A LITERAL HERMENEUTIC
“When the plain sense of the Bible makes common sense, to seek any other sense is nonsense.” Alva J. McClain
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Literal Hermeneutic
Literal – Normal – Historical – Grammatical – Plain – Ordinary – Primary – Usual – Common Sense
MEANING
Principle #1 – God created language in order to communicate with His creation and authored the Bible to that end.
Principle #2 – When interpreting the words God used to communicate with us, read every word in the same Literal – Normal
Historical – Grammatical – Plain – Ordinary – Primary – Usual – Common Sense meaning it would have in its normal usage (i.e. take each word literally).
Principle #3 – Literal Interpretation means to
We believe that God created language in order to communicate with His creation, and that He gave us the Bible, His written Word, to accomplish that goal. (John 1:1; 14; Hebrews 1:1-2) We believe in using the principles of literally interpreting the Bible in order to understand what God meant to communicate to us. This means assigning to every word the same normal – historical – grammatical – plain – ordinary – primary – usual – common sense meaning it would have in its normal usage; Exegeting (drawing the meaning out of the text), not Eisogeting (superimposing a meaning onto the text). We believe literal interpretation includes the use of Types – Symbols – Figures of Speech – Genre Distinctions, as each has a literal, non-mysterious, understanding behind it. We believe that the meaning of each word of Scripture, in the original languages of Hebrew and Greek, must be determined by its historical and grammatical context, seeking to ascertain the author’s original intended meaning, and not enlisting deconstructionism to assign meaning.
Literal – Normal – Historical – Grammatical – Plain – Ordinary – Primary – Usual – Common Sense
MEANING
Principle #1 – God created language in order to communicate with His creation and authored the Bible to that end.
Principle #2 – When interpreting the words God used to communicate with us, read every word in the same Literal – Normal
Historical – Grammatical – Plain – Ordinary – Primary – Usual – Common Sense meaning it would have in its normal usage (i.e. take each word literally).
Principle #3 – Literal Interpretation means to
- EXEGETE: Drawing the meaning out of the text, not
- EISOGETE: Superimposing a meaning onto the text.
- Literal: Doesn’t rule out Types – Symbols – Figures of Speech – Genre Distinctions, as each has a literal, non-mysterious, understanding behind it:
- Types: A figure, representation, or symbol of something yet to come: an event in the Old Testament that foreshadows another in the New Testament. The correspondence between two historical figures like Adam and Christ (Rom 5:14); the correspondence between the heavenly pattern and its earthly counterpart, e.g., the divine original behind the earthly tent/tabernacle (Acts 7:44; Heb 8:5; 9:24). There are several categories — persons (Adam, Melchizedek), events (flood, brazen serpent), institutions (feasts), places (Jerusalem, Zion), objects (altar of burnt offering, incense), offices (prophet, priest, king).
- Symbols: It is important to distinguish types from symbol and allegory. A symbol is an object or act that stands for something else; usually a visible image which represents a concept: David, recognizing that man is vulnerable to the attack of sin, sees God as a “fortress of defense” (Ps 31:2, 71).
- Figures of Speech: An intentional departure from straight-forward, literal use of language for the purpose of clarity, emphasis, or to convey vivid imagery in the reader’s mind.
- Simile: A figure of speech that compares things using “like” or “as.” Matthew 10:16 “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.”
- Metaphor: A figure of speech that declares a thing IS another thing (no like or as): John 6:35 And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life.”
- Hyperbole: A figure of speech of exaggeration or extravagant words. John 21:25 “And there are also many other things that Jesus did, which if they were written one by one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.”
- Irony: A figure of speech using words to mean the opposite! 1 Kings 18:27 “And so it was, at noon, that Elijah mocked them and said, ‘Cry aloud, for he is a god; either he is meditating, or he is busy, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is sleeping and must be awakened’.”
- Euphemism: A figure of speech using vague or mild words in place of words that may be considered too blunt or harsh. Adam knew Eve in Genesis 4:1.
- Genre Distinctions: Law, History/Narrative, Wisdom, Poetry, Epistles, Prophecy and Apocalyptic Literature.
- Law: This includes the books of Leviticus and Deuteronomy. The purpose of law is to express God’s sovereign will concerning government, priestly duties, social responsibilities, etc. Knowledge of Hebrew manners and customs of the time, as well as knowledge of the covenants, will complement a reading of this genre. Knowing also that Christ completely fulfilled the Law aids in interpretation and application for the Believer.
- History/Narrative: Stories and epics from the Bible are included in this genre. Almost every book in the Bible contains some history, but Genesis, Exodus, Numbers, Joshua, Judges, 1 and 2 Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings, 1 and 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, and Acts are predominately history. Knowing that Acts, for example, is a history, and not necessarily a model, helps with Ecclesiology. A narrative is a story told for the purpose of conveying a message through people and their problems and situations. The word “narrative” is preferred over the term “story” because “story” often carries the idea of something being fictional or not based in reality. The Gospels are an example of biographical narratives about Jesus. Other narratives include the books of Ruth, Esther, and Jonah. A reader may find bits of other genres within the Gospels, such as parable (Luke 8:1-15) and discourse (Matthew 24).
- Wisdom: This is the genre of aphorisms/sayings that teach the meaning of life and how to live. Some of the language used in wisdom literature is metaphorical and poetic, and this should be taken into account during analysis. Included are the books of Proverbs, Job, and Ecclesiastes.
- Poetry: These include books of rhythmic prose, parallelism, and metaphor, such as Song of Solomon, Lamentations, and Psalms. Since poetry uses figurative language rather than the accurate descriptions of the message, caution should be taken to understand the literal nature behind the metaphor. With proper understanding, poetry is just as comprehensible as prose.
- Epistles: An epistle is a letter, usually in a formal style. There are 21 letters in the New Testament from the apostles to various churches or individuals. These letters have a style very similar to modern letters, with an opening, a greeting, a body, and a closing. The content of the Epistles involves clarification of prior teaching, rebuke, explanation, correction of false teaching, and a deeper delving into doctrine. The reader would do well to understand the cultural, historical, and social situation of the original recipients in order to get the most out of an analysis of these books.
- Prophecy and Apocalyptic Literature: The Prophetic writings are the Old Testament books of Isaiah through Malachi, and the New Testament book of Revelation. They include predictions of future events, warnings of coming judgment, and an overview of God’s plan for Israel. Apocalyptic literature is a specific form of prophecy, largely involving symbols and imagery and predicting disaster and destruction. We find this type of language in Daniel (the beasts of chapter 7), Ezekiel (the scroll of chapter 3), Zechariah (the golden lampstand of chapter 4), and Revelation (the four horsemen of chapter 6). The Prophetic and Apocalyptic books are the ones most often subjected to faulty eisegesis and personal interpretation based on emotion or preconceived bias. However, Amos 3:7 tells us, “Surely the Lord God does nothing, Unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets.” Therefore, we know that the truth has been told, and it can be known via careful exegesis, a familiarity with the rest of the Bible, and prayerful consideration. Some things will not be made clear to us except in the fullness of time, so it is best not to assume to know everything when it comes to prophetic literature.
- Grammatical: Every word of the Bible is important and though some words will hold more importance than others, all the words and sentences are a part of God’s communication to us. (1 Timothy 3:16) Grammatical relationships are vital to sound interpretation because thoughts are expressed in words which stand in relationship to each other to express complete thoughts. Grammatical interpretation observes the impact that grammar plays in any given text. Thus, Bible interpreters must correctly analyze the relationship that words, phrases, or sentences have toward one another. Such an analysis entails the study of the original Biblical languages of Hebrew and Greek, lexicology (meaning of words), morphology (form of words), parts of speech (function of words), and syntax (relationship of words).
- Historical: Historical interpretation means that we take into account, as much as possible, the historical background of the author and the recipients. The Bible was written to ordinary people, and is understandable to anyone. However, it was written thousands of years ago to different cultures. It is incumbent upon the reader to uncover how the original hearers/readers would have understood the text, including word definitions, figures of speech, geographical location, time period, and culture. This guideline safeguards against inappropriate “eisegesis.”
We believe that God created language in order to communicate with His creation, and that He gave us the Bible, His written Word, to accomplish that goal. (John 1:1; 14; Hebrews 1:1-2) We believe in using the principles of literally interpreting the Bible in order to understand what God meant to communicate to us. This means assigning to every word the same normal – historical – grammatical – plain – ordinary – primary – usual – common sense meaning it would have in its normal usage; Exegeting (drawing the meaning out of the text), not Eisogeting (superimposing a meaning onto the text). We believe literal interpretation includes the use of Types – Symbols – Figures of Speech – Genre Distinctions, as each has a literal, non-mysterious, understanding behind it. We believe that the meaning of each word of Scripture, in the original languages of Hebrew and Greek, must be determined by its historical and grammatical context, seeking to ascertain the author’s original intended meaning, and not enlisting deconstructionism to assign meaning.
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