Why Should We Trust the Bible? Proper Biblical Interpretation

By Erika Diaz-Castro

Have you ever read a verse or passage in the Bible and wondered what it really meant? If so, you’re in good company! 

Both novice readers and biblical experts alike raise questions about what the original authors meant. In fact, experts sometimes engage in debates on matters related to the original meaning of various texts. 

Questions concerning the true meaning of the text are rooted in a crucial, difficult, and often time-consuming step in Bible study: interpretation.

What Is Interpretation?

Proper Bible study requires readers to engage in three basic steps. The first, observation, answers questions about what the Bible says. The second, interpretation, deals with what the text means. The third, application, answers questions about how the text applies to the reader. 

Consider the following: the Bible is an ancient text consisting of 66 books, written over a span of about 1,500 years by approximately 40 human authors in 3 languages. With the last book, Revelation, written in the late first century AD, proper interpretation of the biblical text requires more than a surface reading and certainly more than just a few verses pulled out of context. Proper interpretation requires exegesis, “determination of the meaning of the biblical text in its historical and literary contexts,”¹ and hermeneutics, “the science (principles) and art (task) by which the meaning of the biblical text is determined.”²

A Methodological Approach to Proper Biblical Interpretation 

The goal of reading and studying the Bible is not only to know what it says and means, but know how to apply it to one’s life and context. Since hermeneutics is a science and art, it requires that the reader adhere to a process governed by the tasks and principles needed to properly interpret the Bible. Observation, the first step of Bible study, is crucial because it is the foundation of the interpretative process. During the interpretation step of Bible study, the reader completes the work necessary to move from observation to application. This begs the question: What does the interpretative process demand of the reader?

The Three Major Phases of Proper Biblical Interpretation

Dr. Robert A. Traina identified three major phases in the interpretative process of methodical Bible study. These phases are the definitive phase, the rational phase, and the implicational phase. 

Skipping over these phases puts the reader at risk of engaging in a superficial reading and understanding of the Scriptures. The reader must approach the text with curiosity, humility, and patience to work through the interpretive process, trusting that the Holy Spirit is the one who opens the eyes of the believer to the deeper things of the Scriptures. This, in turn, sets the foundation for proper biblical interpretation and protects against improper interpretations and improper applications that result from a superficial reading of the Bible. 

Let’s explore the three major interpretive phases in more detail.

The first major phase is the definitive phase, which Traina explains is “that of discovering the basic meaning of the particulars of a passage.” He continues to explain that, “in a sense, it corresponds to the function of dictionaries and lexicons…and should be applied to other components of a passage, such as its structural relations.”³ As an example, one would benefit from a close examination of the definitions offered for the Hebrew word ṣēlāʿ, which is translated to “side” or “rib” in various translations of Genesis 2:21. 

The second is the rational phase, which focuses on attempting to find the reasons that support the basic meaning of the passage. Traina identifies two factors this phase relies on: the general reasons and the immediate reasons or purposes. The immediate reasons or purposes, Traina explains, uncover “their relevance to their literary context and historical situation.”⁴ In other words, to reach a proper biblical interpretation, the reader must engage in this phase to understand why a passage is relevant and to explore the purpose of that passage relative to the context and setting.

The third and final major phase of the interpretative process is the implicational phase. During this phase, the reader searches for the widespread implications of a passage. As Traina puts it, “A statement always implicates more than it says explicitly, for it is the outgrowth of certain presuppositions and in turn becomes the presupposition for other ideas…Facts are so intertwined that a person cannot accept one without accepting many others with it.”⁵ Thus, the reader works to garner a more complete understanding of the text by evaluating what the author chose to include in the passage and the conclusions that can be drawn from it. 

The third and final major phase of the interpretative process is the implicational phase. During this phase, the reader searches for the widespread implications of a passage. As Traina puts it, “A statement always implicates more than it says explicitly, for it is the outgrowth of certain presuppositions and in turn becomes the presupposition for other ideas…Facts are so intertwined that a person cannot accept one without accepting many others with it.”⁵ Thus, the reader works to garner a more complete understanding of the text by evaluating what the author chose to include in the passage and the conclusions that can be drawn from it. 

Three Basic Steps of Proper Biblical Interpretation

To understand the purpose and to impact the various phases of interpretation, Traina identifies three basic steps that are needed during this step of Bible study. 

1. Ask interpretive questions or “questions arising from and based on the observations of terms, structure, general literary forms, and atmosphere whose answers will result in the discovery of their full meaning.”⁶ This connects back to the definitive phase and the reader’s exploration of the basic meaning of the passage’s particulars. Readers would ask different types of questions, including explanatory questions, rational questions, and implicational questions. For more on what exact questions one might ask, see Traina’s expansion on the specifics.⁷ 

2. Secure interpretative answers, which rely on two primary factors in biblical exposition: subjective elements and objective elements.⁸ Traina identifies multiple examples of each. The subjective elements pertain to the reader and include the moral and spiritual parts of a person (1 Cor. 2:14), common sense, and the reader’s experience. It’s worth noting, one’s experience is not an interpretive tool. However, it is unavoidable that each reader will approach the text with unique experiences that inevitably influence their own interpretation of the text. The objective elements pertain to the text and include the terms used (etymology, usage, synonyms, and philology), literary forms, textual criticism, structural relations and historical background among other elements.

3. Integrate and summarize the various interpretive answers. At some point in one’s exegesis of a passage, it will be necessary to evaluate the interpretive answers in such a way that they become a whole, ultimately uncovering the main message communicated in that passage. This is best communicated or understood in summary form.

What to Avoid to Ensure Proper Biblical Interpretation

As Dr. Roy Zuck explains, interpretation “is essential for understanding and teaching the Bible properly. We must know the meaning of the Bible before we can know its message for today. We must understand its sense for then before we can see its significance for now.”⁹ 

If you jump from observation to application without proper interpretation, you risk engaging in one or more of the following interpretive errors identified by Traina:¹⁰

• Fragmentary Interpretation: Treating the Scriptures as a collection of isolated verses
• Dogmatic Interpretation: Expositing the text to support a preconceived idea
• Rationalistic Interpretation: Attempting to subject the Scriptures to reason
• Mythological Interpretation: Declaring certain historical events to be mythical by removing the relation between history and spiritual truths
• Historical Interpretation: Studying the Scriptures as merely a history of certain peoples
• Allegorical Interpretation: Attempting to understand all details as metaphors by solely seeking out spiritual meaning in the text
• Literal Interpretation: Attempting to explain all passages, including the clearly figurative passages, in a literal way for fear of diluting Scriptural truths 
• Typological Interpretation: Approaching the Old Testament as a complete foreshadowing of the New Testament, even those details that are not included for that purpose
• Predictive Interpretation: Treating the Bible solely as a book filled with predictions of future events
• Systemized Interpretation: Reading the Scriptures solely as a systematic theology
• Cross-Reference Interpretation: Treating the Scriptures as a collection of cross-references resulting in a constant search for similar passages
• Encyclopedic Interpretation: Treating the Bible as a book containing answers to every possible question 
• Literary Interpretation: Examining the Bible as merely a piece of great literature

Warning against interpretative errors does not mean there are zero circumstances where a text warrants a literal or typological interpretation, for example. In fact, these interpretation categories exist because they offer some degree of accuracy in understanding the meaning of a particular text. However, it’s important to be aware that interpretive errors exist because using the wrong interpretive lens can result in assigning the wrong meaning to a passage.

With these interpretive issues in mind, readers can confidently approach the Scriptures with an awareness of potential errors and implement safeguards that help to protect against misinterpretation.

Encouragement and Final Considerations for the Believer

In his second letter to Timothy, the apostle Paul said, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work (2 Tim. 3:16–17).” For this to be truly lived out in the believer’s life, it is imperative that the believer take care to earnestly and thoroughly study the Scriptures. 

Instead of approaching the Scriptures in search of what the text means to you, approach the Scriptures in pursuit of what the text truly means. 

With so many factors to consider, one must have the humility to admit that their interpretation may be wrong. 

However, an honest pursuit of truth in God’s written revelation guided by the Holy Spirit will no doubt result in the profitability described by the apostle Paul.

Notes

1. Roy B. Zuck, Basic Bible Interpretation (David C Cook, 1991), 19.
2. Zuck, Basic Bible Interpretation, 20.
3. Robert A. Traina, Methodical Bible Study (Zondervan, 1980), 94.
4. Traina, Methodical Bible Study, 96.
5. Traina, Methodical Bible Study, 96.
6. Traina, Methodical Bible Study, 97.
7. Traina, Methodical Bible Study, 97–135.
8. Traina, Methodical Bible Study, 135.
9. Zuck, Basic Bible Interpretation, 10.
10. Traina, Methodical Bible Study,167–181.