Biblical Exegesis

What it isn't.

Exegesis is not reading a meaning into a text that is not actually there (which is called eisegesis). The point of exegesis is to draw out the meaning that is already in the text--the author's meaning. While some would write off this task as impossible or presumptuous, it is not that exegesis intends to be definitive or achieve total objectivity (the myth of modernism). Rather, to the extent possible, exegesis intends to avoid subjectivity. Exegesis is not reading a text and deciding "what it means to me" or that "I feel like it's saying . . . ."

What it is.

Exegesis is the discipline of holding lightly to presuppositions when reading a text. We can't do away with them, but we can let the text speak to them rather than allowing them to determine the meaning of the text.

Similarly, exegesis is shelving traditional interpretive rules that give priority to one text or one doctrine. A well known example is "easier texts interpret more difficult ones." Exegesis endeavors to hear the obscure text in its own right, open to the possibility it might create a healthy tension with an "easily" understood text rather than simply conform to it or might add something new altogether.

Exegesis is not interested in creating a neat system of doctrine and often results in a more variegated view of Scripture. Another way of talking about this is to say that exegesis avoids a "canon within the Canon." An interpreter who starts out with a set of "more important" or normative texts is liable to do poor exegesis.

The first principle of exegesis: context determines meaning.

Note: There is a difference between NT exegesis and OT exegesis. This lens is about exegesis in general, but the two bodies of literature at times require distinct procedures.

You must be familiar with the passage and its surroundings. Context determines meaning! Therefore, you cannot understand a phrase in isolation from its passage, and you cannot understand a passage in isolation from its book.

Exegetical Assumption: The authors of Scripture were intelligent human beings, and they meant to say something intelligible. Give them the benefit of the doubt! This means that you should expect to find the meaning of a phrase or passage in relation to the reason and meaning of the whole book. There may be exceptions, but it is not helpful to begin expecting one. Look for a flow of thought. This will take reading and rereading. Some times, the flow of thought may not be discernible without some of the other groundwork discussed below, but go ahead and try to find it.

Pointer: For those who do not read the original languages, comparing translations is vital. You should stick with those on the literal and dynamic equivalent side for this purpose (see How to Read the Bible for All It's Worth above for a taxonomy of translation types). Translation always involves some degree of interpretation, but the less the better when you are trying to decide what the author meant.

Four good translations for comparison are the NIV (or TNIV), the NASB, the NRSV, and the ESV. Unfortunately, these do not come in a tidy parallel Bible--so clear off some desk space.

Suggestion: Avoid study Bibles with lots of notes and interpretations. You can reference all the commentary you want . . . later. For now, let the text speak for itself. Go for wide-margin Bibles instead, so you can record your own observations and comparisons.

As you read, you will be compiling a list of questions. It helps to write these down. Some may turn out to be bad questions--there is such a thing (sorry!)--but that's part of the process. Given the many traditions of interpretation and piles of assumptions floating around, exegesis as often as not serves to let us know "that's not a question the author was trying to answer," and we have to respect the limits of the text's meaning. On the other hand, you'll also come up with some great questions, which will be refined and supplemented throughout your exegesis.

There may be words, phrases, or entire passages that have a disputed history in terms of what the original actually said.

The people that put together all the ancient texts to create a standard basis for translation have some pretty sophisticated and reliable ways of deciding what the original actually said, but there is never total agreement. The really uncertain ones are a tiny percentage of the whole canon, but know that you may run across something that doesn't make sense in the context of the book or passage because it wasn't there in the first place. It's rare, but the exegete has to make the call. More often, you will simply be choosing between two or more words or phrases.

Keep in mind that the Old Testament is a different beast than the New. Not only is the OT more distant historically, it developed over a millennium or so, whereas the NT developed over a century or so. This just means that you need to pay attention to the distinct approaches to each.

An important rule when reading: know what kind of literature you are reading.

Assumption: the books of the Bible are literature, meaningfully composed. Some are more so, some less so, but every book fits into a category with particular (sometimes broad) contours and norms, and passages within a book may also be one kind of literary expression or another.

The rules for pulling meaning out of a piece of Scripture are not the same all the time. One of the most important variables you need to consider is the literary genre you are studying. Texts may be more or less symbolic, more or less literal, etc., depending on the kind of writing the author has done. Expectations of historicity rightly placed upon one passage may not be fairly placed on another, and so forth. Thankfully, there are plenty of standards for determining and interpreting the various genres of literature within the biblical canon.

The basic idea: it not only matters what is said, it matters how it is said. As a matter of fact, you'll have a tough time knowing what is said without understanding how it is said. Your job is to study the significance of the forms and literary styles as the ancient authors used them and let that shape your exegetical conclusions.

Note: the world of biblical studies is enormous. There are genres within genres, each with their own body of specialized material. For example, the Synoptic Gospels (Mt, Mk, Lk) are a field of study unto themselves, with many peculiarities of their own. The introductory resources above will help you find your way through this maze of information.

Historical backgrounds can be the most vital and the most daunting aspect of solid exegesis. Context determines meaning, and the historical-social-cultural contexts of the Bible are many-faceted. There is no shortage of information to cover here, and thorough exegesis requires a time commitment, but the insight you will glean is well worth it.

Exegetical Assumption: since God has acted in history and through historically situated people, the historical context will be determinative of the original meaning.

Note: While "historical-critical method" has taken on a negative connotation among many with a commitment to Scripture, as with most things this has been a matter of extremes and excesses, as well as particular schoalrs' abuses. But those problems won't rule out your need to access the historical situation or occasion of a text in order to understand the author's meaning. So dive in!

At this point you should form your own preliminary conclusion(s). Try to put them into words. There is no pressure to be extraordinary here. You just need to see where your research has brought you. Odds are, you haven't covered all the possible angles--there is just too much material out there. But if you've done each of the previous steps with a degree of rigor, you will have come a long way in narrowing down the possibilities. In many cases, you may even be onto a pretty good conclusion.

Once you have let the text speak for itself, it's time turn to the insight of professional researchers. They will help you fill in, confirm, or deny your preliminary conclusion.

Many students of the Bible simply jump to this step. It is a lot easier, and after all, they are the professionals. But, like each of us, even the most experienced interpreters have biases and presuppositions that can get the best of them. Going through the whole process yourself will better equip you to recognize those blind spots and determine whether another exegete has done her homework. Of course, you might just end up liking the interpreters that share your biases, but making an honest effort to hear everyone goes a long way in reshaping our thinking.

There are a few basic sources for consulting the pros: journal articles, reference works, monographs, and commentaries.

Journal articles will be the least accessible for the average Bible student. They require a significant library and, for easiest use, a digital reference database. Yet, if you can manage to get your hands on some relevant journal articles, they will often be the cutting edge of research on a given passage--depending, of course, on the journal's standards.

Reference works, such as dictionaries and encyclopedias, will often have information useful earlier in the process. But often enough, the author of a reference article will draw quick conclusions on a passage or a topic, which is not always helpful early on. So, waiting until now to consult these can be beneficial. You can make the call, depending on your topic or passage.

Then there is the almost endless flow of books on sections of Scripture or topics that might encompass your passage. Some of these will be so thorough that you will feel as though it was pointless to go to the trouble yourself. But these are the real gems. Pay attention to the way such works develop the argument of their exegetical conclusions. Here also it's about how something is said as much as what it said.

Tip: The longer you do exegesis, the more familiar you will become with the authors in any given field. Some will become faithful friends, and their footnotes and bibliographies will help you narrow down the overwhelming volume of reading.

Commentaries are the most commonly consulted sources of information, and the ones written on a popular level tend to sell the best. If you have not done your own homework, beware of these! They may have agreeable conclusions, but once you've done your own exegesis, you may find that they have done you no favor in minimizing the complexity of your passage. Some commentaries are more technical (based upon the original languages), some are more theological, some are more agenda-driven, and so on. You will need to consult a wide range to find a good balance.

At this point you are up to your eyeballs in good information (and quite a bit of useless information). You have taken on the challenge to study your Bible on a deeper level, and it has paid off. So go for it, make an informed decision about your passage! You've earned it.

And if you've learned anything in the process, it's that you're never done learning, so you can rest humbly in the confidence that your informed decision may change if you ever get more informed. For now, you've done due diligence and you have a defensible position on your passage. Congrats.

So now what? Is your exegetical conclusion the end you were seeking? Not likely. But it's an essential part of the journey toward a healthy theology. There is more to do, for you have been questing after "what it meant." Now, I'm guessing, you are interested in "what it means." Sometimes it is as simple as finding what it meant and doing it or subscribing to it or whatever. Usually, though, we have to move on to hermeneutics if we want to translate what it meant into what it now means. But that's another lens.