Interpretation of Scripture

If you have found yourself in the position where you need to interpret scripture, you realise you need some guide in doing this, especially if it is your first time. In this article, I will be offering you some practically basic steps to follow. These are steps that I have followed myself as a church leader and preacher, and from the responses I have received so far from my listeners, I strongly believe it is worthwhile. The days that I refuse to follow I find my sermons shallow and lacking content. These steps are divided into two broad areas: background study, and the interpretation of the text in question.

Background Study

You must know that scripture was written in a specific era and at a specific location. There a better understanding of these things will lead us to a better interpretation of a text from scripture. Do the following to have a good grasp of the background of a text.

1. Read about the historical events of the time a particular book was written. This is because religion and therefore scripture is response to the challenges of a particular time. The writers of scripture were speaking to people of their time directly. You are receiving what they said indirectly, so if you know what made them say what they said we will be able to adapt it to suit our current situation. You must also know the world view of the era, which is how the people think about the world; the philosophies of the era so we know how scripture endorses or opposes them. For example our knowledge of the Roman Empire and how it operated will give us a clear understanding of the life of Jesus and most importantly his death on the cross.
2. As much as possible you must read the full book of scripture of which you are interpreting. This helps us to follow the thought pattern of the writer and the various movements in the book. You also get to know the purpose for which the book is written; to instruct, to greet, to warn etc. This will help us fix the particular passage in the proper context that allows better understanding. When Paul wrote to the Philippians to rejoice always, he did not say it on a silver platter. He said it in comparison to how he himself rejoices despite the difficult situation in which he found himself as he indicated prior to that. Unless we are aware of that we cannot fully grasp the meaning of what he said. If you want to eat a slice of bread, you inspect the whole loaf first before you take a bite.

The Passage Itself

After taking time to study the background of the text, you can now turn to the particular passage you have to deal with.

1. The first thing you have to do is to read that particular piece over and over again. If it is possible, allow some time between the reading as this makes you meditate more on it so you ask several questions.
2. Then, as much as possible try to understand the passage in the original language in which it was written. The Bible was written in two principal languages, Hebrew and Greek, from which it was translated into other languages. You ask how this will be possible since you’ve not studied any of these languages? There are special dictionaries and software programmes that will help you. They explain key words and phrases in a text as it would have been at the time it was written.
3. Compare the various translations or versions to see how they render the same text in English. For example, the Greek word “parakletos” is rendered in various ways from one translation to the other. In the KJV it is rendered comforter, in the God News Bible it is the Helper, in the Contemporary English Version it is simply the Holy Spirit, and in the Analytical Literal Translation it is the Counsellor. This is not controversial as it seem, but rather the fact that the word parakletos which is the Holy Spirit carry all this attributes. Reading this various versions and more will broaden the scope of your interpretation.
4. Read a commentary. Commentaries help you to understand the passages in a broader sense. They expose you to some of the write ways the text could be exploited as well as some of the misinterpretation that could arise or have arisen from that particular passage. The problem with commentaries though is that some of them do not give balanced views on certain issues. The way to overcome this is to consult more than one of them.
5. Establish kind or genre of the passage in question. Is it a narrative, poetic, descriptive, or a predictive text? Is it legal, historical or literary? This will tell you what to look for as you try to understand it. For example if the text is poetic such as the Psalms, you study it by looking for figures of speech and style. If it is narrative, you might look at the characters and themes in it. If it is legal you might look out for rewards and punishments that go with obeying and disobeying the rules. It this sense handling a passage from The Pentateuch will be different from handling a text from the book of Job.
6. Identify the general theme or idea of the text. This shows you what it is about and the various ways this theme is presented. For example Psalm 23 talks generally about God’s care. This care is being compared to how a shepherd cares for his sheep that are very dear to him, his survival.
7. Break the passage into various sections. In some cases the verses will automatically constitutes this break in others, the break be groups of verses and in yet others too, in a collection of sentences. Whatever the case, the break must follow the thought pattern of the writer. It must not be mechanical. Get the sub-themes and ideas that these various sections carry by questioning them critically.
8. Finally apply the passage to today and to your audience by asking the question “what is the passage saying today, to me and to my audience.” How do the conditions of today compare to those of the time the passage was written. This is very critical since the Bible is a living book. It speaks to current situations. Talking about what happened in the past does not solve today’s problems. Slavery is no longer legal so passages that encourage slaves to obey their master can no longer be taken verbatim. They must be looked at in other contexts, for example, the employee employer context. This makes meaning for people living today.

I believe if these steps are followed, interpreting scripture will no longer be boring or difficult to undertake as you end up discovering more than you can share. You have the full confidence when you stand to talk about things from scripture and you are not deceived and controlled by those who exploit scripture for selfish gain.