Gregory Chao
May 17, 2013
How to Interpret the Bible (Hermeneutics)
Principle #4: Interpreting understanding genre (literary types)
 Principle #1 - Literary Context – Each statement must be understood according to its natural meaning in
literary context where it occurs.
 Principle #2 – Historical-Cultural Context – Texts should be understood consistent with their original
hearer, their historical and cultural context. However, literary context (Principle #1) should take
precedence over historical-cultural context.
 Principle #3 - Meaning of Word – Words from different languages may have overlapping meanings. We
must interpret using the literary context and the meaning to the original hearer.
 Principle #4 – Genre - Understanding the literally genre of the writing will guide you to determine whether
to take a passage literally or not. Theology based on the more literal genres is safer than symbolic ones.
 Principle #5 – Breadth - Interpretations that are supported by several passages throughout the Bible have
firmer grounding than sparse or isolated passages.
 Reference: Introduction to Biblical Interpretation by W. Klein, C. Blomberg, R. Hubbard
Interpreting the Bible
Reading
Guide
Understanding Ease
1. Literary type – Understanding the literally
genre of the writing will guide you to
determine whether to take a passage
literally or not. Theology based on the
more literal genres is safer than symbolic
ones. Recommendations - It is best to start
reading NT Gospels, Epistles, Psalms,
Proverbs and OT history since they are
among the easiest to understand.
a. Jesus’ teaching & NT Letters – These
are the clearest, most straightforward
writings and should be taken literally for
the most part (Exception - There are
some more difficult teachings of Jesus
such as parables or Sermon on the
Mount.)
b. History – Reliable accounts where
lesson can be learned through examples
of people (e.g. Jesus in the Gospels, Paul
in Acts, Moses, Joseph, David.)
c. Psalms (Prayers) – Prayers that help us
understand how to interact with God
through examples. This is the core of our
faith.
d.
Type of Prose
Literal
Symbolic
Revelation
Prophecy
Hard
Med
Ethics of Jesus
Wisdom
OT Legal writing
Parables
Easy
Epistles
History (OT & NT)
Teaching of Jesus
Poetry
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d. Proverbs - Proverbs teach probable truth, not absolute truth. Wisdom should be a
lifelong endeavor. By nature proverbs point out patterns of conduct that, if followed,
give one the best chance of success. (Proverbs, Eccles., Psalms). It is best to gather
Proverbs by topic due to the format of the prose (e.g. wise man, mocker, sluggard,
wicked, virtuous woman, etc.)
e. Theology based on
Question 1: What is baptism of the Holy Spirit? Act 1:4-8 4
history only - You
On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave
should be careful
them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for
when making
the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me
speak about. 5 For John baptized with water, but in a few
conclusions on only
days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” 6 Then they
narrative accounts
gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this
without support of
time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7 He said to
teaching passages
them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the
since the event of the
Father has set by his own authority. 8 But you will receive
narrative could be
power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be
unique (e.g. baptism of
my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria,
the Spirit).
and to the ends of the earth.”
f. Symbolic Prose (e.g.
Revelation, Song of Songs)- You should be careful when making conclusions based on
symbolic literature such as Revelation. It is difficult to determine what can be taken as
literal. Other examples of symbolic literature are Poetry & Song, or parables.
Question 2: How literally should we interpret the creations story? (& other stories in Gen 111)?
Question 3: Should we consider Song of Songs as an example of the goodness of human love
or of an allegory of the love of God to Israel (Jewish) or Jesus for the Church/humans
(Christian), etc?
g. Parables - You should be careful
Question 4 (Parables) - Can we understand
when making conclusions based
what hell is like from the parables? (e. g.
on elements of parables (e.g.
Matthew 13:47-50) 47 “Once again, the kingdom
what is hell like). They may be
of heaven is like a net that was let down into
auxiliary to the main point and
the lake and caught all kinds of fish. 48 When it
may be a construct of the story.
was full, the fishermen pulled it up on the
shore. Then they sat down and collected the
Parables usually have three
good fish in baskets, but threw the bad away.
groups of characters; master,
49
This is how it will be at the end of the age.
good servants, & bad servants.
The angels will come and separate the wicked
There are usually three lessons
from the righteous 50 and throw them into the
when taking the viewpoint of
blazing furnace, where there will be weeping
each character. Sometimes,
and gnashing of teeth.
there are allegories (e.g. seeds
representing the Word) but one must be careful to read allegories into the story.
Interpreting the Bible
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h. Prophecy – Prophecies serve
Question 5 - Where does the belief that there will
an important role in validating
be a 7 year tribulation come from? (Daniel 9:24-26)
the authenticity of Jesus of
- 24 “Seventy ‘sevens’ are decreed for your people
and your holy city to finish transgression, to put an
Nazareth as the Messiah.
end to sin, to atone for wickedness, to bring in
However, you should be
everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and
careful when make predictions
prophecy and to anoint the Most Holy Place.
based on prophecy. It is
25
“Know and understand this: From the time the
difficult to predict upcoming
word goes out to restore and rebuild Jerusalem
events with certainty or
until the Anointed One, the ruler, comes, there will
determine if current events
be seven ‘sevens,’ and sixty-two ‘sevens.’ It will be
truly correlate with the
rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of
prophetic prediction1
trouble. 26 After the sixty-two ‘sevens,’ the Anointed
One will be put to death and will have nothing.
i. Ethics of Jesus - There is a type
of teaching (Sermon on the
Mount) where stark contrasts are taught in order to stir the listener to action. They are
not necessary meant to be taken literally (pluck out your eye, hatred as murder, turning
the other cheek, be perfect, etc.) but Christians through the ages have differed over
their interpretation
Question 6 (Matt 5:29-30) – How literally do we take
(Anabaptist (pacifism),
this passage? 29 If your right eye causes you to
Lutherans (the impossibility
stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better
of following the law),
for you to lose one part of your body than for your
Catholic (select disciples),
whole body to be thrown into hell. 30 And if your right
existentialists (ethical
hand causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it
action), dispensationalists
away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body
(applies to millennial age
than for your whole body to go into hell.
only)
1
“While OT prophets saw the coming age as a whole, the NT presents it as having phases. There are at least two periods: the present church
age and the period after Christ’s second coming. Hence, when plotting the fulfillment of OT prophecies about the future, we must carefully
analyze their content to see where they fit in this larger schema. We must add a second characteristic of prophecy: it may have two
fulfillments, one near the prophet’s lifetime and one long past it.” Introduction to Biblical Interpretation by W. Klein, p 305.
Interpreting the Bible
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5. Helpful Timeline charts of Old and New Testament
http://hkbible.com/OldTestamentSurvey/14.htm
http://bible.org/seriespage/introduction-new-testament
Interpreting the Bible
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