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Bible Study Procedures

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The main purpose of interpreting a text is not UNIQUENESS but CLARITY!   The first task of the preacher is EXEGESIS – careful, systematic study of the Scripture to discover the original, intended meaning; to find out the original intent of the words of the Bible; to hear the Word as the original recipients heard it.  But we don’t just do exegesis when there is an obvious difference between THEN and NOW – it is the first step in studying EVERY text

  • Go back to the original and the best sources for yourself first – don’t just begin by consulting somebody’s book! (i.e. Mark 10:23 – one “expert” said there was a gate in Jerusalem called the “Needle’s Eye” which camels could only go through on their knees, but that gate never existed!)
  • We must always guard against EISEGESISreading our desired interpretation into the text instead of letting the text speak to us!

To provoke your thinking, one of the best things to do is use several Bible translations that you know in advance will differ in their interpretation.
There are three basic theories of translation:

  1. Literal: advantage – as close as possible to the original; disadvantage – doesn’t account for cultural differences in customs and expressions (i.e. King James Version)
  2. Free: advantage – eliminates historical and cultural “barriers” by expressing Scripture in modern terms; disadvantage – since it is more concerned with translating “ideas” it is not always accurate in exact wording (i.e. Phillips, Living Bible, The Message)
  3. Dynamic Equivalence: advantage – translates words, idioms and grammatical construction of the original language into “precise equivalents” in modern language; disadvantage – not as “loose” as a free paraphrase, but still not as exact in its wording as a literal translation (i.e. New International Version, New Living Translation)

WHY DOES THIS MATTER? BECAUSE OUR BIBLE DOCTRINE MUST BE EXACT!

That’s why it’s important to use the King James Version as your primary text to teach Bible doctrine, while you can use other modern translations to teach issues of practical Christian living. Sometimes, modern translations can shed more light on a passage than the KJV, but you have to be CAREFUL!

Bible Translations – PROS & CONS

  • The King James Version is the most ACCURATE translation, but there are other valid translations. For example, look at 1 Corinthians 7:36 …
  • KJV is accurate, but unclear – But if any man think that he behaveth himself uncomely toward his virgin, if she pass the flower of her age, and need so require, let him do what he will, he sinneth not: let them marry.
  • NASB is inaccurate! – But if any man thinks that he is acting unbecomingly toward his virgin daughter, if she should be of full age, and if it must be so, let him do what he wishes, he does not sin; let her marry.
  • LB is not specific enough! – But if anyone feels he ought to marry because he has trouble controlling his passions, it is all right; it is not a sin; let him marry.
  • NIV is accurate and clear – If anyone thinks he is acting improperly toward the virgin he is engaged to, and if she is getting along in years and he feels he ought to marry, he should do as he wants. He is not sinning. They should get married.
  • TM helps to clarify – If a man has a woman friend to whom he is loyal but never intended to marry, having decided to serve God as a “single,” and then changes his mind, deciding he should marry her, he should go ahead and marry. It’s no sin; it’s not even a “step down” from celibacy, as some say.

 

The Amplified Version (which gives various “shades of meaning”) can be helpful at times, with this caution: It is often better to use several translations, note where they differ, and then check out those differences in another source, than to be led to believe that a word can mean one of several things in any given sentence, with the reader left to choose whatever best strikes his or her fancy.

How do I know which translation is best? Do some basic word studies and see which one comes closest to the original languages. Do some additional reading that pertains to the specific passage you are studying; in almost every case the majority opinion will be right. Why do Bible versions differ? DOCTRINAL BIAS!