Sabbath School 2020 2nd Quarter, "How to Interpret Scripture"
Lesson 7: "Language, Text, and Context"
Memory Text: “Take this Book of the Law, and put it beside the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, that it may be there as a witness against you” (Deuteronomy 31:26, NKJV).
More than 6,000 languages are spoken among the world’s billions. The complete Bible has been translated into more than 600 languages, with the New Testament or some portions translated into more than 2500 other languages, as well. That’s a lot of languages, for sure. But at the same time, it is still less than half of the known languages of the world.
An estimated 1.5 billion people do not have the full Bible translated into their first language. While there is still much work to be done, the efforts of Bible societies have ensured that 6 billion people can read Scripture.
And what a blessing to be among those who do have the Bible in their own language! We often take it for granted, forgetting that not only do many not have the Bible but also that for centuries in Europe, the Bible was purposely kept away from the masses. Thanks to the printing press and the Reformation, that is no longer the case. Those of us who do indeed have the Bible continue to look at how we can, filled with the Spirit, learn to study the Word and come to know the Lord revealed in its pages.
Understanding the Scriptures
Read 2 Timothy 3:16, 17. For what purpose was the Bible given to us?
Words and Their Meanings
In every language there are words that are so rich and deep in meaning that they are difficult to translate adequately with a single word into another language. Such words require a wide study of their usage in the Bible to understand the breadth of meaning.
Read 1 Kings 3:6, Psalm 57:3, Psalm 66:20, Psalm 143:8, and Micah 7:20. How do God’s mercy and kindness extend toward His created beings?
Repetition, Word Patterns, and Meaning
In Hebrew thought, there are a number of ways to express ideas that reinforce meaning and emphasize the importance of concepts. Unlike European languages, Hebrew contains no punctuation marks in the original language, so the language structure developed other ways to communicate such ideas.
Read Genesis 1:26, 27; and Isaiah 6:1-3. What words are repeated in these passages? How are these repeated words enhanced by different concepts that are introduced through repetition?
Texts and Contexts
Words in Scripture always occur in a context. They do not stand by themselves. A word has its immediate context within a sentence, and it is this unit that needs to be understood first. Then there is the wider context of the overall unit in which the sentence occurs. This may be a section of writing, a chapter, or a series of chapters. It is essential to understand as well as possible the context of words and sentences in order not to arrive at erroneous conclusions.
Compare Genesis 1:27 with Genesis 2:7. Then read Genesis 2:15-23. How can we understand from these different passages and contexts the definition of adam, the Hebrew word for “man”?
Books and Their Message
The largest units in Scripture are books of the Bible. Biblical books were written for different purposes and in different settings. Some served as prophetic messages; others were compilations, like the Psalms. There are historical books like 1 and 2 Kings, and there are letters to various churches, such as those written by Paul and others.
As we seek to understand a book’s meaning and message, it is important to begin with authorship and setting. Many books of the Bible are assigned authors. The first five books of the Old Testament are identified as having been authored by Moses (Josh. 8:31, 32; 1 Kings 2:3; 2 Kings 14:6; 21:8; Ezra 6:18; Neh. 13:1; Dan. 9:11-13; Mal. 4:4). This is confirmed by Jesus (Mark 12:26; John 5:46, 47; John 7:19) and the Apostles (Acts 3:22, Rom. 10:5). In other cases, some biblical authors are not identified. (For example, the authors of the books Esther and Ruth as well as the authors of many of the historical books like Samuel and Chronicles are not identified.)
Read Genesis 15:1-5 and Genesis 22:17, 18. What significance is it to us that Moses wrote the book of Genesis?
**For more inspirational messages or to contact our Pastors, please check out our website: www.rocsda.org.nz **
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