Bible Study: A Comprehensive Approach UsingTranslation, Genre, Culture, Assumptions and Preconceptions, and Interpretive Context
Frank Walmsley
General Introduction
Reading and understanding are different. Reading can seem easy but understanding definitely is not easy. This is especially true for a complicated book like the Bible. The goal in this study is to see how to use available information to correctly interpret and understand the Bible. It must be recognized that there will normally be some uncertainty due to lack of information. As archeological and literary studies progress, some of the ambiguities will be removed. The New Oxford Annotated Bible, based on the New Revised Standard Version, works to keep up with scholarship and contains extensive information about Bible passages as footnotes and as commentary.
This approach to study will look at factors such as the culture of the group being described, the assumptions and preconceptions one might bring to a passage, the author of the passage, the place in history of the events being described, the genre of the writing, and the context of the passage within other passages.
An open-ended way of learning, called Critical Reflection, has been developed. It is “a process of testing the justification or validity of taken-for-granted premises” (Jack Mezirow). Here’s how it works. First, identify what assumptions (prior beliefs) you use as you think about the Scripture passage. Second, see if there are alternative ways of looking at the passage. Third, reflect on what new insights there could be and how those insights can inform your paradigm (your organized system of beliefs). Try to apply this way of learning to each lesson. Amos 3:7 tells us “it is best not to assume we know everything.”
This Bible study may be used individually or as a group. For group study, it is not necessary for everyone to have read the section beforehand.
May your faith be enriched and may God become more real to you.
Organization
Each lesson begins with an introduction followed by scripture passages to be considered. The major categories may be used in any order. The lessons within a major category may be used in any order. And, not all lessons need to be studied. Within a study/class period, let the lessons flow at their own pace since there typically are too many within a category. As you see, there is great flexibility, but don’t hesitate to tackle difficult lessons.
Different versions of the Bible are available at: There is no charge for use; some commentaries are included.
The Jewish Study Bible (TANAKH) with commentary is available at:
Wikipedia can be a good resource regarding history and culture.
Assumptions and Preconceptions
Assumptions and Preconceptions: Introduction
Whatever we do, we all have some preconceived notion about it. In church, we sing hymns and songs which may influence what we believe. For example, the Christmas hymn “O Holy Night” is loved by many people lulled by the music without paying attention to the words – “long lay the world in sin and error pining”. Do you really believe the world was pining (a feeling of deep longing for something good) about its sins and errors before the first Christmas? We see a stranger and make assumptions about that person from the way he/she is dressed or walks or talks – we play the role of Sherlock Holmes and not always without prejudice.
In studying the Bible, we need to be aware of any assumptions we make or of any preconceptions we might have. Then, it is important to examine those assumptions and preconceptions to evaluate them and see if that is really what the Bible says. In this study, we’ll see where some of those might arise and begin there with our evaluation.
Assumptions and Preconceptions: Lessons
AP1. Read the words to the Christmas carol “We Three Kings of Orient Are” and, if possible, “As with Gladness Men of Old”.
Read the story in Matthew 2:1-12 in NRSV.
Compare the reading with the carols. In your youth, did these carols form ideas in your mind about the events? Does it matter that the carols and Scripture do not agree in all aspects?
AP2. Read the words to the Christmas carols “Angels We Have Heard on High” and “While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks”.
Read the story in Luke 2:8-20 in NRSV.
Compare the reading with the carols. In your youth, did these carols form ideas in your mind about the events? Did the angels sing? Does it matter that the carols and Scripture do not agree in all aspects?
AP3. What do you remember about the story of Esther? Do you think that Esther, as queen, convinced the king not to kill the Jews? It is true that Esther saved her people but it wasn’t that simple. Read chapters 3 and 8 in Esther. It was Haman who wanted to kill all the Jews but the king had to devise a way to save them. What did he do? What might you have done if you were the king?
AP4. Read Matthew 19:24 or Mark 10:25 or Luke 18:25. The hyperbole can be appreciated by anyone who has threaded a needle. It can be difficult to get a thin thread through the eye of a needle. The original wording could be translated thick rope rather than camel which would reinforce the act of threading a needle.
Here’s the preconception that many people have which dates back to the Middle Ages. The claim is that Jesus was not referring to a sewing needle but to a gate into Jerusalem called “The Eye of the Needle” which was part of the defenses since it was very difficult for a camel to pass through the gate. The camel’s burden had to be unloaded (a person had to unload their sins in order to reach heaven) and the camel had to kneel (a person had to confess their sins on their knees). It made good preaching but is totally false Bible exegesis.
What lessons can be learned from this story with its hyperbole? Read the verses following in Matthew (19:24-26). Could God actually put a camel through the eye of a needle or would Photoshop be required?
AP5. Do you know the Ten Commandments? The Protestants and the Roman Catholics each have ten but divide the statements differently. Compare Exodus 20: 1-28 and Deuteronomy 5: 4-21 (suggest NRSV). Now compare those with Exodus 34: 1-28. Make a list of the differences. Pay attention to when those in Exodus 20 and in Exodus 34 were given to Moses.
Are you happy with dividing or combining “commandments” in order to get 10? Explain. How can the two different sets of Ten Commandments in Exodus be understood?
Translation
Translation: Introduction
The web site Bible Gateway has 55 different translations of the Bible available in English. Why are there so many? One obvious answer to that, upon browsing the list, is the different audiences. For example, one version is for children. The difficulties start at the beginning – the original manuscripts are not available. From there we move on to changes in language over time as well as changes in idioms used. Compare a Dorothy Sayers novel written in the 1920s with current novels. And, with no photocopiers, copy error were made, some on purpose.
The Hebrew has no vowels. The ancient Greek lacks punctuation. You see, translation of the Bible is not the same as translating a novel written recently in German or in Swedish into English. Did you know that the United Kingdom and the American versions of Harry Potter are not the same – it was written in UK language and translated into American language for U.S. sales. That is just a sampling of the difficulties that bedevil translators.
Translation: Lessons
T1. Read the following verses in the King James Version: Psalm 7:9, Psalm 26:2, Psalm 73:21, and Jeremiah 20:12. Notice the use of the word reins; it appears 13 times in the Old Testament. What are reins? Hint: it has nothing to do with horses. Actually, reins is a word made-up by the KJV translators – the Hebrew word is kidneys. It refers to the center of a person’s soul or the seat of desire. 250 years later as new versions appeared, the word reins was changed to heart.
If you use the KJV, how do you react to the word reins? Do you agree with the KJV translators in avoiding the word kidneys? What’s the problem with being sensitive in the choice of words? Would you prefer brain rather than heart (think carefully about that and don’t let your emotions dictate your response).
T2. In most Bible translations, Genesis 1:1 begins, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” The Jewish Study Bible TANAKH begins “When God began to create heaven and earth.” The NRSV begins with the common statement but, the committee assembling the NRSV voted for the Jewish translation. After the committee had finished its work and disbanded, the committee chair changed the wording so it would match John 1:1.
Consider the two translations. What differences in understanding creation arise from the differences?
T3. Look at Isaiah 7:14. The Jewish Study Bible TANAKH translates this as “Look, the young woman is with child and about to give birth to a son. Let her name him Immanuel (with us is God).” The NRSV says virgin rather than young woman. Matthew (1:21-23), in quoting Isaiah, says virgin. Both the JSB Commentary and the Oxford Bible Commentary specifically say that the Hebrew word does not imply virginity.
What difference does it make how this translation is rendered in Isaiah? Is the statement in Matthew in error?
T4. There is uncertainty concerning how baptism was performed in New Testament times – sprinkling or immersion. It appears the Old Testament form of baptism was pouring lots of water over the whole person. Read Acts 8:39 and Matthew 1:10. We will focus on the Acts passage. The Benson Commentary says that it should be properly rendered as “they came from the water”. The Free Bible Commentary says that context implies “they walked into a body of water” and “they walked out of a body of water”. The method of the baptism is not given. This commentary adds, “Be careful of your preconceived notions.”
Many Christians who favor immersion use this passage to justify using immersion. Think about the difference in wording given by the Benson Commentary as it might or might not apply to the method of baptism. What is the context that the Free Bible Commentary says the correct translation is they walked into the water and they walked out of the water? Think of who was being baptized and who was doing the baptizing, and their roles.
T5. Read 1 Thessalonians 4:4. There are two translations of this; you may find the second as a footnote. (1) “that each of you know how to control your own body in holiness and honor” and (2) that each of you know how to take a wife for himself”.
Speculate on how these two translations might arise from the same Greek words. That is, what might they have in common?
T6. The word behold appears in the King James Version of the Bible over 1200 times. It’s not an everyday word now but served an important purpose in that translation. It said to the reader, “Look!” or “Pay Attention! Something important is to follow.” Read the following verses in the King James Version, the New Revised Standard Version, and the Message: Psalm 133: 1, Ecclesiastes 1: 14, and Luke 2:10. (Remember Bible Gateway gives you access to these and more.)This is strictly a KJV usage – it does not appear in the Jewish Study Bible.
Is the immediacy of Behold! lost in the other translations? Is trying to get your attention important? Does the overuse of the word in the KJV reduce its effectiveness?
T7. The word vanity is another word not used much today. The current meaning is a piece of furniture with a mirror for the purpose of applying makeup. In the King James Version of the Bible, it appears 79 times, mostly in the Old Testament. Read the following verses in the King James Version, the New Revised Standard Version, and the Message: Ecclesiastes 1:14 and Job 7:3.
Do you know the meaning of the word vanity? Compare the meanings of the word in each verse. Why did the NRSV use the word in the Ecclesiastes verse and not in Job? Why use it at all?
T8. An idiom, according to Dictionary.com, is “an expression that cannot be understood from the usual meanings of its constituent elements.” For example, to kick the bucket means to die. This sort of speech can be especially difficult for persons with English as a second language and for those unfamiliar with the culture from which the idiom comes. Jeremiah 31:29 in the New International Version reads: “The parents have eaten sour grapes,and the children’s teeth are set on edge.” Look at this verse in other translations such as The New American Standard Bible, The New Revised Standard Version, The Message, The Common English Bible, The English Standard Version, and The Living Bible. (Hint: If you use BibleGateway.com to find the verse, at the bottom of the window will be a choice to look at the verse in other translations.)
How do you react to the different translations? Which do you think is the best? Why do you think some translators keep the idiom rather than using common language?
T9. Let’s look at a more difficult idiom. Read 2 Timothy 4:3 choosing the same translations as in the previous lesson (#T8). The idiom here is about “itching ears”. Notice that some translations such as NRSV and NIV include more information than KJV to help understand the phrase.
How do you understand “itching ears”? How might you have expressed the thought in the Scriptures context? Is this an idiom that really shouldn’t be used? Why?
T10. Read Matthew 8: 21-22. Jesus invites this person to be a follower. The person wants to go bury his father first.
Do you think this is a reasonable request? Simon Peter, for example, immediately left his fishing to follow Jesus. Why or why not?
Here’s another idiom. To go bury a father means later. This is like our idiom, I’ll let you know ASAP. It could be that the father is still living and the person will respond when his father dies. Or it could be that his father has just died and cannot come along until the burial takes place which could take up to a year to complete. See what a difference knowing the idiom makes in how this is interpreted.
T11. The idiom “gird up your loins” appears numerous times. What have you thought about the meaning of this idiom? I thought it meant to raise the hem of your tunic so you wouldn’t trip over it as I had to do with my academic gown and as school graduates need to do when they go up stairs onto the stage to receive their diplomas.
Did you have a sirloin steak for dinner recently? The loin is the part of the cattle the meat cut came from. For a person, the loins are the part below the rib cage and above the pelvis including the genitals. To gird is to fasten and secure, particularly clothing. Here is a url showing how to gird your loins assuming you are wearing a tunic or something equivalent. This is done when preparing for battle or something where the long tunic might interfere.
What images did this phrase come to your mind as a child? Should we discard this idiom?
Genre
Genre: Introduction
When a book begins “A shot rang out in the dark …”, we expect a murder mystery. When a book begins “In the beginning God …” we expect religion. In certain genre, we can predict the general plot. For example, in traditional opera we see competing suitors using disguises. In soap opera, we see jealousy, misunderstanding, and reconciliation. The Nancy Drew series books were written by various authors using a specified plot.
Much of the Bible is history in both the Old and New Testaments. Much history writing is the story of the victors rather than that of the common people; in the Bible, we find both. Mark’s gospel is “good news” while Paul wrote letters. We can find lots of poetry, such as in the Psalms and advice columns, such as Proverbs. There is also Law (Leviticus) and lots of prophecy. Finally, there is apocalyptic (end times) writing such as Revelations. Note that everything, including poetry, in the KJV is written in paragraph form; modern versions have poetry looking like poetry.
Within a particular book of the Bible, one may find more than one genre. This is not uncommon in today’s writing. For example, J. K. Rowling had difficulty finding a publisher for Harry Potter because the story did not fit one particular genre.
Genre is not limited to literature. There are music genre such as: hymns, spirituals, blues, jazz, country, Tejano, rap, and more.
Genre: Lessons
G1. Read Judges 4:17-22 and Judges 5:24-31 (or read the whole of both chapters, if you like). Notice the change in genre from narrative in chapter 4 to poetry (a song) in chapter 5. Hebrew poetry may have some rhyming (in the Hebrew, of course) and typically has other characteristics. One of those is parallelism in various forms. Isaiah 2:4 is an example where the same thought is repeated (sometimes immediately as here and sometimes later in the poem; Proverbs 10:1 is an example where the opposite thought is given.