Basic Rules of Interpretation

When handling the Word of God, there are rules of interpretation that must be followed. This is important so that what you end up with is exegesis: “leading out” what is in the text. If these rules are not followed, then what you will end up with will be eisegesis: reading something “into” the text that is not there—such as your own presuppositions or preconceived ideas. Although there is always some subjectivity in Bible interpretation, the goal of the interpreter is to be as objective as possible. II Peter 1:20-21 says, ^“Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things.  For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” With that said, I will list below some of the basic rules for interpreting the Word of God.

1.      Have at least a working knowledge of the original languages the Bible was written in. The Old Testament was written primarily in Hebrew, (a few chapters in Ezra and Daniel, and one verse in Jeremiah, was written in Aramaic); the New Testament was written in Koine Greek (“the common” language of the people). The importance of being able to understand the original languages is that when you translate from one language to another you can lose some of the original meaning of a word or words. For example, the Greeks had several words for love that we translate as only one word in English. In Greek, there is “philos,” meaning “brotherly love,” (Philadelphia is the combination of the Greek words for love and brotherly, hence “the city of brotherly love.” And then there is “agape,” meaning the “unconditional, willful love of God.” Therefore, a working knowledge of the original languages of the Bible is an invaluable tool in the exegesis of the scriptures.

2.      A second rule of interpreting the Word of God is to give careful attention to what the text meant in its original setting. This would require an understanding of who the author of the text was as well as the people to whom he was writing. For example, understanding that Matthew was writing to a first century Jewish audience to convince them that Jesus was the promised Old Testament Messiah would explain why he quotes so much from the Old Testament. That would obviously be very important to a Jewish audience and important to the one interpreting the text of Matthew.

3.      A third rule of interpretation is to understand the Jewish culture and mind set. With the exception of Luke, who was a Greek, the entire New Testament was written by Jews! It is important then to think like a first century Jew. How do you do that? First and foremost, learn to love the Old Testament. The Jews who wrote the New Testament did. It is very difficult to understand the person of Jesus the Messiah without understanding God’s revelation of Him in the Old Testament. The Old Testament was the prophecy and preparation for the New Testament. Therefore any serious interpreter of the New Testament must know the Old Testament.

4.      A fourth rule for interpreting the Word of God is to compare scripture with scripture. Or said another way, let scripture interpret scripture. For example, when you are studying the end times, it is essential to get a complete view of what the Bible teaches on this subject. Study what Jesus taught about the end times as well as what the Holy Spirit also said through the other Old Testament and New Testament writers. For example, it has been said that Daniel is essential to interpreting the book of the Revelation. Consequently, a sound New Testament theology and exegesis on the Second Coming of Jesus is dependent on this rule of interpretation. If this rule of interpretation is ignored, then you are likely to have a wrong as well as a dangerous end time theology!

5.      The fifth and final rule of interpretation that should never be ignored by anyone desiring to  properly interpret and exegete the Word of God is to always pray and be dependent upon the Holy Spirit. Although written over a period of 1600 years by forty different writers, The Holy Spirit is the ultimate Author of the scriptures. It is He and He alone who can take what is written and make it life and revelation to your soul!

The above list is not all inclusive, but is the basics of exegetical, Bible Interpretation. I hope this will help you in some small way to better know and understand “The Greatest Story” ever told! Shalom friends.