Principles of Biblical
Interpretation
Lesson 6: Core Faith
Dr. James F. Davis, PhD
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Things We Sometimes Hear
Well, that’s just your interpretation.
The Bible can be made to say anything you want.
You can’t really understand the Bible. It is full of
contradictions.
No one can understand the true meaning of
anything anyone says.”
This is what the Bible means to me.
All of these are about principles of biblical
interpretation also called in theological jargon
hermeneutics
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Welcome to Our
Post-Modern World
Pilate’s
Question
Lives
ON!!
“What is truth?”
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Overview of Lesson
How does divine inspiration and human
authorship affect biblical interpretation?
What does a text mean?
What are some general principles of
interpretation?
How do I interpret the Old Testament?
How do I interpret the New Testament?
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What Does a Text Mean?
In the last lesson we looked at the
topic of inspiration and found
that the Bible is both a human
book and a divine book.
Implications for Bible
Interpretation
Human authors had a specific historical
audience, context and purpose
Human authors used their own language,
writing methods, style of writing and
literary form of writing
The Divine authorship of the Bible gives it
its unity and the ultimate interpretation is
from God.
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Question: What does a text
mean?
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Answer :
A text means what the
author intended it to mean!
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Personal Letter Illustration
If you wrote a
letter what does it
mean? What your
interpretation is
or how the
recipients
interpret it?
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General Principles Biblical interpretation:
Principle 1: Authorial Intent: Interpretation must be
based on the author’s intention of meaning and not the
reader.
This means we must get into the author’s context
Historically,
Grammatically,
Culturally
And the Literary forms and conventions the author was
working in.
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General Principles Biblical interpretation:
Principle 2: Interpretations must be done in the context
of the passage (sentence, paragraph, section, book).
What does the following mean?
It was a ball?
• The baseball umpire saw the pitch drift to the outside and said, “it
was a ball.”
• We went to the dance last night in fact it was so formal “it was a
ball.”
• As I was walking along the golf course I spotted something small
and white in the tall grass, “it was a ball.”
• I had so much fun at the game night. “It was a ball.”
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CONTEXT
DETERMINES
MEANING!!!
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Context of 1st
century
Author then Bible
Book
Larger section
Paragraph
Immediate
Context
Verse
Circles of Literary Context
General Principles Biblical Interpretation:
Principle 3: Interpret the
Bible literally allowing
for use of normal
figurative language.
When the literal does not
make sense (e.g., trees
clapping their hands) you
may have a figure of
speech.
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General Principles Biblical Interpretation:
Principle 4: Use the Bible to help interpret itself.
Interpret difficult passages with clear ones. This is
sometimes also called the law of noncontradiction.
• For example there are clear passages in my view that teach eternal
security (John 5; Rom 8) so I would let this influence me that a very
hard passage like Heb 6 is not teaching that one can lose his
salvation.
Use the New Testament to help interpret the Old Testament.
This recognizes this progressive nature of revelation but also
one must start by interpreting the OT in its context before a
NT consideration is made.
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General Principles Biblical Interpretation:
Principle 5: Interpretation must be distinguished from
application. While there is one interpretation that is
historical there are many applications that can be
carried over to our modern context.
Build the application bridge
Interpretation Then
Application Now
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General Principles Biblical Interpretation:
Principle 6: Be sensitive to distinctions
between the Israel and the church and
Old Covenant and New Covenant
eras/requirements
Promises made to Israel (like the land
promises) cannot automatically be
transferred to the church.
Christians are not under the requirements of
the Mosaic law (Rom 6:14).
The church was formed in Acts 2 with the
descent of the Holy Spirit and most direct
statement to and about the church occur
after that.
There is a future for national Israel (cf Rom
11).
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General Principles Biblical Interpretation:
Principle 7: Be sensitive to
the type of literature you are
in. For example law,
narrative, wisdom, poetry,
gospel, parable, epistle,
apocalyptic.
Each of these types of
literature have specific
features that must be
considered
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Interpreting the Old Testament
Narrative: Interpret the passage in its historical context
then look for lessons and applications from the
characters and events. Why do you think God included
this passage?
Only one verse is given to the judge Shamgar.
After Ehud came Shamgar son of Anath; he killed six
hundred Philistines with an oxgoad and he too delivered
Israel (Judges 3:31).
The verse teaches God’s delivering power can come in an
unexpected way (Not with an army but with one man with
an oxgoad).
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Interpreting the Old Testament
Law: Realize that Christians are not under the law as a legal
system (Rom 6:14) but that we are to fulfill the principles that
stand behind the law of loving God and loving one’s neighbor
(Cf Matt 22:37-40)? Look for the principle. Sometimes the
teaching is carried directly into the New Testament (e.g., Do not
murder etc).
You must not muzzle your ox when it is treading grain (Deut 25:4)
Paul takes this verse and applies the principle of the “worker” being
worthy of tangible support: Elders who provide effective leadership must
be counted worthy of double honor, especially those who work hard in
speaking and teaching. 5:18 For the scripture says, “Do not muzzle an ox
while it is treading out the grain,” and, “The worker deserves his pay.” (1
Tim 5:17-18, cf. 1 Cor 9:9)
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Interpreting the Old Testament
Wisdom: Realize that much of the proverbial type of
wisdom are general truths based on observations but
not absolute truths or promises.
A gentle response turns away anger, but a harsh
word stirs up wrath (Prov 15:1).
Train a child in the way that he should go, and
when he is old he will not turn from it (Prov 22:6).
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Interpreting the Old Testament
Poetry: Realize that poetry often has figurate language
and Hebrew poetry’s main characteristic is parallelism.
The Lord owns the earth and all it contains,
the world and all who live in it.
For he set its foundation upon the seas,
and established it upon the ocean currents.
Who is allowed to ascend the mountain of the
Lord? Who may go up to his holy dwelling place?
(Ps 24:1-3)
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Interpreting the New Testament
Gospels:
Understand that Each writer has a specific audience for whom he is
writing and selects his material for them
• Matthew was written for a Jewish audience
• Mark was written for a Roman audience
• Luke was written for a Greek audience
• John was written for a universal or Gentile audience
Read gospels not only vertically (what is said in each individually) but
also horizontally (why one story follows another) (See Mark 2-3:6;
What do these accounts have in common?) .
Recognize that the gospels are in a transitional stage between Old and
New Covenants (e.g., Mark 7 where Jesus declared all foods clean)
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Interpreting the New Testament
Parables (Adapted from Roy Zuck, Basic Bible Interpretation):
Determine the context that prompted the parable
Understand the story’s natural meaning
Ascertain the main point or truth the parable is trying to give
Only interpret the details of the parables if they can be
validated from the passage. Many details are there for the
setting of the story only.
E.g., What is the main point of the mustard seed parable?
• He gave them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a
mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his field. 13:32 It is the
smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest
garden plant and becomes a tree, so that the wild birds come and nest
in its branches” (Matt 13:31-32) .
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Interpreting the New Testament
Acts: Recognize that Acts is a theologized history of
the early church.
It tells what the church is doing and what God is doing.
• So those who accepted his message were baptized, and that day
about three thousand people were added. . . . (Acts 2:41)
• And the Lord was adding to their number every day those who were
being saved (Acts 2:47)
Church starts in Acts 2 with the Baptism of the Holy Spirit.
Some events are descriptive of what happened not
proscriptive of what we see in the church today.
• Samaritan Believers not having the Holy Spirit in Acts 8 upon faith
in Jesus (Waiting for Peter and John to get there).
• Paul bitten by a viper in yet miraculously living (Acts 28:1-5)
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Key Transitions in the Book of
Acts
Biography(Especially from Peter to Paul)
Paul
Paul/Barnabas
Barnabas/Saul
Philip
Stephen
Peter/John
Jesus
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Key Transitions in the Book of
Acts
Ministry Focus
Gentiles
Samaritans
Jews
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Key Transitions in the Book of
Acts
Geography (Acts 1:8)
Rome
Europe
Asia Minor
Samaria
Judea
Jerusalem
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Interpreting the New Testament
Epistles:
Since the Epistles are directed to churches and individuals in
the church they most directly apply to us.
Pay special attention to logical connectors/conjunctions to
explore.
• Look for these words: “for, “therefore”, “but” etc.
• So since we are receiving an unshakable kingdom, let us give thanks,
and through this let us offer worship pleasing to God in devotion and
awe. For our God is indeed a devouring fire (Heb 12:28-29).
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Interpreting the New Testament
Revelation:
Recognize that there are many Old Testament allusions in
Revelation
Recognize that there is a greater use of symbolic language
than in other parts of the Bible
Interpret the seven churches as seven historical churches
from John’s day and from chapter 4 onward as primarily
future events from our perspective (Rev 1:18-19).
Follow a generally chronological view of the book
sequencing the bowls, trumpets and seals, second coming of
Jesus, millennial kingdom and eternal state.
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Discussion Questions
What types of interpretations have you heard where you
questioned the method of interpretation?
What would happen to interpretation if the church to a
reader centered interpretation as opposed to an author
centered interpretation?
How does the Holy Spirit help us in interpreting the Bible
(1 Cor 2)?
If the Holy Spirit is guiding us in interpretation why do
godly Christians have differing interpretations on various
passages?
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Discussion Questions
What is our relationship, if any, to the Old
Testament Commandments/Law?
Why are only 9 of the 10 commandments repeated
in the New Testament? The Sabbath command is
the one commandment that is not there.
How does the distinction between the church and
Israel affect application of the Old Testament?
How do you know if something is symbolic or
not?
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