IBS B4 Chapter 10

Inductive Bible Study Words of Life Christian Ministries School of Ministry
Facilitator: Jamie Landayan Module 6, (Feb - April) 2023
Chapter 10
INTERPRETATION (Part II)
Foundational Principles of Biblical Hermeneutics
INTRODUCTION1
A. Good observation leads to, but does NOT __________________,
good interpretation. There are principles of interpretation that must be
understood and followed if we are going to correctly interpret a
passage.
The Cow
The cow is a mammal. It has six sides. Right, let, an upper and below. At the back
it has a tail on which hangs a brush. With this, it sends the flies away so that they
do not fall into the milk. The head is for the purpose of growing horns and so that
the mouth can be somewhere. The horns are to butt with and the mouth is to moo
with. Under the cow hangs the milk. It is arranged for milking. When people milk the
milk comes and there is never an end to the supply. How the cow does it I have not
yet realized. But it makes more and more. The man cow is called an ox. It is not a
mammal. The cow does not eat much, but what it eats, it eats twice so that it gets
enough. When it is hungry it moos, and when it says nothing it is because its inside
is all filled up with grass.
- Howard & William Hendricks, Living by the Book, 235.
B. Interpretation is the process of understanding the _______________________ of a

passage.
C. The goal of interpretation is to discover the meaning the _____________________

intended for his original audience. There is one meaning of Scripture and this is
the meaning the author intended.
1
Adapted from Prof. Jeff Miller, “OT/NT600 Inductive Bible Study Methods” (class notes, International
School of Theology-Asia, Quezon City, Philippines, 1st Quarter, AY 2001-2002) and Prof. Eric Agustin, “OT/NT 600
Principles of Inductive Bible Study” (class notes, International School of Theology-Asia, Quezon City, Philippines, 1st
Quarter, AY 2003-2004).
1
This is material is from BS510A Bible Study Methods and Hermeneutics (Student Notes) by Moises Mosquera and the Faculty of
the Biblical Studies Department, International Graduate School of Leadership. 1st Semester 2017 – 2018, Quezon City
Philippines.
1. The author or speaker “encoded” his message so that his readers or listeners could
understand his message using the normal rules of language. Meaning resides with the
author, not the reader, who simply “decodes” the message.
2. This necessitates a historical-literal-grammatical approach. The modern reader must

“step into” the situation of the original audience in order to understand Scripture the
way they did.
I. PRINCIPLES OF SOUND BIBLICAL INTERPRETATION2
1. The Bible is _______________________.
God has used the medium of human language that can be understood and
has given us His Holy Spirit to aid us in the process.
2. Interpret Scripture _______________________: If the plain sense makes good

sense, seek no other sense!
A. Look for the literal meaning.
B. Avoid allegorizing the text, or trying to look for deeper or hidden meaning in
the text. Many key doctrines rest squarely upon the literalness of events
recorded in the Bible.
2 Ibid., slightly revised.

2
Philippines.
Example of allegorizing: In Origen’s allegorizing, he taught that Noah’s ark

pictured the church and that Noah represented Christ. Rebekah’s drawing
water at the well for Abraham’s servant means we must daily come to the
Scriptures to meet Christ. In Jesus’ triumphal entry the donkey represented the
Old Testament, its colt depicted the New Testament, and the two apostles
pictured the moral and mystic senses of the Scripture.3
C. If the plain sense makes good sense, seek no other sense (literal principle), but
if the plain sense makes non-sense, then you may have a figure of speech
(figurative principle).4
D. If a figure of speech is involved, look for the literal meaning behind the figure
of speech.
E. Use the figurative sense if the passage dictates that is the case. Also, use the
figurative sense if the literal meaning is impossible, absurd (e.g., Isa. 55:12),
or contradicts other Scripture.
3. Interpretation begins by examining the _______________________ of the

passage: What do I see?5
3
Roy B. Zuck, Basic Bible Interpretation (CO: Victor Books, 1991), 36-37.
4
Robert J. Shirock, “Inductive Bible Study Methods: Mastering the Bible Book by Book,” 95.
5
Howard and William G. Hendricks, Living by the Book (Chicago: Moody Press, 1991), 223-224.
3
Philippines.
The more time you spend in Observation, the less time you will spend in
Interpretation, and the more accurate will be your result. The less time you
spend in Observation, the more time you will spend in Interpretation, and the
less accurate will be your result.
4. Meaning is determined by _______________________: Context is King!
A. The meaning of a particular word is determined by its usage in a

particular context.
B. “Context refers to that which goes before and that which follows after.”6
C. The lexicon or dictionary does not determine the single meaning of a word.
Example: The word “saved” can mean saved in the physical sense or in the
spiritual sense. The context determines the meaning.
5. Principle of _______________________: Let Scripture Interpret Scripture.

In comparison, we compare Scripture with Scripture because the greatest
interpreter of Scripture is Scripture itself.
A. Scripture does not contradict Scripture. If you find an apparent

contradiction, it is probably an indicator that you need to dig deeper.
Prioritize the clear passages over unclear passages.
B. In your Study Bible, use cross-references to see what other passages say about
your subject.
6 Ibid., 226.
4
Philippines.
C. Value of a Concordance and a Topical Bible:
1. A Concordance allows you to see the use of a particular biblical

_______________________ in a variety of other contexts in order to
ascertain its meaning.
2. A Topical Bible allows you to trace a particular

_______________________
through the Bible to get a comprehensive understanding.
6. Consider the _______________________ background: Historical-Literal-

Grammatical Approach.
A. “Pay attention to the factors that led to the writing of the passage, the
influences they had on the text, and what happened as a result of the
message.”7
B. “The interpreter must reconstruct the setting of the original author and
recipients and read the book in that light. We must be cautious when we
read the Bible in light of our contemporary setting. This is a valid practice
in determining relevance and application, but it is an invalid practice
when determining meaning. The meaning (interpretation) must be sought
in terms of the historical and cultural background of the Bible itself. Then
we can safely draw accurate principles that are relevant and applicable for
our present day.”8
7 Ibid., 235-236.
8
Shirock, 92.
5
Philippines.
C. Culture
We need to be aware of aspects of the original audience’s culture that may
be different from our own. A Bible Handbook or books specifically about
the culture of biblical times is helpful on this subject.
D. History
We need to know what the original audience was experiencing at the time.
A Bible dictionary or encyclopedia is helpful here.
E. Geography
Much of the Bible is intimately tied to geography. God has worked out
His plan in the Bible through Israel and the nations that surround them.
The biblical writers assume their readers are familiar with the places they
mention. The modern reader of the Bible needs to gain knowledge of
biblical geography in order to understand the Bible the way the original
audience did. Bible atlases and books on biblical geography will be very
helpful to the student of the Bible.
F. Language
God has communicated His message through human language.
The Bible was originally communicated in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek.
Knowledge of these languages is helpful in understanding God’s Word.
However, good translations and a working knowledge of the language
tools can enable the student to grasp some of the subtleties that are lost in
the translation process.
Each language has its own set of rules of how ideas may be expressed.
One has to be familiar with those rules to accurately interpret any piece of
literature.
6
Philippines.
7. _______________________ using secondary sources: First, the text; second,
other sources!
Five Especially Helpful Tools: Concordances, Bible Dictionaries, Bible

Handbooks, Atlases, Bible Commentaries, Others (Archeology).
8. _______________________ revelation of Scripture.
God did not give the Bible all at one time. He progressively revealed Himself
and His plan over time. The Bible was written over a period of 1,500 years.
The interpreter must be aware of the time frame of his particular message in
relation to the rest of Scripture.
7
Philippines.

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Inductive Bible Study Words of Life Christian Ministries School of Ministry

Facilitator: Jamie Landayan Module 6, (Feb - April) 2023

B. Interpretation is the process of understanding the _______________________ of a

C. The goal of interpretation is to discover the meaning the _____________________

2. This necessitates a historical-literal-grammatical approach. The modern reader must

I. PRINCIPLES OF SOUND BIBLICAL INTERPRETATION2

1. The Bible is _______________________.

2. Interpret Scripture _______________________: If the plain sense makes good

A. Look for the literal meaning.

2 Ibid., slightly revised.

Example of allegorizing: In Origen’s allegorizing, he taught that Noah’s ark

3. Interpretation begins by examining the _______________________ of the

4. Meaning is determined by _______________________: Context is King!

A. The meaning of a particular word is determined by its usage in a

5. Principle of _______________________: Let Scripture Interpret Scripture.

A. Scripture does not contradict Scripture. If you find an apparent

1. A Concordance allows you to see the use of a particular biblical

2. A Topical Bible allows you to trace a particular

6. Consider the _______________________ background: Historical-Literal-

Five Especially Helpful Tools: Concordances, Bible Dictionaries, Bible

8. _______________________ revelation of Scripture.

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