The Interpretive

Journey

– Hour Two –

What Was Meant

“Then & There”

1 – What Was Meant Then & There

What did the text mean to the biblical audience?

2 – Then & There vs. Here & Now

What differences may divide us from the biblical

audience?

3 – Crossing the Divide

What is the theological principle in this text?

4 – Application Here & Now

How should individual Christians today apply the

theological principle in their lives?

There are 4 steps in this journey…

It is impossible

to over-emphasize

Observation!

“You see, Watson, but

you do not observe.”

- Sherlock Holmes

“Panda. Large black-and-white

bear-like mammal, native to China.

“Eats, shoots and leaves.”

Contextis the

MOST IMPORTANT FACTOR

IN UNDERSTANDING

SCRIPTURE.

Two major kinds of context:

Historical-cultural context (often

called “background” information by

preachers)

Literary context (This includes…

Literary genre – form or type of literature

Surrounding context – words, sentences,

and paragraphs that surround your

passage

What is literary genre?

Genre means “form” or “kind.”

We encounter different literary

genres in everyday life:

Newspaper Poem

Telephone book Love letter

Menu Math textbook

Devotional book Map

The Bible contains different types

or forms of literature:

Old Testament New Testament

Narrative Gospel

Law Theological History

Poetry Letter

Prophecy Prophetic-Apocalyptic

Wisdom

What is the surrounding

context?

Any passage that surrounds your

passage

Give the highest priority to

immediate context

THREE STEPS to identifying literary context:

1 – Identify how the book is divided into paragraphs or sections. (Not necessarily Chapters & Verses!)

2 – Summarize the main idea of each section in a dozen words or less.

3 – Explain how your particular passage relates to the surrounding sections.

Questions to ask re: the

Context of the Entire Book

By whom? Author(s)?

To whom? Recipient(s)?

When? Date?

Where? Where was it written? Where did recipients live?

Why? Why was it written?

What? What was going on at the time it was written?

How? What type (genre) of writing is it?

For writings that were sparked by specific occasions:

1. We need to do our best to determine what the occasion was; this is part of the Why question.

2. What were the circumstances, what was the problem this letter is intended to address?

More Specific Setting or Immediate Contexta. Paragraph or Section: What is the

author’s primary message for the paragraph or section in which the text in question stands?

b. Verses: What are the verses before and after saying? And how do they tie into the text in question.

c. Sentences: What are the sentences before and after saying? And how do they tie into the text in question?

More Specific Setting or Immediate Context

Observing scripture at the paragraph, verse, and sentence level is necessary for us to do exegesis---to answer the fundamental questions:

1. What does the text say?

2. What did it mean to the original readers?

Only after we have done our exegesis, are we prepared to determine the theological principle and apply the scripture to our own lives.

Examples of Passages Often

Taken out of Context

Matthew 18:19 – “Again I say to you, that if two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father Who is in heaven.”

Examples of Passages Often

Taken out of Context

Matthew 18:20 – “For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am in their midst.”

Examples of Passages Often

Taken out of Context

Matthew 24:40 – 41 – “Then there will be two men in the field; one will be taken and one will be left. Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one will be left.”

Examples of Passages Often

Taken out of Context

Matthew 24:38 & 39 – “For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away; so will the coming of the Son of Man be.”

Don’t forget!

Context determines meaning!

Ignoring context allows us to make the

Bible say what we want to hear.

But that approach ultimately hurts us by

robbing us of God’s liberating truth.

Things to look for in Sentences?

1. Repetition of Words

What are some…

Do not love the world or anything in the

world. If anyone loves the world, the

love of the Father is not in him. For

everything in the world—the cravings

of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and

the boasting of what he has and

does—comes not from the Father but

from the world. The world and its

desires pass away, but the man who

does the will of God lives forever.

Example… 1 John 2:15 – 17

Do not love the world or anything in the

world. If anyone loves the world, the

love of the Father is not in him. For

everything in the world—the cravings

of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and

the boasting of what he has and

does—comes not from the Father but

from the world. The world and its

desires pass away, but the man who

does the will of God lives forever.

1 John 2:15 – 17

Do not love the world or anything in the

world. If anyone loves the world, the

love of the Father is not in him. For

everything in the world—the cravings

of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and

the boasting of what he has and

does—comes not from the Father but

from the world. The world and its

desires pass away, but the man who

does the will of God lives forever.

1 John 2:15 – 17

Do not love the world or anything in the

world. If anyone loves the world, the

love of the Father is not in him. For

everything in the world—the cravings

of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and

the boasting of what he has and

does—comes not from the Father but

from the world. The world and its

desires pass away, but the man who

does the will of God lives forever.

1 John 2:15 – 17

Things to look for in Sentences…

2. Contrasts

A gentle answer turns away

wrath, but a harsh word stirs up

anger.

Proverbs 15:1

For the wages of sin is death,

but the gift of God is eternal

life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 6:23

Romans 6:23

“For the wages of sin is death

but

the gift of God is eternal life

in Christ Jesus our Lord.

MAN

CHRIST JESUS

GOD

WAGES GIFT

SIN GOD

DEATH LIFE

BUT

Things to look for in Sentences…

3. Comparisons

Or take ships as an example. Although they

are so large and are driven by strong winds,

they are steered by a very small rudder

wherever the pilot wants to go. Likewise the

tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes

great boasts. Consider what a great forest is

set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is

a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the

body.

James 3:4 – 6

Additional Things to look

for in Sentences…4. Lists

5. Cause & Effect

6. Figures of Speech

7. Conjunctions

8. Verbs

9. Pronouns

There are also things to look for in

Paragraphs…

1. General & Specific Statements

2. Questions & Answers

3. Dialogue

4. Purpose Statements

5. Means Statements

Things to look for in Paragraphs…

6. Conditional Clauses – IF / THEN

7. Actions of God & of People

8. Emotional Terms

9. Tone

Things to look for in

DISCOURSES…

1. CONNECTIONS between Paragraphs &

Episodes

2. STORY SHIFTS: Breaks & Pivots

3. INTERCHANGE

Things to look for in Discourses…

4. Chiasm or Chiasmus(An inverted relationship between parallel phrases)

A - I got up this morning,

B - got dressed

C - and drove into town.

D - I worked hard all day,

C2 - returned home,

B2 - put on my PJs

A2 - and went to bed.

Things to look for in Discourses…

Psalm 76:1

“In Judah, God is known:

His name is great in Israel.”

A - “In Judah

B - God is known;

B2 - His name is great

A2 - in Israel.”

What is the

LITERARY CONTEXT?

What does it actually say?