Context

“In his book on interpretation Professor Mayer discusses four circles of context that he says a Bible student must consider: (1) the sections preceding or following a given word or passage, (2) the entire book or letter in which the passage appears, (3) all the writings of a given author in order to discover his pattern of thought and style of writing, and (4) the entire Bible — it’s nature as Gospel and salvation history, its purpose, the chief themes, etc.”

(Allan Hart Jahsmann, Power Beyond Words: Communication Systems of the Spirit and Ways of Teaching Religion, Saint Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 1969, 55)

”Simon Greenleaf was a famous legal authority and professor of law at Harvard University (1833-1848). His Treatise on the Law of Evidence is a legal classic. He was also a student of Scripture and gave us wise counsel for Scriptural interpretation:”

”’ In examining the evidence of the Christian religion, it is essential to the discovery of truth that we bring to the investigation a mind freed, as far as possible, from existing prejudice, and open to conviction. There should be a readiness, on our part, to investigate with candor, to follow the truth wherever it may lead us.’”

(Guy Duty, God’s Covenants and Our Time, Minneapolis, Minnesota: Bethany Fellowship, Inc., 1965, vii)

Interpretation (A Foundational Proposition)

The authors of this do not regard themselves as infallible hermeneuticians. The Lord Jesus Christ alone is that. But, at the same time, it is evident that the Lord Jesus gave to the early apostles definite ”keys” of interpretation, which they used in interpreting the Old Testament in writing infallible Scripture. It is with a burning desire to rediscover what might be called ”Apostolic Hermeneutics” that this book is written. The foundational proposition upon which this text is built may be stated as; ”The literary methods used in writing the Scriptures give rise to the principles of interpreting the Scriptures.” In other words, the way a thing is put together indicates the way it can be taken apart. Hence, the way the Bible was written indicates the way it should be interpreted . . .

(Kevin J. Connor and Ken Malmin, Interpreting the Scriptures: A Textbook on How to Interpret the Bible, Portland, Oregon: City Bible Publishing, 1983, From Foreword)

Principles of Interpretation

Any preacher, teacher or author who sets out to expound the sacred Scriptures must needs be governed, guided and controlled by certain basic principles of interpretation. This is especially so when it comes to interpreting and expounding those portions of Scripture that have to do with historical and typical things. If these principles are not followed and used properly, then the Scriptures, and more particularly the types, can be made to say anything that the expositor may want them to say.

(Kevin J. Conner, The Temple of Solomon, Portland, Oregon: Conner Publications, 1988, 5; Excerpt from Chapter 2, Principles of Interpretation)

Interpretation

Both historical and theological understanding are essential to the interpretation of the Bible. But historical interpretation must come first. Only after we have tried to determine what these books meant to their authors and to the readers for whom they were intended can we go on to say what they have meant in the experience of the church and what they ought to mean today.

All interpretation is both objective and subjective. But historical interpretation when employed by a judicious scholar is more objective than any other method. It comes closer to revealing the meaning which the authors of scripture intended to convey. And if the scholar is a theologian as well, he can set forth the theological insights of the Bible in terms relevant to our situation, today. He will not confuse his interpretation of the Bible with his interpretation of God’s ways with modern man. But he will use each to make the other meaningful.

(Robert M. Grant, The Bible in the Church: A Short History of Interpretation, New York: The Macmillan Company, 1960 [1948], 171, Excerpt from Chapter XVI, The Meaning of Interpretation)

Interpretation

“Terms such as ‘exegesis’ can be intimidating, but they needn’t be. Every discipline has its own special technical language and biblical interpretation is no exception. Words like ‘exegesis’ and ‘hermeneutics’ are just technical words for everyday concepts. ‘Exegesis’ simply means a careful systematic study of a passage using a range of methods, and ‘hermeneutics’ is another word for interpretation. Exegesis is an important part of the whole process of biblical interpretation, but it is not the whole of it, nor its starting point…”

(David Holgate and Rachel Starr, SCM Studyguide: Biblical Hermeneutics, London: SCM Press, Apple Books, 2010, 38 of 163; Excerpt from Tools for Exegesis: Learning to do Exegesis)