Hoss's guide to Biblical interpretation: what saith the scriptures?

A Look At Biblical Interpretation

Definitions of “interpretation” according to Webster's 1828 dictionary:

“1. The act of interpreting; explanation of unintelligible words in language that is intelligible. interpretation is the design of translation.

2. The act of expounding or unfolding what is not understood or not obvious; as the interpretation of dreams and prophecy.

3. The sense given by an interpreter; exposition. We sometimes find various interpretations of the same passage of Scripture and other ancient writings.

4. The power of explaining.”

That gives us a pretty good idea of what the word “interpretation” means. I believe definition 1 and 2 best fit the Biblical sense of the word.

Definition number 4 is good, “the power of explaining”. Who has the power of explaining the Bible? The very first book (Genesis) tells us...

Genesis 40:8 And they said unto him, We have dreamed a dream, and there is no interpreter of it. And Joseph said unto them, Do not interpretations belong to God? tell me them, I pray you.

Interpretations belong to God, not man. Man has no business interpreting scripture. God gives the interpretation, He is the one that explains His own words. For example, the Holy Spirit use to give people the gift of tongues in order to get His word to those who spoke other languages (this was done until the completion of the Bible—1 Corinthians 13:8-12).

1 Corinthians 12: 

[8] For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit;
[9] To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit;
[10] To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues:
[11] But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.

1 Corinthians 14:

[26] How is it then, brethren? when ye come together, everyone of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying.
[27] If any man speak in an unknown tongue, let it be by two, or at the most by three, and that by course; and let one interpret.
[28] But if there be no interpreter, let him keep silence in the church; and let him speak to himself, and to God.
[29] Let the prophets speak two or three, and let the other judge.
[30] If any thing be revealed to another that sitteth by, let the first hold his peace.
[31] For ye may all prophesy one by one, that all may learn, and all may be comforted.
[32] And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets.
[33] For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.

1 Corinthians 14:40 Let all things be done decently and in order.

Notice that the Spirit gave a man the gift of tongues and another the gift of interpretation. God gave the message and the interpretation. The tongues did not come from man, they came from God. Likewise the interpretation of those tongues did not come from man, they came from God. God does not put out words and expect man to guess what those words mean, He interprets them Himself. The interpretation belongs to Him.

The Bible is a literal book, not figurative. This does not mean that the Bible does not use metaphors and figurative language when describing literal events and prophecies. God expects us to take His word literally and not figuratively. The Bible is to be taken “as it is written”, a phrase used 45 times in the Bible. When Christ and the apostles taught the Bible they taught it “as it is written”. They did not give a “private interpretation” of it.

Paul talked a lot about “what saith the scriptures?” (Rom. 4:3, 9:17, 10:11, 11:2, Gal. 4:30, etc.) The scriptures are not “open to interpretation”, they “SAITH” what they mean “AS IT IS WRITTEN”. James said that the scriptures do not say things in vain (James 4:5). Peter believed that what is “contained in the scriptures” mattered (1 Pet. 2:6). Paul REASONED with people out of the scriptures (Acts 17:2). Therefore the scriptures themselves have to be REASONABLE and not figurative, open-interpretation, type fables.

Some people believe that the words of scripture are not written literally and that they are only meant to convey God's thoughts. They believe that we cannot take something “as it is written” but that we can only take the general thought or idea of the scriptures. That is untrue. God's WORDS are how He conveys His thoughts. His words are His thoughts and ideas.

Isaiah 55:

[8] For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.
[9] For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.
[10] For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater:
[11] So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.

Look at what Peter said in 2 Peter 1:16-2:3

“For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For he received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount. We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.

But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.”

Peter wrote that the scriptures are “sure”, they are not “cunnigly devised fables”, and they are not open to “private interpretation”. Peter contrasts the SURE WORD as being the opposite of “cunnigly devised fables” and “feigned words”.

What are fables? Webster's 1828 Dictionary says that a fable is “a feigned story or tale, intended to instruct” and “a fictitious narration intended to enforce some useful truth or precept”. The scriptures are NOT fables. They are SURE WORDS. They are “truth” (John 17:17) and they do not speak in vain (James 4:5).

What are feigned words? Webster's 1828 Dictionary says that feign means “to invent or imagine”, “to pretend; to assume a false appearance”, and “to form and relate a fictitious tale”. Therefore the scriptures are not “feigned words”. We cannot interpret them by assuming a false appearance. The Bible says what it means and means what it says. To approach the Bible assuming that it is full of figurative things that really have a different meaning than what they say is a “private interpretation”.

For example...To approach the book of Revelation under the assumption that it does not say exactly what it means, that it was written as a fable to convey truths and precepts from God intending to instruct us is a wrong approach. It is to be taken “as it is written”. That is what it says. The book of Revelation puts emphasis on the fact that it is prophecy and that it should be taken as it is “written”.

Revelation 1:3 - Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.

Revelation 22:7 - Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book.

Revelation 22:10 - And he saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand.

Revelation 22:18 - For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:

Revelation 22:19 - And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.

The end of the book of Revelation puts emphasis on NOT CHANGING the words of the book. They are not to be twisted/changed, the words in Revelation are written just as God wanted them to be kept.

The problem most people have with this method of Bible interpretation is that they do not understand Revelation. Not that anybody can understand any book of the Bible completely, but we can at least understand how it should be taken and what it means in general—though nobody can understand the vast details in the word of God.

When there is scripture that contains imagery and figurative words, God always interprets those things. We are never left to wonder and guess what was meant. As we saw in 1 Corinthians 12 and 14, when God gave words He also interpreted them. He never leaves us wondering and guessing. God is not the author of confusion (1 Cor. 14:33), His words are reasonable and sure (Acts 17:2, James 4:5). They are not fables and feigned words.

God interprets His own words....

Revelation 17:
[1] And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, Come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters:
[2] With whom the kings of the earth have committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication.
[3] So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.
[4] And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication:
[5] And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.

Ah! What in the world does this mean? A beast? A lady sitting on the beast? Head and horns! How can we ever interpret this mess?

We do not need to interpret the passage, God gave us the interpretation.....

Revelation 17:
[6] And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration.
[7] And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns.
[8] The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.
[9] And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth.
[10] And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space.
[11] And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition.
[12] And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.
[13] These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.
[14] These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.
[15] And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.
[16] And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire.
[17] For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled.
[18] And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth.

The puzzling verses (1-5) are interpreted by the angel in verses 6-18. God did not leave us wondering and guessing as to what was meant, He gave us the interpretation. The Bible always says when it is being figurative and it explains what the figure is.

The scriptures are not fables nor feigned words. They are sure, reasonable, of no private interpretation, and they are to be taken as they are written. “That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.” (1 Corinthians 2:5)

As a final note, the apostle Paul was inspired of God and the things that he wrote were the commandments of God (1 Cor. 14:37).....and how did he speak? How were God's words delivered from him?

“not with wisdom of words” (1 Cor. 1:17)

“And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom” (1 Cor. 2:1)

“And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power:” (1 Cor. 2:4)

“I be rude in speech” (2 Cor. 11:6)

God gives us His word plainly and “as it is written”. Our faith should not stand in the private interpretations of man's wisdom (2 Pet. 1:20). Our faith should stand in the power of God, His word.

“That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.” (1 Corinthians 2:5)

Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

--Eli Caldwell