The Process of Interpretation

Learning Objectives

• Discuss the process of interpretation
• Describe the importance of the historical-cultural background of a message
• Explain how literary issues are involved in interpretation

Begin this module by viewing the following  video 

Introduction

Thus far we have explored the various ways the interpreter, author, and original audience operate in the process of communication, focusing in on their complex interrelationship and some of the barriers that need to be overcome. It was mentioned in the previous module that the text itself is our starting point for interpreting these dynamics in the biblical communication, and this is because the text is all we have available to us. In this module we turn our focus to the text. We will explore two aspects of a useful (and memorable) method for investigating the text called the “hermeneutical triad” (see Köstenberger and Patterson, 2011, pp. 78-81). This method seeks to examine the text from three angles: history, literature, and theology. In what follows, we will examine both history and literature, leaving our examination of application for module ten.

History

The goal in interpretation is to understand a message as it would have been intended by its author and heard by its original audience. By hearing and understanding the original meaning of the message we may then interpret it properly for our own context today. Thus, to hear the original message, we must seek to understand some of the influences that shaped (whether explicitly or implicitly) the communication between the original author and original audience. A crucial aspect of this is to consider the history (or historical-cultural background) of the text.

What are the influences that shaped how the original author and audience saw and understood the world? To start, we could think about all the factors that shape how we understand the world today. The list would quickly become extensive! Indeed, the author and audiences’ shared understanding of the world would have been shaped by innumerable influences: everything from the political powers and the economic situation of their time to the religious and societal structures of their period. Indeed, even geography played a part in this process of understanding the world, particularly in ancient times. Here is a helpful list of some of the elements to consider (adapted from Klein, Blomberg, and Hubbard 2017, pp. 323-24): 

• Societal structures: marriage and family patterns, roles of men and women, or racial issues
• Physical features: climate and weather, ease and means of transportation
• Economic structures: means of making a living, issues of wealth and poverty, slavery, or economic mobility
• Political climate: structures, or loyalties
• Behavioral patterns, dress, or customs
• Religious practices, power centers, convictions, rituals, or affiliations

Relying on the insights of historians, sociologists, and anthropologists, the interpreter’s task is to seek to understand all that they can about such elements to enter mindset of the author and audience. That is, since it is possible, we are trying to see the world as they did to better understand the message as they would have. But with so many elements involved in the historical-cultural background, it can be difficult to know how and where to start. A helpful process may be to think from book to passage (i.e., large to small), and from author to audience. 

It is first important to understand the historical and cultural background of a biblical book, for this provides an important level of context for individual passages (see below). In considering the book, the interpreter will investigate what can be known about the author of the book. What was their position in redemptive history? Who was in political power at the time? What can we know about their circumstances culturally or geographically? Equally important, what can be known in each of these areas with reference to the audience, whose circumstances could be quite different from the author’s? Once a general picture has begun taking shape of the book, the interpreter can narrow the focus to the smaller passages. In this case, it is often necessary to study the background of key locations, characters, and even individual words to grasp how they would have been employed and understood in the original communication. This process of exploring the historical and cultural background, while it can be daunting, is crucial for proper interpretation and offers significant insights into the meaning of the text.[1] 

Literature

An equally important aspect of the interpretive process is to take seriously the Bible as literature, and to investigate how it operates literarily (see Ryken, 1984). That is, in addition to being historically and culturally conditioned, all communication in the Bible operates according to certain literary parameters that must be understood for accurate interpretation. We will briefly examine the issues of genre, context, word meaning, and grammar.

The first thing to notice is that all forms of literature fit within a particular genre, and therefore function according to the rules of that genre. For example, a narrative will operate by different rules than poetry or prophecy, and therefore the interpretive principles will be different for each. We will investigate each of these genres in greater detail in the modules that follow.

When seeking to determine the meaning of a message, the interpreter is studying the words (locutions) used. Therefore, it follows that since meaning is determined by how words are used in relation to other words, it is crucially important to seek to understand words in context. However, in contrast to the previous section, where in the study of historical-cultural backgrounds we suggested moving from book to passage (i.e., large to small), here we move in the opposition direction: from the immediate context of a statement to larger and larger contexts. Blomberg and Markley (2010, p. 95) list the following levels of context: 

• Immediate context à Paragraph (or series of paragraphs) à 
• Subsection of book à Main section of book à Biblical book as whole à 
• Different books by same author à Other writings in same Testament

To this list we can also add the Bible in its entirety as the final level of context. The context of a passage aids the interpreter in several ways. It establishes the author’s flow-of-thought, which is crucial since the author guides the meaning of a message. Context helps determine how a word with more than one meaning is likely being used, and it orders the correct relationship between the smaller units of communication (words, sentences, paragraphs) (see Klein et al., 2017, pp. 295-300).

In addition to investigating the meaning of a word or clause contextually, the interpreter will also want to perform detailed word studies to understand important terms. All words have a range of possible meanings (called a semantic range) and the best meaning must be used for the most accurate understanding of a message in context. Still, sometimes the context only narrows the choices so far, making it necessary to compare how the same word was used in earlier or contemporary literature (to the original author) in similar contexts or constructions. Indeed, it is also crucial to investigate how words are operating in various figures of speech and in certain grammatical structures, either of which can influence or even determine the meaning of a word (see Klein et al., 2017, pp. 324-360). These steps can at first appear onerous, but with practice the interpreter will quickly learn to make use of this process and gain significant insights to the meaning of the Bible.

References

Blomberg, C. & Markley, J. (2010).  A handbook of New Testament exegesis. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic.

Keener, C. (2014). The IVP bible background commentary: New Testament. Second Ed. Downers Grove, IL: IVP.

Klein, W., Blomberg, C., & Hubbard, R. (2017). Introduction to biblical interpretation: Third edition. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

Köstenberger, A. & Patterson, R. (2011). Invitation to biblical interpretation: Exploring the hermeneutical triad of history, literature, and theology. Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel. 

Ryken, L. (1984). How to read the bible as literature. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

Walton, J., Matthews, V., & Chavalas, M. (2000). The IVP Bible Background Commentary: Old Testament. Downers Grove, IL: IVP.