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Hermeneutics

Hermeneutics. Bridging the Grammatical Gap. Why is Grammatical Interpretation Important?. “Only grammatical interpretation fully honors the verbal inspiration of Scripture” (Zuck, p. 99).

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Hermeneutics

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  1. Hermeneutics Bridging the Grammatical Gap

  2. Why is Grammatical Interpretation Important? • “Only grammatical interpretation fully honors the verbal inspiration of Scripture” (Zuck, p. 99). • “Thoughts are expressed through words, and words are the building blocks of sentences. Therefore to determine God’s thoughts we need to study His words and how they are associated in sentences” (Zuck, p. 99). • Lexical analysis (the meanings of words) and syntactical analysis (the relationships of words and groups of words to each other) is the heart of biblical interpretation!

  3. Factors in Lexical Analysis (Meanings of Words) • Etymology – tracing back to the root meaning of a word and understanding how its meaning has changed through time. • evkklhsi,a – a compound word from evk (“out of”) and kale,w (“I call”); thus “I call out of.” • Originally referred to an assembly of citizens who were summoned by a town crier for transacting public business. • In Paul’s letters it came to mean those who had been called out among the unsaved to form a community of Jew and Gentile in one body. • Important to think about where you are in time and to context as you read a particular word (Matt 16:18; Acts 19:32). • A necessary caution: the root meaning of a word is often very different from its meaning in a particular context. The main advantage of etymology is to make the interpreter aware of such changes of meaning through time for a particular word.

  4. Factors in Lexical Analysis (Meanings of Words) • Usus Loquendi – “use by the one speaking.” How the word is used in context will determine its meaning. It is helpful to investigate several types of usage: • By the same writer in the same book. • Prophets in Eph 2:20 (cf. Eph 3:5, 4:11). • By the same writer in his other books. • To understand light and darkness in 1 John, examine how it is used in John’s gospel. • By other writers in the Bible. • To understand the meaning of hm'l.[; in Isa. 7:14, it is helpful to study the other occurrences of the word (and similar forms) in the OT (Gen. 24:43; Ex. 2:8; 1 Chron. 15:20; Ps. 68:25; Prov. 30:19; Song 1:3; 6:8; and in the title to Ps. 46; cf. 1 Sam 17:56; 20:22; Isaiah 54:4). • By writers outside the Bible. • 1300 hapax legomena in the OT; 500 words occur only twice.

  5. Factors in Lexical Analysis (Meanings of Words) • Discover the meanings of synonyms and antonyms. • “Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather determine this-- not to put an obstacle (pro,skomma) or a stumbling block (ska,ndalon) in a brother's way” (Rom 14:13). • The term sa,rx (“flesh”) can have several meanings. What does it mean in Romans 8:4-9?

  6. Factors in Lexical Analysis (Meanings of Words) • Consider the context • Context rules! It is absolutely essential for determining meaning of individual words. • Exercises on p. 107 and 108.

  7. Circles of Context Whole Bible Blocks of Books Book Adj. Paragraphs Paragraph

  8. Syntactical Analysis • Syntax is “the way in which words are put together to form phrases, clauses, or sentences” (Webster, as quoted by Zuck, p. 117). • Phrase – a short group of words without a verb. • Prepositional phrases from Col. 1:22: “to the holy and faithful brothers,” “in Christ,” “from God our Father.” • Participial phrases from Ephesians: “making the most of every opportunity,” “giving thanks to God.”

  9. Syntactical Analysis • Clause – a group of words with a subject and a predicate. Examples: “Christ died,” “He chose us.” • Clauses can be independent or dependent. Types of dependent clauses include: • Causal • Concessive • Comparative • Conditional • Purpose • Result • Temporal • Clause exercises on page 120.

  10. Syntactical Analysis • Sentence – Like a clause, it has a subject and a predicate and expresses a complete thought. Sentences are classified according to their structure: • Simple sentence – one independent clause. Ex: “[You] set your mind on things above” (Col. 3:2). • Compound sentence – has at least two independent clauses. Ex: “Husbands, love your wives and do not be harsh with them” (Col. 3:19). • Complex sentence – has at least one independent clause and one dependent clause. Ex: “We always thank God . . . since we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus” (Col. 1:3-4). • Exercises on page 119.

  11. Word Order and Repetition • In Greek, normal word order is Verb-Subject-Object. Emphasis is placed on particular words, phrases, or clauses by moving them forward in the sentence. • Th/| de. VElisa,bet evplh,sqh o` cro,noj tou/ tekei/n auvth.n kai. evge,nnhsen ui`o,n (Luke 1:57). • In Hebrew, normal word order is Object-Verb-Subject. Thus Isa. 1:14 reads “Your New Moon festivals and your appointed feasts My soul hates.” Repetition in Hebrew occurs for emphasis (“Holy, holy, holy”).

  12. Diagrammatical Analysis • A graphical representation of syntactical relationships.

  13. Next Week: Bridging the Literary Gap

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