interpretation
Why I Dropped my NIV for an ESV
On my 16th birthday I received, by request, a new Thompson Chain Reference NIV Bible. As a 16 year old, I had no insights- nor did I consider the need of them- concerning the integrity of the NIV translation. I simply knew that my new NIV Bible was easier to understand than the KJV I had used up to that point.
As it turns out, by God’s grace, the NIV I was ingesting was actually a pretty good translation overall. It is a good “middling” of two interpretational extremes. As a ministry student, which I became just a few years thereafter, one’s translation is never one’s only translation; it is simply the translation one preaches and teaches from. It is the translation one commits to memory. I spent over twenty five years doing just that with my (1984) NIV. Continue reading
Interpreting the Bible 15 – Hebrew Poetry
(This is a continuation of the “Interpreting The Bible“ video blog series. This post assumes the prerequisite watching of earlier videos in the series. Click the link above to watch the entire series up to this week’s installment.)
Unlike Western poetry, Hebrew poetry is not fashioned with rhythm and rhyme, but with a device known as parallelism. Today’s study focuses on the nature of parallelism so that the biblical student may rightly divide poetic passages in scripture.
Bible Interpretation Pt. 15 – Hebrew Poetry from Jeff Kluttz on Vimeo.
Interpreting the Bible 14 – The Law of Recurrence
(This is a continuation of the “Interpreting The Bible“ video blog series. This post assumes the prerequisite watching of earlier videos in the series. Click the link above to watch the entire series up to this week’s installment.)
This week’s installation involves what is known as The Law of Recurrence. This principle exists throughout the scriptures as an event narrated in two or more “passes.” In such cases, frequently a story is told very generally, and then told again from the beginning but providing additional detail.
Not only is such recurrence very frequent in scripture, it is in fact the technique by which scripture begins itself in the account of creation. Many have seen this particular instance of recurrence as an argument for two separate creation accounts. Others have seen this recurrence as the very frequent literary device that it is: a story told in passes of varying detail and focus.
Today’s consideration of the law of recurrence includes a good deal of example from scripture to assist the interpreter in the understanding of the principle.
Bible Interpretation Pt. 14 from Jeff Kluttz on Vimeo.
Interpreting The Bible 13 – The Law of First Mention
(This is a continuation of the “Interpreting The Bible“ video blog series. This post assumes the prerequisite watching of earlier videos in the series. Click the link above to watch the entire series up to this week’s installment.)
This week’s lesson focuses on a law known as “First Mention.” This law is simple in its principle, but profound in its application. This law essentially uses the concept of “precedent” to assist the biblical interpreter in the proper application of a theological term or truth. If, then, I know how a term or concept has been used earlier in scripture, I can properly interpret a later understanding of the same term or principle.
Bible Interpretation Pt. 13 from Jeff Kluttz on Vimeo.
Interpreting the Bible 12 – Progressive Revelation
(This is a continuation of the “Interpreting The Bible“ video blog series. This post assumes the prerequisite watching of earlier videos in the series. Click the link above to watch the entire series up to this week’s installment.)
This week’s topic in the series involves the principle of “progressive revelation.” Progressive revelation essentially enforces consideration of the fact that God did not reveal all theological truth at once, but over a long period of time. The fullness of what Moses knew about Jehovah, Noah did not know. What the apostles knew, Moses did not know.
Through millennia- from Adam to the apostles – God revealed his plan by small revelations which built upon one another. Even the understanding of Messiah began from an Edenic concept as simple as “a seed of woman” and was further developed in scripture to involve the seed of Abraham, Judah and David. By the time of Christ a composite sketch of many centuries had formed to give Israel an accurate accounting of what she should expect when Messiah was revealed. At the time of Isaiah, however, this portrait of Messiah would have been exceptionally limited; virtually only to lineage.
Understaning the principle of progressive revelation prevents the interpreter from injecting theological knowledge of a later date into the minds of earlier writers. While it is true that later writings bring clarity to earlier ones, it is not true that earlier theological truths are trumped; being interpreted in light of later ones. If that were so, then the earlier writings would have no meaning whatsoever to those to whom they were delivered.
Today’s video lesson explores the impact of progressive revelation on our interpretive process.
Bible Interpretation Pt. 12 from Jeff Kluttz on Vimeo.
Interpreting the Bible (Pt 11) – Double Reference (Pt. 2)
(This is a continuation of the “Interpreting The Bible“ video blog series. This post assumes the prerequisite watching of earlier videos in the series. Click the link above to watch the entire series up to this week’s installment.)
Continuing from last week’s introduction to the interpretive law of dual (or double) reference, this week’s lesson will focus in on the “gap” variety of dual reference; in which one prophecy is fulfilled in part from two different historical events which are separated by a gap of time. As such, there is frequently a presumed fulfillment of a prophecy, yet the fulfillment does not completely meet the criteria of the original prophetic word. As such, this presumed fulfillment is not complete, but partial, and will be later completed by further events.
Numerous messianic prophecies have unfolded in this manner. In several cases, one prophetic sentence – or paragraph – depicts both the first and second comings of Christ. These prophesies have been only partially fulfilled, as the “gap” has not yet passed before his second coming, when Christ will complete the prophetic vision.
Today’s video course is largely an illustration of this principle at work.
Bible Interpretation Pt. 11 from Jeff Kluttz on Vimeo.
Interpreting the Bible – Part 8 – Applying The Golden Rule of Interpretation
(This is a continuation of the “Interpreting The Bible“ video blog series. This post assumes the prerequisite watching of earlier videos in the series. Click the link above to watch the entire series up to this week’s installment.)
In the previous post The Golden Rule of Interpretation was introduced. This rule prevents the interpreter from arbitrarily “spiritualizing” or improperly creating symbolic truths out of a text that should be treated literally.
This week’s study focuses on the application of this rule by examining several passages in light of its principles.
Bible Interpretation Pt. 08 from Jeff Kluttz on Vimeo.
Interpreting the Bible – Part 7 – The Golden Rule of Interpretation
(This is a continuation of the “Interpreting The Bible“ video blog series. This post assumes the prerequisite watching of earlier videos in the series. Click the link above to watch the entire series up to this week’s installment.)
Over the next several weeks we will be examining certain “laws” which govern the norms of interpretive processes. These laws are rules which do not apply only to the Bible, but almost any work which is to be interpreted. As such, they are very common-sense-oriented principles which are understood and taken from granted by even school-age children as they read their age-appropriate stories.
Today’s rule is known by many as “The Golden Rule of Interpretation;” stating at it’s core: “if the common sense reading of a text makes sense, seek no other sense.” How much the false teachers of our Wolves in Wool series could learn from what their children already take for granted!
Bible Interpretation Pt. 07 from Jeff Kluttz on Vimeo.
Interpreting the Bible Pt. 6 – Resources
(This is a continuation of the “Interpreting The Bible“ video blog series. This post assumes the prerequisite watching of earlier videos in the series. Click the link above to watch the entire series up to this week’s installment.)
This week’s installation in the Interpreting the Bible course is a bit of a side-bar in observation of various tools that will be required for the coursework at hand. This post will tout the benefits of a good computer Bible program and go over various types of support materials for biblical study, including Bibles, commentaries, concordances and other pertinent tools.
Bible Interpretation Pt. 05 – Contextual/Theological Principles
(This is a continuation of the “Interpreting The Bible“ video blog series. This post assumes the prerequisite watching of earlier videos in the series. Click the link above to watch the entire series up to this week’s installment.)
This week’s vlog post continues the “Interpreting The Bible“ video blog series, picking up where we left off last week, still discussing the contextual principle of interpretation. This week’s class also goes into the theological principle: establishing that theology itself was a work in progress during biblical history. As such, Adam’s theology was much less developed than was Paul’s. Indeed, God’s progressive revelation of himself to man created a scenario where the earlier writers did not have a full picture of theology which was to be heralded as “complete” at a later time.
Bible Interpretation – Pt. 05 – Contextual/Theological Principles from Jeff Kluttz on Vimeo.
