UNDERSTANDING GOD'S COMMUNICATION TO US:

THE BIBLE

THE MESSAGE
in God's mind

God's thoughts

"INSPIRATION"

[Related issues: Authority,
Infallibility, Inerrancy,
Recognizing God's Word, etc.]

"Translated" into a
message that people
can understand

Human author's
thoughts and
vocabulary

The original manuscripts

TRANSMISSION
of the text, down
through the centuries

Copies (and/or compilation)

I
N
C
R
E
A
S
I
N
G

C
L
A
R
I
T
Y

Hebrew
& Greek
comprehension

Translation

[]

EXEGESIS - "reading out"
from the Word what is
originally there in the Word
[=Deduction]

Grammar, syntax,
word definitions

Exegesis 1a

Special word usage
[idioms, figures of speech, etc.]

Exegesis 1b

"NOT going beyond what is written."

"What the Word says."

Immediate verse context

Exegesis 2

GOAL: KEEP ABOVE THIS LINE!

I
N
C
R
E
A
S
I
N
G

C
O
N
F
U
S
I
O
N

EISEGESIS- "reading into"
the Word what is not
originally there in the Word
[=Induction]

Increasing
danger of
adding
to the
Scriptures.

Book background
and misc. cultural

Eisegesis 1a

Other passages (applied to
the passage being studied)

Eisegesis 1b

"Going beyond what is written."

"Adding to the Word."

Interpretation schemes and principles;
people's views

Eisegesis 2

OUR NECESSARY GOAL:
Eisegesis (what we add to Scripture) should have minimal impact on what is obtained by exegesis.