CHRIST LIFE BIBLE INSTITUTE

An Affiliate Member of International Victory Bible College USA

(Equipping Able Ministers of the New Testament)
Contact: apostlehamandishe87@gmail.com (+263 773 876 924)

DIPLOMA IN PASTORAL MINISTRY

MODULE 3: HERMENEUTICS
Understanding Bible Interpretation
(HERMENEUTICS ASSIGNMENT)

SUBMITTED BY: ANTONY AINOBUSHOBOROZI

CONTACT: +256 779 217 437
Email: nyinetinka@gmail.com

DATE: 19TH SEPTEMBER 2019

1. What are the rules that governs bible interpretation? (20)

 Always interpreting a passage in harmony with the context; Context is the entire section of
written thoughts in which a passage is found. It includes that which immediately precedes,
follows and all parts properly connected to it. It may be a paragraph, a chapter, a large section
of the entire writing. The writings of scripture demonstrate a continuous, logical flow of
thoughts which can best be interpreted while reading them in context.

Context is key for interpreting and understanding any biblical passage. Context means, “That
which goes with the text.” Context can be viewed in two ways; literal context and historical
(cultural) context.

The literal context is the words, sentences, paragraphs, chapters that surround and relate to a
text. The literal context shows us how a paragraph or a verse fits into a large portion of
scripture. It gives clear insight into meaning, even if we know nothing about the writer or his
original audience.

It is noted that bible chapters and verse numbers were never part of the original manuscripts.
Chapters and verses were only introduced/ developed to aid reference however they do not
always agree with the natural development of thoughts in the text. No verse is a stand-alone
and the key to the meaning of any verse comes from the paragraph, not just individual words.
Context frames the verse and gives it specific meaning. Therefore to interpret the bible properly,
the basic thrust is to go from larger units to small units.

Words need to be understood in the context of the verses in which they appear; verses need to
be interpreted in light of the paragraphs in which they occur; paragraphs need to be interpreted
in light of the paragraphs that surround them; all of these things need to be understood in the
light of the theme(s) of the chapters, sections, and book as a whole.

The historical (or cultural) context is the culture, customs, languages, beliefs, and history of the
author and his original audience. The historical context gives us insight into how a portion of the
Bible fits into its world. It provides us with background information that may explain the
significance of words, phrases, customs, people, places, and events that the biblical author
refers to. The more we know about the world of the Bible, the better we can understand the
Bible itself.

 Understanding of the environment of the author, the times in which a text was written, the
customs of his day, the opinions of his time, the circumstances surrounding his life and the
nature of his own personality. This also involves the writer’s familiarity with the recipient. It is
important to have an understanding of the generation, language, culture, intention and
operational systems of the writer. If these are not taken into consideration, the reader will be
shielded away from the understanding of the writer and his mode of communication.

 Having an understanding of the texts and words used by the writer. The bible was written in
words and in regular languages including use of basic literary forms, figures of speech, idioms,

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 parables, symbolisms and these forms of literature must be considered and thoughfully
understood to come to correct bible interpretation.

 Interpreting a passage in harmony with all other passages. This is the normal rule of consistency
in truth. No doctrine can be true of it is opposed to any clear statement of the word of God.
When there seems to be a contradiction between the meanings of passages, one or more of the
interpretations must be incorrect. Scripture must be compared with scripture to give the full
meaning.

(2Pe 1:20) Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.

Scripture will never contradict other scripture. The bible is a coherent story with one central
theme – Jesus Christ. Its truths are progressively revealed over time. For instance; the OT is the
preparation of the gospel; the Gospels are the manifestation of the gospel; Acts is the expansion
of the gospel; the Epistles are the explanation of the gospel and Revelations is the
consummation of the gospel. Every passage in the bible must well be read in context.

The NT interprets the OT; it is said that, the New is in the Old concealed; the Old is in the New
revealed. Jesus is the central person and integral theme of the bible.

(Luk 24:25-27) Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the
prophets have spoken: Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his
glory? And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the
scriptures the things concerning himself.

Therefore it is good to conclude that the OT Scriptures must always be read through the lenses
of the NT scriptures.

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2. Accuracy of bible interpretation language must be achieved without compromising the original
language. Explain this statement? (20)

The bible is the word of God which is passed on through various writers to man (2Tim3:16). Generally
God gave inspiration of the Word to men to present the thought in the words they chose. But at other
times it was impossible for men to hold the thoughts that God had to communicate. Under such
circumstances He gave the words, for man could not be trusted with any part of it. At such times they
spoke as the Spirit of God gave them utterance. But it is fair to say that the most of the Bible has been
given by men who were inspired, but who were left to do the work according to their own methods of
expression and language.

The different authors/ writers employ the use of text to communicate their intentions and thoughts.
This text is communicated through a language that later has to be understood by the reader in as much
as the times could have changed.

For the reader to correctly interpret the text and language used by the writer, there is need to have a
precise understanding of the writer’s language. In as much as the reader may not know the exact
language originally used by the writer, he can get an understanding of the writer’s language by reading
in context to understand the general message of the writer. Context may be literal context or historical
context and the reader must bear these two in mind to come to an accurate interpretation of the text
he is reading.

Language is a reliable medium of communication. The language in which the bible is written is in two
categories; literal language and figurative language.

A good portion of the bible is plain, literal language. It is used by the writers to state facts, name persons
and places, relate incidences, issue commandments and warnings and draw conclusions. The literal
meaning of a word is that meaning which is given it by the writer.

For a reader to understand the meaning of literal language and words, he must seek the original
meaning of a word strictly from the viewpoint of the writer and not its modern usage, he must seek to
understand the definition of words as given by the writer, words which might have many meanings
ought to be read in context and the reader must use comparison by consulting similar or parallel
passages where the same word occurs, especially passages in the same book.

The bible was also written in figurative language and this involves use of different figures of speech such
as; proverbs, prophecy, symbolism, poetry, idioms, hyperboles, fiction, parables, personifications, and
many other forms and all these different figures of speech are a means of expressing the truth in the
Bible.

For a reader to understand figurative language, he must take care to determine what kind of figure it is,
he must follow the author’s explanations (for example in Luke 8:11, 12:16-21), he must harmonize the
figurative language with the literal language, he must harmonize the figurative with the customs of the
time, he must not press the meaning too far and he must always remember that figures of speech do
change their meaning from one instance to another and they do not always represent the same thing
and so it is necessary to understand the figure of speech in the context in which it is used (for example
the leaven of bread used in Matt 13:33 Vs Matt 16:6-12)

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3. What determines the meaning of a text? (20)

For a reader to determine the meaning of a text, he has to have an understanding of the structuring/
levels of language used in that text. There are two basic levels of structuring a text; form and meaning.

The form level of language (also known as the surface structure) deals with grammar (the structure of
words, phrases, and clauses) and syntax (the arrangement of words in sentences).

The meaning level of language (also known as the “semantic” level or “deep structure”) is the
substantive message which the form of a writing expresses. Biblical interpretation ultimately is about
discerning the meaning of what the Bible says. But that meaning is derived from the form.

To determine the meaning of a biblical text, we must consider these three things; the author, the
original recipient and the text itself.

To rightly understand the Bible—or any other important document or work of literature—the first
question we must ask is: “What did the author mean when he wrote this passage? The meaning of a text
is fixed by the author and is not subject to change by the readers in as much as additional truth can be
revealed subsequently. Meaning is determined by the author and it is discovered by the readers.

The author employs the use of the text to communicate his thoughts. Over time, the text is the only
available form that carries the intended meaning even when the author is not available to give
explanation of his intended meaning.

The text is thus the true portrayal of what the author intended to say as well as what the original
receiver would have understood.

The meaning expressed in each biblical text is single, definite and fixed. The only proper control for
meaning in a text is the meaning of that text in its original context. The meaning of any biblical passage
is dependent and based on its form and the reader has to discern/ understand the semantics and
pragmatics in every particular passage. He has to focus on signifiers such as words, phrases, signs and
symbols and what they stand for (what they denote) as well as understanding the circumstances
surrounding these expressions.

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4. Explain the role played by the 3 characters in interpretation? (20)

Interpretation is process of determining the meaning and significance of a text. It is a communication

process, designed to reveal meanings and intended thoughts (text/ code) of an encoder/ author to a
recipient/ reader/ decoder. Communication is simply the act of transferring information from one place,
person or group to another. Every communication involves (at least) one sender, a message and a
recipient.

Therefore we have three distinct components/ characters in every communication; the Author, the Text
and the Reader/ Recipient. Each of these components plays a key role as explained below;

The Author;

The Author is the one who communicates his thoughts to the reader via a text. The author is the primary
custodian of the meaning of a text. Therefore the meaning of a text is determined by the author and
discovered by the reader.

To rightly understand the Bible—or any other important document or work of literature—the first
question we must ask is: “What did the author mean when he wrote this text?” The meaning of a text is
fixed by the author and is not subject to change by readers. This does not imply that further revelation
on the subject cannot help one come to a fuller understanding, but simply that the meaning given in a
text is not changed because additional truth is revealed subsequently. Meaning is also definite in that
there are defined limits by virtue of the author's expressed meaning in the given linguistic form and
cultural context.

We believe that the Bible is from God (2 Peter 1:21), inspired by God (2 Timothy 3:16a), true and reliable
(Matthew 5:17-18), and sufficient for our faith and practice (2 Timothy 3:16b).

The Text;

Text is a form of communication. The text is any passage from the Bible that we might study and preach
or teach.

The bible is the word of God which is passed on through various writers to man (2Tim3:16). The Bible
has been given by men who were inspired, but who were left to do the work according to their own
methods of expression and language.

The text plays a more decisive role as a determiner of meaning in the place beyond where the human
authors of the bible are not available to explain what they meant with a specific passage or even where
the original receivers are not available to explain what they actually understood from a specific passage.

The text is thus the true portrayal of what the author intended to say as well as what the original
receiver would have understood. Text is used for understanding human expressions through languages.

The reader;

The role of the reader is to bring out the thoughts of the author and rightly interpret what the writer is
saying in each word, statement or phrase.

The reader has to approach bible passages in two perspectives; the original recipient and the present
reader. God did not communicate in a vacuum but always to specific people in a specific context. The

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written communication was in their own language, using expressions known to them and written in a
format acceptable to them. Since the books of the Bible were originally intended for specific people in
particular circumstances, the present reader must ask: “What did the text mean for the original
recipients?”

In as much as a reader can give his own meaning to a particular text other than the original meaning
intended by the author, he must be careful to understand the mind of the encoder/ author as well as
seek the original meaning of the text in the lenses of the original recipient.

The reader needs to ascertain the author’s meaning and use of literal forms, he must look for the
significance and at the implications and significance of passages – some might be universal while the
others are local statements.

5. What are the norms of language in bible interpretation? (20)

Norms of language are basically the unwritten rules of language interpretation that are considered
acceptable, they are standards/ models/ patterns that are regarded as typical guides in coming up with
correct interpretation of bible passage. Norms function to provide order and predictability in
interpretation.

In bible interpretation, these are the norms that guide the way we arrive at conclusions;

 Etymology/ meaning; this refers to a pattern or intended thoughts the author is transmitting in
the text he presented. This is the study of the origin/ history of words shown by tracing its
development since its earliest recorded occurrence in the language where it is found, by tracing
its transmission from one language to another, by analyzing it into its component parts, by
identifying its cognates in other languages, or by tracing it and its cognates to a common
ancestral form in an ancestral language.

For instance when studying text in the bible, it is necessary to trace the meaning of words in the original
languages; Hebrew and Greek by referring to the lexicon; this helps the reader to get the original
meanings and how a word was developed.

 Syntax; this is the arrangement of words and phrases to create well-formed sentences in a
language. The purpose of syntax is to study sentence structure and formation. It deals with such
details such as sentence organization, the order of clauses, relationships between words,
elements of a sentence, etc. Syntax also determines which word combinations are acceptable.
 Implication; this refers to the conclusion that can be drawn from something although it is not
explicitly stated by the author. However, it legitimately falls within the pattern of the meaning
he was communicating.

The bible text has both the literal and implicative meanings. For example the word Circumcision in its
literal usage is the cutting off of the foreskin of a male. In the book of Galatians (Gal 5:2, 2:9-14),
circumcision is used implicatively to refer to works of the law, in as much the writer (Paul) did not state
it in the written text.

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  Use of words literary or figuratively; Literal language means exactly what it says, while
figurative language uses similes, metaphors, hyperbole, and personification to describe
something often through comparison with something different.

Literal language does not use figures of speech. Instead, literal language uses the actual meanings of
words or phrases in their exact sense. Literal language is very straightforward and to the point. Literal
language is precise and often tells the reader exactly the point. The reader or listener does not have to
extract meaning.

For example; (Luk 2:7) And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes,
and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn. Here Luke uses plain narrative
style to give the story of Christ’s birth.

Figurative language uses different figures of speech to make the content more persuasive or to have a
greater impact. Figurative language uses figures of speech such as metaphors, similes, hyperbole, and
personification to make the message more meaningful. A writer uses figurative language to create more
interesting and often colorful content. This is when a word is employed in another than its primary
meaning, it is a turn or twist of language; that is, a word turned from its primary usage to another
meaning.

For instance when James, Cephas, and John are called pillars of the church, (Gal 2: 9), we see at once
that the word pillars is a metaphor. And when the church itself is said to be “built upon the foundation
of the Apostles and Prophets” (Eph 2:20) we know that the image of a house or temple is the mental
picture of the passage.

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