Hermeneutics Hint #1

Hermeneutics Hint: Hermeneutics comes from a Greek term meaning to explain. While it is commonly applied to biblical interpretation, it is the art and science of interpretation. On a basic level, it is a process of rules one uses to understand a newspaper, magazine, or textbook. It identifies differences in genre (types of literature), literal statements, figures of speech, or poetry. The goal is to get to the correct understanding the author intended. Otherwise, one will miss the author’s point in his or her message. The Bible, being literature, should have those rules applied to it.

Hermeneutics Hint #2

Hermeneutics Hint 2: Every piece of literature has an author who lived in real space and time. Literature does not appear in a vacuum. The author was writing with an intended audience in mind, whether it was himself or someone else. They wrote according to the customs of their times. The author had specific situations going on that affected their writing. He also wrote about the particular situation their audience was going through. It is up to the interpreter to find out as much

Hermeneutics Hint #3

Hermeneutics Hint 3: Literature always has a context. The context is the surrounding information which makes the literature understandable. Historical context helps the interpreter know the historical events and situations surrounding the literature. Authorial context discloses information about the author of the literature. Situational context shows the situation in which the author wrote. Context of Genre divulges what type of literature the author chose to display information: such as poetry, biography, or narrative. Experts in hermeneutics say “context is king” when interpreting any literature. The interpreter must examine the context of any piece of literature to accurately determine the meaning. Context determines meaning. Learn about the author and audience as possible.

Hermeneutics Hint #4

Hint 4: All literature is written in a style. Differences between different styles of writing are called genres. Genre is how a certain type of literature is written. Types of literature written with imagery, metaphors, similes, and repetition are in the poetry genre. Literature meant to be read as a story, fictional or not, is called narrative. Genres can also consist of certain types of both, like in the book of Jonah. Genres in the Bible contain historical narrative, poetry, prophesy, apocalyptic literature, wisdom literature, and other subgenres. Genre is one context the interpreter needs to know to understand a text properly.  

Hermeneutics Hint # 5

Hermeneutics Hint 5: Historical narratives are historical accounts told in story format. They are historical in that they talk about real people in actual space-time. The dialogue and actions these people said and did indeed happen. They are not made up by the author. One-third of the Bible is made up of history, how God interacted with men and women. Historical narratives are also stories. They have the elements of story: characters, setting, plot, climax, dialogue, conflict, flashbacks, and lessons to be learned, though not all the stories have lessons. It is the interpreter’s job to interpret historical narratives according to the genre.

Josiah Nichols MDiv Biblical Languages, Author of God Said and It Was So