

· Check the box below to indicate what “part of speech” this word represents? q
Noun q Verb q Adjective q Adverb q Preposition q Conjunction

· The next word which has a green Strong number in this verse is “childbearing”
- what is the Strong number for this word? ______________ What are the possible
meanings for this word?
______________________________________________________________________ · You
should determine how the prepositional phrase “through childbearing” functions
in this sentence. Which of the previous words is this phrase associated with -
what does it describe?
______________________________________________________________________ · The
next word with a green Strong number in this verse is “if” - what is the Strong
number for this word? ___________. This is a conditional word, indicating that
the fulfillment of the first part of the verse may depend on meeting the
condition in the second part of the verse. (HINT: This is a 3rd class
conditional clause in the Greek, indicating that which is probable or likely to
occur in the future.)

· The next word with a green Strong number is “continue” - what is the Strong
number for this word? __________________. What are some of the possible meanings
for this word, according to Strong and Thayer?
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________ · Check
the box below to indicate what “part of speech” this word represents? q Noun q
Verb q Adjective q Adverb q Preposition q Conjunction

· It would be very helpful to determine the tense, voice, mood, person, and
number for this word. In the GNT-TR+ tab locate the Greek word that shows the
“parsing” of this verb. In small green letters you will see the Strong number
for this Greek word, and in small blue letters you will see the grammatical form
of this word: μεινωσιν3306V-AAS-3P This tells you that this is a Verb in the
Aorist tense, Active voice, Subjunctive mood, 3rd person, Plural number.

· One question that you should answer at some point is “Who does the third
person plural pronoun refer to?” It seems unusual that the writer would switch
the number from singular to plural in the middle of the verse. You may need to
go back to the previous context in order to discover another 3rd person plural
word that could be the referent (HINT: 1 Timothy 2:9-10).
______________________________________________________________________ · The
next word with a green Strong number is “in” - what is the Strong number for
this word? _______________. Is this the same Strong number as you found for the
previous “in” of this verse? _____________. According to the “Thayer” tab in
your Dictionary window, what are some of the possible meanings for this word?
______________________________________________________________________ · The
next five words all have Strong numbers. Two of these words are connecting words
(and), while the other three are very important terms which deserve individual
word studies of their own. What are these three terms: Word Strong number
Possible Meanings Faith ____________
________________________________________________ Charity ____________
________________________________________________ Holiness ____________
________________________________________________

· You should determine how the prepositional phrase “in faith and charity and
holiness” functions in this sentence. Which of the previous words is this phrase
associated with - what does it describe?
______________________________________________________________________ · The
next word with a green Strong number is “with” - what is the Strong number for
this word? ______________. What are some of the possible meanings of this word?
______________________________________________________________________ · Check
the box below to indicate what “part of speech” this word represents? q Noun q
Verb q Adjective q Adverb q Preposition q Conjunction

· The next word with a green Strong number is “sobriety” - what is the Strong
number for this word? ______________. What are some of the possible meanings of
this word?
______________________________________________________________________ · You
should determine how the prepositional phrase “with sobriety” functions in this
sentence. Which of the previous words is this phrase associated with - what does
it describe?
______________________________________________________________________ ·
Determine where else in 1 Timothy this word was used by the writer. With your
mouse, hover over the green Strong number for the word “sobriety” in 1 Timothy
2:15 and RIGHT-click. On the small menu that appears, click on “Quick search on
4997” and then click on “1 Timothy” to see other instances of this word in this
book. Which other passage in 1 Timothy used this same word?
_____________________________. What was the writer describing in that passage
when he used the term sobriety (self-restraint, self-control)?
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________ · What
are some of your unanswered interpretive questions at this point in your study?

How does this passage connect with what went before? (use of the word
“notwithstanding”). Which meaning for the word “saved” was
intended?________________________________ Why was there a switch between third
person singular (she) and third person plural (they)?_ Why was childbearing
included in this verse?______________________________________ Why is a woman’s
“sobriety” or self-restraint being emphasized in this verse?____________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
Looking at the Context Within First Timothy

· First of all, it is important to identify the purpose of the book of First
Timothy. Why did the apostle Paul write this book? You could identify the
purpose by reading all the way through First Timothy and looking for a clear
statement by Paul of his purpose (HINT: 1 Timothy 3:15). You might also check
with some of your Bible resources such as a Bible Handbook, Bible Dictionary, or
Study Bible introduction. In the e-Sword Dictionary window you could type
“Timothy” in the small lookup field to see what is contained in the Fausset,
ISBE, and Smith tabs. Based on your research, what was Paul’s purpose, and what
were some of the problems he wanted Timothy to deal with in the church at
Ephesus?
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________

· What is the first topic that Paul addressed in chapter 2?
_____________________ (1 Timothy 2:1-2)

· If they followed Paul’s instructions in vv. 1-2, then God would be pleased.
Paul then includes a brief comment about God Himself and His plan for salvation
(1 Timothy 2:4 uses the same word sozo that your found in your study of 1
Timothy 2:15, so there is a connection). Summarize how Paul describes God’s
method for saving people (1 Timothy 2:5-7).
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________

· Paul then dealt with issues of proper conduct in the church, especially in the
public meetings of the church. Notice the order of the groups Paul addressed.
Which gender was addressed first? ______________ (1 Timothy 2:8) Which gender
was addressed second? ______________ (1 Timothy 2:9)

· What were the issues of “improper conduct in the church” addressed to women (1
Timothy 2:9-12) (HINT: notice the word sobriety/self-restraint, as well as the
violation of proper authority)
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________

· Notice the Scriptural reasons that Paul listed for addressing the men first,
and for specifying that authority within the church falls on the shoulders of
qualified male leadership. What biblical event did Paul refer to in 1 Timothy
2:13? _________________________________

· In the original account of this event, had Adam already been given primary
responsibility and authority for carrying out specific duties within the
creation? _________________________

· What biblical event did Paul refer to in 1 Timothy 2:14?
__________________________________

· Does the fact that only Eve was deceived mean that men can never be deceived?
_________ (In this second biblical event, it is clear that Adam deliberately
sinned with full knowledge, but that is only an explanation of what happened
during that event).

· In the original account of this second biblical event, what were the
consequences for both men and women?
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________

· What relationship does childbearing (1 Timothy 2:15) have to this second
biblical event that Paul listed in verse 14 ?
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________

·According to the wider context of the entire Bible, how is any person “saved”
according to God’s eternal plan? For example, the same word Paul used for
“saved” is also used by Paul in Ephesians 2:5 and Ephesians 2:8. Express in your
own words God’s plan for human salvation:
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________ ·Can
any woman be saved in a different way than what you described above?
____________

· From what Paul said about women in 1 Timothy 2:9-14, it might give a negative
impression of a woman’s place in God’s purpose for the church. This is obviously
not an impression that Paul would want to leave in the minds of his readers. So
Paul adds verse 15 at the conclusion to his paragraph in order to affirm that
women do have a place in God’s purposes.

Insights from Commentaries

Remember that the words of these commentators are not on the same level as the
inspired Word that we have recorded for us in the Scriptures. Whenever you read
the insights of commentators be sure to carefully evaluate them in light of all
of the detailed study you have done yourself.

· In the e-Sword Bible window, click on the verse number for 1 Timothy 2:15.
Notice which tabs in the Commentary window have a small blue&white (i)
information icon displayed.

· Click on the JFB tab (Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset and David Brown:
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible). In addition to “by
means of” what is another way that the word “THROUGH” can be understood? (see
the first paragraph)
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________

· In this same tab, what insights are provided about the use of the words faith,
charity, and holiness? (By “essential way to salvation” they mean the essential
conduct of one who is saved.)
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________

· In the tab for BARNES you will notice that there is a great deal of
information. Barnes deals with some of the different views on this verse, and he
comes to some important conclusions regarding its meaning. Look for the words
that begin with, “The true meaning, it seems to me, has been suggested by
Calvin” Beneath this, you will find three points and a concluding paragraph on
the meaning of this phrase.

· Notice that not all of the thoughts of the commentators are equally valuable.
In many cases you will find no help, and in some cases you will find more
hindrance than help. When many of the commentators disagree regarding the
meaning of a passage, this is a clear sign that we should not be dogmatic about
an interpretation.

· Another resource for “Bible difficulties” (not in e-Sword) has this to say
about 1 Timothy 2:15. “1Titus 2:15 is the conclusion to the entire paragraph. In
1 Timothy 2:9-14 the specific instructions to women are restrictive and
negative. Verse 15 begins with the word “but” (or better, “yet”), and what is
said is apparently intended as a positive affirmation. The various restrictions
imposed on women are now qualified.” (Hard Sayings of the Bible, Kaiser, Davids,
Bruce, and Brauch, 671)

· You might consider getting a book specifically on the role of women in church
ministry. For example, Women and Ministry by Dan Doriani devotes an entire
chapter to 1 Timothy 2:15. Doriani affirms that, although women should not have
a position of authority - in the sense of a formal office in church leadership -
they do have an important ministry.


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Source: https://sermonindex.net/books/garlandtony-bible-interpretation/
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