By Brandon Lemons
The main point in Sunday’s sermon was: “Science and the Bible support each other when both are interpreted accurately.” During the sermon, I referenced that Christians hold various interpretations of Genesis 1. Later, I talked about the historical fact that most Christians had to change their interpretation of a few metaphors in Scripture when it was proven that Earth orbits the sun, not vice versa. All of this raises the question: How do we interpret Scripture accurately? In fact, I was asked about this after Sunday’s sermon, which is what gave me the idea to write this article.
Biblical interpretation is a massive topic. When we consider the importance of interpreting Scripture accurately, “massive” is probably an understatement. From another angle, this topic is massive in a literal sense when we consider the books written about it. For instance, as I write this article, on the bookshelf behind me is a 600-page book called “The Hermeneutical Spiral: A Comprehensive Introduction to Biblical Interpretation.” Mountains of books have been written to help people interpret Scripture!
In this article, I aim to give a brief snapshot about how to interpret Scripture accurately. Admittedly, a snapshot is limited. Think of a photograph: there is a lot that a photographic snapshot doesn’t reveal, such as: what happened before and after the photo was taken, what sounds and smells were present when the photo was taken, and what was happening just outside the camera’s view. I am providing a snapshot about biblical interpretation. Astute readers will probably notice a lot more I could have said, or they will come out of this article with additional questions that I didn’t address. I’m fine with this. My aim is not to provide comprehensive instructions for interpreting Scripture; if you want that, I can refer you to a terrific 600-page book. My aim is to provide you with a snapshot of how to interpret Scripture accurately.
The Aim of Biblical Interpretation
For many people, when they read a passage of Scripture, their aim is something like this: “What does this mean for my life? What is it saying to me?” Starting with ourselves is the wrong place to start. Starting by asking, “What do I get from this?” leads to all kinds of interpretations that have little to do with what is written in the passage.
We should certainly aim to apply the Bible to our life, but that isn’t the place to start. The place to start is by trying to figure out what the author intended for the original audience to understand. Said another way: if the original audience interpreted the author’s words accurately, how would they interpret what was said or written? The aim of biblical interpretation is to understand the author’s original intent as communicated to the original audience.
Context Matters!
It’s frequently said that in real estate, the three most important words are “location, location, location.” Location goes a long way toward determining the value and desirability of a piece of property. Similarly, the three most important words in biblical interpretation are “context, context, context.” The location of a passage in its original setting (its “context”) goes a long way toward determining what it means.
To understand the value of context, let’s return to the example of a photograph. A photo, by itself, can provide some interpretive clues. For instance, you can look at what the photo is focused on, what is in the photo’s background, and facial expressions and body language if there are people in the photo. At the same time, a photo lacks context. I have family photos of the four of us smiling, yet the photo doesn’t reveal that just before and just after the photo was taken, at least one member of the family was spewing anger. How could we learn this? Apart from having other photos of the before-and-after (which I have in some instances), you would need to interview the people who were in the photo or who witnessed it being taken.
Each verse or passage of Scripture is like a snapshot. Interpreted without context, a verse or passage is limited in what it can tell us. In worst-case scenarios, a verse or passage interpreted without context can be terribly misleading. For instance, Psalm 14:1 says, “There is no God.” That phrase is in the Bible! The key is context: if you zoom out to the rest of the verse, you would see that the sentence begins, “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.’” This is an obvious example of the need to zoom out to consider context in order to accurately interpret Scripture.
Thinking back to the example above about the context of a photograph, to gain context for a passage of Scripture, we essentially must “interview eyewitnesses” around the passage. It’s helpful to think in concentric circles. If you are seeking to interpret a Bible verse, context begins with the paragraph in which the verse occurs; then zoom out to consider the section of the biblical book in which the verse occurs, followed by the themes of the entire book. As you zoom out, you ought to consider the genre of the verse and the part of the Bible in which it occurs; for instance, does it occur in a historical narrative, a prophet’s writing, a letter, or a different type of Scripture? Then consider how the verse relates to the Bible as a whole. Finally, it is valuable to zoom out even more to consider the historical and cultural context, because every part of the Bible was written by people, to people, who lived in a specific time and place, and those times and places were very different than our own.
Context basically asks: “What is happening around the verse or passage in question?”
We will consider three aspects of context, each of which is vital for interpreting Scripture accurately. The three categories are: biblical context, genre context, and historical & cultural context.
Biblical Context
This is the most important angle of context. It considers how the verse or passage interacts with what is happening around it. Like I said above, it is valuable to think in concentric circles, starting “locally” and then zooming out to broader angles of how the Bible informs our interpretation of the verse or passage in question. This is a method of letting Scripture interpret Scripture. As we zoom out, other parts of the Bible can shed light on what is happening in the section we are studying, especially if we are looking at a confusing verse or passage.
For instance, I was recently in a group that was studying James 4, which confronts the audience as “You adulterous people,” refers to God’s “jealousy,” and calls readers to “Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom.” (4:4-9) Taken on their own, these phrases are confusing and uncomfortable. But when we understand that each of these references are rooted in language from the Old Testament prophets as the prophets called Israel to repent from their spiritual adultery, the passage suddenly makes sense! This is an example of using Scripture to help us interpret Scripture; in this case, a passage from a New Testament letter drew from context in the Old Testament prophets.
In general, the more we understand about a passage’s biblical context, the better sense the passage will make and the more accurately we will be able to interpret it.
Genre Context
I’m not positive that “genre” fits perfectly in the category of “context,” but it’s so important that it must be mentioned. Genre is about what category of speech or literature a passage belongs to. As we are interpreting Scripture, it is vital to ask: “What type of writing is this?” For instance, is this poetry? A parable? Historical narrative? A letter?
Understanding genre makes a radical and essential difference in how we interpret a passage. For instance:
The book of Proverbs has many statements that sound like promises; however, they are not promises but rather are principles that are generally true but not always. That is the nature of a proverb. An example is Proverbs 22:6, which says: “Train up a child in the way he should go. Even when he is old he will not depart from it.” This sounds like a promise! However, if it is interpreted as a promise, many parents will get angry at God for breaking His promise if their child becomes wayward. A more accurate interpretation would understand that proverbs are general principles for wise living; they are not promises.
Psalms are poetry. Poetry loves using metaphors and figurative imagery. This is important to understand in order to accurately interpret psalms and other poetry in the Bible. In the introduction of this article, I mentioned that many Christans had to adjust their interpretation of a few Bible passages when it was proven that Earth orbits the sun. One of these passages is Psalm 19:4-6, which says: “In the heavens God has pitched a tent for the sun. It is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, like a champion rejoicing to run his course. It rises at one end of the heavens and makes its circuit to the other; nothing is deprived of its warmth.” Interpreted in a literal sense, these verses make it sound like the sun moves through the sky during the course of each day. These verses were often used by Christians who claimed Earth is the center of the universe, and that Earth is stationary while the sun, moon, and stars move through the sky. However, astronomical discoveries proved this interpretation was inaccurate. However, the change of how to interpret Psalm 19:4-6 doesn’t challenge biblical authority, because metaphors run rampant through poetry such as the psalms! Psalm 19:4-6 is best interpreted as a metaphor, not as a literal description of astronomical phenomena! Understanding the genre of psalms as poetry should incline readers to easily accept this interpretation.
In Jesus’ teaching, it’s important to understand the genre of a parable. A parable is a fictional story intended to grab listeners’ attention and make a spiritual or ethical point. Jesus’ original hearers instinctively understood the nature of parables as fictional stories; however, if a reader from the 21st century doesn’t understand the genre of parables, they could be inclined to believe Jesus’ parables are true stories to be interpreted as literal facts about what happened in real-life scenarios.
Another type of genre I’ll point out is “apocalyptic” literature. This is a genre that was well-known in ancient Israel but doesn’t have a parallel in our American context. Apocalyptic literature is full of symbolism to reveal spiritual truths, especially about God, judgment, and the future. The Bible’s best-known apocalyptic literature is in the book of Revelation, and apocalyptic passages occur in several other biblical books. An example of apocalyptic symbolism is in Revelation 5:6, which says: “Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing at the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. The Lamb had seven horns and seven eyes.” If this was a real lamb, it would be freaky – especially with seven horns and seven eyes! But when we understand the genre of apocalyptic literature, we can understand that the number seven often symbolizes perfection, horns represent power, and eyes represent knowledge. So rather than merely depicting a weird-looking lamb, Revelation 5:6 describes Jesus (the Lamb) as being supremely powerful and all-knowing!
Genre can switch even within a passage or conversation. For instance, within a letter, a proverb can appear (see 1 Corinthians 15:33). Another example of jumping genres is when metaphors and jokes appear in writing or conversation; these metaphors and jokes must be recognized as such in order to be interpreted accurately. Unfortunately, metaphors and jokes usually don’t translate well from one language to another, and especially from one culture to another. For instance, saying “She is over the hill” makes sense to most Americans, but if you said that same line in Greek back in the first century, they would have no idea that you mean a particular woman is old. This points to the importance of trying to understand a passage’s genre and how language is being used within a particular genre; it also points to a third aspect of context, which is historical & cultural context.
Historical & Cultural Context
In my mind, this angle of context is fun. It must be used with caution, but it can shed a lot of light on the words and actions recorded in Scripture.
The reality is that the cultures in which Scripture was written were radically different than our 21st century American culture. We don’t have Samaritans living to the north of us. We have never offered a sacrifice in the Jerusalem temple. Prostitution is illegal where we live. Even seemingly basic topics like family dynamics, etiquette when eating a meal, and travel from town to town were radically different! More subtly, basic ways of interpreting the world were different, such as what type of lifestyles were honorable, where weather patterns came from, and how social classes related to one another.
Digging into the historical and cultural context of the Bible can be a never-ending rabbit hole, which is both exciting and daunting! But understanding this context is valuable for enhancing the depth of our understanding and the accuracy of our interpretations of Scripture. For instance:
Does it affect our interpretation of 2 Corinthians 2:14 or Ephesians 4:7-13 to know how victory parades worked in the Roman Empire after a king conquered an enemy? It probably should!
Does it affect our interpretation of Genesis 1:2 that there were other “creation accounts” in the ancient world that included the presence of water in the cosmos before everything was made orderly? It probably should!
In John 4, does it affect our interpretation of the Samaritan woman to know that women typically drew water from the well as a group in the cool of the morning rather than individually in the heat of the day? Or does it affect our interpretation of Jesus’ actions in that passage to know that it was taboo for an unmarried man to talk with an unmarried woman he didn’t know when no one else was around? It probably should!
There are countless examples of how a knowledge of a passage’s historical and cultural context can enhance the accuracy and richness of our interpretations of Scripture.
Feeling overwhelmed?
It may feel overwhelming to consider these contexts of Scripture. You may feel like you don’t even know where to start, and reading the Bible suddenly feels much more complicated. I understand this; I’ve been there, and there are still many parts of Scripture about which, at first glance, I can’t offer a reasonable or confident interpretation. Even though I am a pastor and have studied these topics extensively, there is still a lot more for me to learn, too. If you point to passages in the Old Testament prophets or Revelation, for instance, I may have to spend quite a bit of time with the passage before I can offer an interpretation I would be reasonably confident in. This is the nature of studying Scripture, and it’s the nature of being life-long learners of God’s Word.
However, I want to encourage us to not feel bogged down by the challenge of interpreting Scripture. We gain a lot simply by consistent exposure to Scripture – by reading it and/or hearing it. The style of sermons we have at Friedens strives to consistently provide insights into the context of the passages we are studying; receiving this teaching over time has a cumulative impact on our overall understanding of the Bible. The more you are in Scripture and are receiving solid biblical teaching, the more you will grow in your ability to interpret Scripture accurately.
And be assured that there are some passages of Scripture that are notoriously difficult to interpret. The apostle Peter even acknowledged this about Paul’s letters: “He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand…” (2 Peter 3:16). If Peter says this, we can take heart when we run into interpretational quandaries!
Recommendations
If you are looking for additional practical steps to take for developing your skills in interpreting Scripture accurately, I have three recommendations:
The “Digging Into Scripture” classes that Friedens offers on Sunday mornings are specifically designed to help participants gain confidence, competence, and joy in handling Scripture. It’s a hands-on experience, and I have heard tremendous feedback on the growth participants have gained from this class. If you haven’t done so, you can check it out!
A quality “Study Bible” is an incredibly valuable resource for digging into Scripture. Study Bibles have resources built into each page that help readers understand and interpret the passages. I can’t speak highly enough about the benefits of using a Study Bible! There are many good Study Bibles out there. If you’re looking for one, my go-to recommendation is the NIV Study Bible (that’s a simple name, but that’s what it’s called!).
If you’re interested in digging deeper into cultural & historical context, a couple places to start are to read books by authors like John Walton and Kenneth Bailey. My top recommendation is “Wisdom for Faithful Reading: Principles and Practices for Old Testament Interpretation” by John Walton. It is very readable with lots of examples, and its principles apply to the entire Bible, not just the Old Testament. If you’d like to dig even deeper, Bailey has written fascinating books like “Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes” and “Paul Through Mediterranean Eyes.”
Conclusion
I probably should have expected that my attempt at giving a snapshot into interpreting Scripture would turn into more of a “photo album” rather than a simple snapshot. It is a large topic and an important one. I pray that by reading this far, you are inspired to dig deeper into Scripture to experience its richness and wisdom, and that the result will be that you are empowered to grow as a faithful follower of Jesus!