Let’s Talk Hermeneutics – Wait, am I a Theologian Now?

Well, yes, all Christians are theologians in the sense that they engage in the study of God.

Books on theology or even the testimonies of fellow believers can help us see truths in Scripture we might have missed on our own. God designed us to grow in community- theology is done best in community.

Ok, so what’s hermeneutics? It is “the study of the activity of interpretation” (Scripture as Communication, 2nd Edition: Introducing Biblical Hermeneutics by Jeannine K. Brown). When we are interested in interpreting the Bible well we should pay equal attention to the author, the text and ourselves, the reader:

1. The author: The person who intended to communicate a message in a particular historical, cultural, and literary setting. And then, viewing that message within the larger context of the whole Bible and it’s divine author: God.
2. The text: The actual words, structure, and literary form through which the author’s meaning is expressed.
3. The reader: You and me, coming to the text with our own background, assumptions, and context. Here we consider what does this text means to me:
   • What do I learn about God here? About relating to people? About relating to God?
   • What does God want me to understand? Believe? Desire? Do?

Brown asserts that hermeneutics involves engaging with Scripture as a conversation, not as a one-way lecture, but as a meaningful exchange between people. It’s like being in a room where everyone (author, text, reader) needs to be heard for the discussion to make sense. If we isolate one, for example reading only our own ideas into the text without considering the author their original meaning, we distort the conversation.

Original Meaning according to Brown includes:

• Authorial intent: What the author was trying to say and accomplish with their message to their original audience, in their own historical, cultural, and literary context.
• Context: The social, political, and religious world the audience lived in, along with the literary conventions (writing styles, structures, and communication patterns) that the original audience would have instantly recognized and understood and that are most likely unfamiliar to us today.
• Shared assumptions: The background knowledge and cultural references that author and audience both knew but we often don’t.

She stresses that “original meaning” is the starting point for faithful interpretation. We can’t jump straight to “what it means for me today” until we’ve wrestled with the original meaning: “what it meant for them then.” All of this extra study will provide us the whole picture for when we aim to find a principle (a separate step to interpretation)- we cannot distill a “timeless spiritual guideline” from text without first understanding the authors purpose for writing what he wrote. What was the intended message or goal the author hoped the original audience would understand or do in their specific historical and cultural context. This question can be challenging because it causes us to acknowledge the author and the wider context (the entire chapter, book, or Bible) and hopefully moves us to a more accurate and richer application.

All this study is meant to deepen, not replace the simple daily practice of opening God’s Word, listening for His voice, and letting it shape our hearts. The best Bible reading balances both: steady devotion and thoughtful study.

Let’s consider the Book of Jonah: God wants Jonah to go to the city of Nineveh and deliver a message of impending judgment so that its people might turn from their evil ways and be spared.

An exaggerated example to illustrate what happens when we don’t let everyone (author, text, reader) be a part of the discussion would be:

I think God is telling me to go to North Korea and tell them that God wants them to repent of their wickedness!

While this could be true, it would be wise to do a thoughtful study of the text first. Let’s see what we hear from the author, text, and reader.

• The author- let’s consider some context around the author’s message: Nineveh was the capital of the Assyrian empire, famous for its brutality and one of Israel’s most feared enemies. Jonah’s original hearer/reader would have been shocked by the call to preach mercy to a people they would rather see destroyed.
• The text- The genre of the Book of Jonah is a narrative, a story. In this genre, meaning is found in the characters: plot, setting, and conflict- the whole storyline. Looking for meaning in a single verse or action out of the story context can distort the author’s intended message. So in this case the meaning question isn’t just what happened but what was the intended message or goal the author hoped the original audience would understand and how did he want that to shape his audience’s faith and obedience?
• The reader: We bring our experiences, culture, and assumptions into understanding a text. We might notice some details and overlook others based on our background, education, and values. In this section we might consider “what does the text mean to me,” but it needs to be aligned with the text’s genre and the author’s intended message.

A possible interpretation of the author’s message, considering the text’s genre and original context, is a call to repentance and a demonstration of God’s mercy. The Book of Jonah also show believers’ reluctance to extend mercy. With these things in mind, we can now consider “the reader” (us) and ask what do we learn about God: that He is compassionate and forgives those who turn to Him. And then finally, how do we respond in a way that honors the author’s intent? Well, the specifics of that are going to be different from person to person, but to put it plainly, it should cause us to know, love, and follow Him even more.

I truly hope this will be helpful for the next time you open God’s Word. This is in no way is a complete guide to hermeneutics or the study of Jonah, as both topics require more than just a simple summary. If you want to take a deeper dive into hermeneutics, I recommend reading the book pictured up top: Scripture as Communication, 2nd Edition: Introducing Biblical Hermeneutics by Jeannine K. Brown. Comment below!

Hopefully you can see how vital hermeneutics is to all people, especially for parents. Unfortunately, many popular Christian leaders have mishandled it, particularly with the “rod” verses in Proverbs. Scripture encourages parents to teach their children about God, and to help our children develop a firm faith, we should teach them this is what I believe, not believe this without question. We can better achieve this by explaining interpretative tools as they explore the Bible themselves to discover their own understandings as you, and the Holy Spirit, lead them.