Phyllis Beveridge Nissila

Tricks of the Interpretive Trade–From the Lit Teacher 

There are many approaches to interpreting and studying the Bible, a discipline known as hermeneutics. As a lover of “close reading” for deeper understanding, something which I also teach (see a method below), the various ways we gain understanding of the Scriptures is a fascinating study.

One of my favorites of a practical nature is to glean more Biblical understanding by comparing the grammar with historical precedent. A modern example in secular studies would be, if a reader comes across sentences that have many dependent–and a couple of independent–clauses (in other words, sentences that are lengthy but not run-ons) one has likely entered the many-faceted and complex linguistic world of nineteenth-century literature, e.g., the one-sentence paragraph often parodied: “It was a dark and stormy night…”.

That said, both in the classroom and in informal study there are basic tricks of the trade of interpretation that apply across the (serious student’s) board.

When I teach poetry, for example–perhaps the trickiest genre of literature to interpret–I usually start with Billy Collins’ “Introduction to Poetry.” I tell students if they apply the rules of comprehension following this–and one other–sample poem, they can figure out just about any college-level reading. With a dictionary handy, of course. And maybe a cup of coffee or two. The poem goes like this:

I love the humor of this poem, but I also use it to point out that it is easy to get off the path of a poem’s meaning by ignoring a few techniques of interpretation or becoming enchanted with only one element of the work such as, in Collins’ poem, the image of a mouse scuttling around inside a maze of lines and curves (how DO mice view letters on a page, exactly?) looking for the “MICE EXIT HERE” sign. So the imagination can take one down all sorts of rabbit, er mice, trails.

Back to the techniques:

1. Remember that all the parts, aka literary components, relate to the whole.
2. Poetry in particular and literature in general “talk about one or more things in the language of another”–for example, the Collins’ poem suggests the theme, by way of a string of entertaining metaphors, that getting to a poem’s meaning takes an imaginative approach.
3. Full comprehensive usually takes more than one read, often several (it’s like exploring a treasure chest with many compartments).
4. It takes reflection. Read: this task is not for the busy multi-tasker nor for anybody who expects full discernment to happen in seven-seconds or less, a quick glance at some viral meme, or in no more than 140 characters as per the maximum “twitter message”.
5. It takes time, but in the end it’s worth all the attention (and maybe that coffee to stay awake), because what emerges touches places in the mind, heart–and spirit–that are too often neglected. And we suffer for that. In other words:

It is difficult
to get the news from poems
yet men die miserably every day
for lack
of what is found there.**

Tricks of the Interpretive Trade for God’s Word

The same techniques apply to the hermeneutical process applied to understanding the Bible as well, which is actually an anthology comprised of a number of genres including history, poetry, epistles (letters), prophecy, and apocalyptic literature and more.

But note: Christians believe that although there are many genres comprised of many literary elements there is one unifying voice: that of the Holy Spirit (more on this, below).

An Interpretive Breakdown

Regarding the need to align portions of Scripture with their whole context, I have treated this topic here in reference, for example, to verse 10 of Psalm 46, “Be still and know that I am God,” that, when separated from the entire Psalm, is being used these days to prop up the new (really, very old) “contemplative prayer” practices popular in a new genre, as it were, of Church.

I would call that isolated–and re-interpreted–Psalm verse a prime example of what happens when technique #1, above, is ignored. And the resultant tragedy is being seen now in cults and apostate churches where the influence of other religions and philosophies, as well as certain “religious experiences,” are encroaching on classic Christianity.

In another example of the need for making sure that there is thematic as well as linguistic unity, is a post here that emphasizes making sure all the literary elements are verified equally by our One God Who is Three Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

In other words, what God the Father says in one place in the books of the Book is agreed with–and vetted–by both the Holy Spirit and Jesus, God’s Son, elsewhere. St. Augustine put it this way: “The New Testament lies hidden in the Old, and the Old Testament is unveiled in the New.”

Another verse, this one employing both literal and abstract meanings, reads “the Spirit, the water and the blood; and the three are in agreement” (1 John 5:8, NIV). One might compare a closer reading of the verse to examining a single necklace but set with varied precious gems. Here is a starter study featuring a variety of commentaries on the 1 John verse for illustration.

As for the second technique of interpretation–literature speaks of one thing in the language of another–who can resist the nuances, for example, of this expression of–major theme–God’s love for us: