There are things which are very important to do when we exegete Scripture. And other things which it is very important we don’t do. Sometimes these are two sides of the same coin.
There is a famous saying, “He couldn’t see the forest for the trees.” There is a popular problem in Scriptural interpretation which involves someone doing that deliberately. Someone calling their audience to join them in looking through their microscope at one letter of one word of one verse… and encouraging them to take off their reading glasses when they do so.
Each word in Scripture has meaning… within the text.
The Context
All texts in Scripture are in the context of Scripture. And then in the context of their testament. And then in the context of their section, such as history, or poetry. And then in the context of the book itself.
For some texts they are then in the context of their chapter but, outside of the book of Psalms, this is rare. The original text does not have chapters. So what the text is in next is, instead, the flow of the book. What comes before it in the story or argument, and what comes after.
And then, in each verse, each word is in the context of its sentence, and its clause, and its phrase.
The Microscope
The error that this post is discussing is that some people, when looking at a given word in Scripture, act like an old fashioned kidnapper… they start by cutting the word out of its context and pasting it in however they want.
And then, to mix my metaphors, they lay this word on a microscope and peer into the lens… attempting to see what the word means. They get out their Hebrew or Greek dictionary, take the meaning (or one of the meanings) found there, and paste it in instead of the word.
Language Class
Now, let us be clear, that is never the way language works. For no language in the world, not even that of the most literate and advanced people on Earth, have you ever been able to merely take the dictionary definitions and splice them into conversation and have the meaning come across.
If you don’t believe me, read Supreme Court cases. Armies of lawyers pore over text written by other armies of lawyers, in a culture and society where the meaning of words could mean differences of millions of dollars… and disagree over the meaning of words. One dictionary is cited… versus another dictionary. Other laws and other court decisions are cited. And in the end, five judges say it means one thing, and four another.
Natural Language
And the second you leave the courtroom behind, the problem gets worse, not better. People on the street throw language around with a bewildering mix of meanings and metaphors. The very same phrase, “You dog!” said in almost the exact same way could have polar opposite meanings. A man can be praised by it and a woman could be cursed by it. And neither of them have four paws and a tail!
Let’s take my favorite example: what does the word ‘high’ mean? No, its not a trick question: elevated, tall, important… What price then ‘High School’? Is it elevated? Tall? Important?
No. The answer comes from history, from a time when most children wouldn’t be expected to go there. There was normal school… and then ‘high’ school… a height of education most wouldn’t reach. That is the way natural language works, the way words evolve and are used. So we can have an American woman putting on a ‘dress’, and an American man ‘dress’… but those are not the same thing! Related, yes, but he is not dressing in a dress. We can even stuff ‘dressing’ in a turkey.
Scriptural language
The problem gets worse with Scripture. Not only is Scripture incredibly old language, but it is chock full of metaphors, prophecies, and concepts new to Scripture or unfamiliar to the world they were introduced to. John’s use of the word ‘Word’, for example.
No Dictionary
So lets get right down to it. Let’s take this problem head on. Neither Ancient Greek nor Ancient Hebrew had a dictionary. Let me repeat that: there was no equivalent of Webster in First Century Greece, and still less in the Ancient Near East. So when we look at a given word in the Scriptures we cannot merely open our Strongs or some Bible dictionary and say, “Aha! So that’s what the word means!!”
Instead we have to do the hard work of saying, “Well, that’s the dictionary defintion. Now, what does the word mean in context?”
A Couple of Examples
There are two different examples of the problem that I see here that I have dealt with over the years. One came up recently, and one is pretty prevalent in theological discussion.
The one that came up recently is the issue of the Hebrew word ‘yom’, which is translated ‘day’ in Genesis One. A frequent argument that I have heard, in one form or the other, over the years, goes sort of like this:
The word the translators translated ‘day’ in Genesis One is the Hebrew word ‘yom’.
The dictionary says that the word ‘yom’ can mean ‘age’.
An ‘age’ can be a long period of time
Millions of years are a long period of time
Ergo, we can translate the word ‘yom’ in Genesis One to mean ‘millions of years’
This logic fails at pretty much every point, but the first thing it fails is the ‘natural language’ test. IOW, you don’t end your research with the dictionary. You go back to the Scripture and see why it says ‘yom’ can be ‘age’.
The diligent student will then find out that KJV translators translate the word ‘yom’ as ‘age’ exactly three times:
Gen 18:11 Now Abraham H85 and Sarah H8283 were old H2205 and well stricken H935 in age; H3117 and it ceased H2308 to be H1961 with Sarah H8283 after the manner H734 of women. H802
Gen 24:1 And Abraham H85 was old, H2204 and well stricken H935 in age: H3117 and the LORD H3068 had blessed H1288 ( H853 ) Abraham H85 in all things. H3605
Gen 47:28 And Jacob H3290 lived H2421 in the land H776 of Egypt H4714 seventeen H7651 H6240 years: H8141 so the whole age H3117 H8141 H2416 of Jacob H3290 was H1961 an hundred H3967 forty H705 and seven H7651 years. H8141
And it doesn’t mean ‘age’ as in ‘millions of years’ it means ‘age’ as in… how old a person was when he died!
It is also translated ‘time’, ‘process of time’ or ‘a long time’ a few times:
Gen 4:3 And in process H4480 H7093 of time H3117 it came to pass, H1961 that Cain H7014 brought H935 of the fruit H4480H6529 of the ground H127 an offering H4503 unto the LORD. H3068
Gen 26:8 And it came to pass, H1961 when H3588 he had been there H8033 a long H748 time, H3117 that Abimelech H40 king H4428 of the Philistines H6430 looked out H8259 at H1157 a window, H2474 and saw, H7200 and, behold, H2009 Isaac H3327 was sporting H6711 with( H853 ) Rebekah H7259 his wife. H802
Gen 30:33 So shall my righteousness H6666 answer H6030 for me in time H3117 to come, H4279 when H3588 it shall come H935 for H5921 my hire H7939 before thy face: H6440 every one H3605 that H834 is not H369 speckled H5348 and spotted H2921 among the goats, H5795 and brown H2345 among the sheep, H3775 that H1931 shall be counted stolen H1589 with H854 me.
Gen 38:12 And in process of time H7235 H3117 the daughter H1323 of Shuah H7770 Judah’s H3063 wife H802 died; H4191 and Judah H3063 was comforted, H5162 and went up H5927 unto H5921 his sheepshearers H1494 H6629 to Timnath, H8553 he H1931 and his friend H7453 Hirah H2437 the Adullamite. H5726
Gen 39:11 And it came to pass H1961 about this H2088 time, H3117 that Joseph went H935 into the house H1004 to do H6213 his business; H4399 and there was none H369 H376 of the men H4480 H376 of the house H1004 there H8033 within. H1004
Gen 47:29 And the time H3117 drew nigh H7126 that Israel H3478 must die: H4191 and he called H7121 his son H1121 Joseph, H3130 and said H559 unto him, If H518 now H4994 I have found H4672 grace H2580 in thy sight, H5869 put, H7760 I pray thee, H4994 thy hand H3027 under H8478 my thigh, H3409 and deal H6213 kindly H2617 and truly H571 with H5973 me; bury H6912 me not, H408 I pray thee, H4994 in Egypt: H4714
Exo 2:23 And it came to pass H1961 in process of time, H3117H7227 H1992 that the king H4428 of Egypt H4714 died: H4191 and the children H1121 of Israel H3478 sighed H584 by reason of H4480 the bondage, H5656 and they cried, H2199 and their cry H7775 came up H5927 unto H413 God H430 by reason of H4480 the bondage. H5656
Exo 9:18 Behold, H2009 to morrow H4279 about this time H6256 I will cause it to rain H4305 a very H3966 grievous H3515 hail, H1259 such H834 as H3644 hath not H3808 been H1961 in Egypt H4714 since H4480 H3117 the foundation H3245 thereof even until H5704 now. H6258
Lev 25:50 And he shall reckon H2803 with H5973 him that bought H7069 him from the year H4480 H8141 that he was sold H4376 to him unto H5704 the year H8141 of jubile: H3104 and the price H3701 of his sale H4465 shall be H1961 according unto the number H4557 of years, H8141 according to the time H3117 of an hired servant H7916 shall it be H1961 with H5973 him.
Num 13:20 And what H4100 the land H776 is, whether it H1931 be fat H8082 or H518 lean, H7330 whether there be H3426 wood H6086 therein, or H518 not. H369 And be ye of good courage, H2388 and bring H3947 of the fruit H4480 H6529 of the land. H776 Now the time H3117 was the time H3117 of the firstripe H1061 grapes. H6025
Num 20:15 How our fathers H1 went down H3381 into Egypt, H4714 and we have dwelt H3427 in Egypt H4714 a long H7227 time; H3117 and the Egyptians H4714 vexed H7489 us, and our fathers: H1
Num 32:10 And the LORD’S H3068 anger H639 was kindled H2734 the same H1931 time, H3117 and he sware, H7650 saying, H559
Now, this is a long and complex study but my first point is: you can’t merely look in a Bible dictionary, see the word ‘age’, and translate it to ‘millions of years’.
And that doesn’t even begin the process of examining the entire context: looking at how the numbers are used, looking at how the words appear in the context of the law, etc etc.
The second example occurs in the feminist debate about church authority. They will haul out their microscope and look at ‘deaconess’, and miss the clear, overarching, message of Scripture.
Microscopes and Reading Glasses
The point being that when we do Scriptural interpretation, we need to be wearing our reading glasses. It is appropriate to use our microscope for an occasional glance, but we need to lift our heads and use our reading glasses for the overwhelming majority of our exegesis. We need to see the words, true enough, but we see the meaning of words from the way they are used, not from any dictionary.
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Von