Exegetical Method

by
Rev. DABA MOTUMA

 Educational - background:-
 Advance Certificate in Biblical studies
 Pedagogical Administration,
 Diploma in Theology,
 BTH in Biblical Studies,
 MA in Practical Theology,
 MA in Organizational Leadership…
 email- [email protected] - 2020/ 21
 Phone No. – 0912488044
“IT IS THE LORD!”
 John 21:7
 Introduction
What is Exegetical Method ?
 Exegetical method is a tool to help interpreters hear the passage and not impose
inappropriate notions upon it. As with any other useful tool, exegesis takes time to learn
how to use. ... Apart from utilizing the original biblical languages of Hebrew, Aramaic, and
Greek it is impossible to do thorough exegesis.
 Today we hear d/t interpretation by d/t church ministers on one particular Biblical text and
w/c can create confusion.
 The Bible is written long years back that demands the knowledge of ancient languages &
cultural situations for better interpretation of a given text
 We live at a far distance from the time of biblical text first produced
 Introduction
What is Exegetical Method ?
 There is gap between us and the era of biblical record with the remarkable limitation of us
 One must exegete the text on the basis of the then and there background.
 The historical context of the text helps us to interpret and understand the text.
 Some words are dependent on other to get there right meaning
 Continues…
 The Bible was originally addressed to the ancient readers, not to the modern
people and not to communicate us today. (there is language gap)
 OT was written into Hebrew and Aramaic, and NT into Greek. There is
cultural gap b/n the original readers of the Bible and the modern readers.
 The Bible was written in the Mediterranean world/Palestine culture.
 There is historical gap too b/n the Bible world and the present time readers’
world.
 The Bible originated within a context chronological gap and the materials
originated over such a long period of time.
 The Bible books are products of collective growth and authorship
(see chapter 2)
 Continues…
Exegesis - is the art through which we can come to understand the meaning
of the Bible passages. In order to understand the development of the
Biblical exegesis in the past centuries it is must to study it history within the
church life. To come to know this historical background of exegesis we will
see the five stages it has gone through.
In addition to this we will study the meaning of the Biblical exegesis. It is
reading the meaning out of text which leads us to communicate and
understand the text. Whenever we read a text or hear a statement we try to
understand and interpret it with our insight. That is exegesis. Then in the
chapter we are going to see this and the related points.
 1.1 Meaning of Exegesis
The word exegesis came from a Greek verb exegeisthai which is a
combination of two words: ex means “out” and hegeisthai means “to
lead”. Then exegeisthai / exegeomai means to lead out.
Thus exegesis is reading out of the meaning which leads us to
communication and understanding, or we can say that it is drawing the
meaning out of the text. Whenever we read a text or hear a statement
which we seek to understand and interpret, we are exegeting.
It is the process of uncovering the literal meaning of a text, - what
that text meant to the original, historical audience.
 1.1 Meaning of Exegesis
The main Christian exegetical methods are historical-grammatical, historical criticism,
revealed, and rational.
The historical-grammatical method is a Christian hermeneutical method that strives to
discover the Biblical author's original intended meaning in the text.
Exegetical method is a tool to help interpreters hear the passage and not impose
inappropriate notions upon it. As with any other useful tool, exegesis takes time to learn
how to use.
Apart from utilizing the original biblical languages of Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek it is
impossible to do thorough exegesis
 1.1 Meaning of Exegesis
An exegesis is an essay that focuses on a particular passage in the Bible. A good
exegesis will use logic, critical thinking, and secondary sources to demonstrate a
deeper understanding of the passage.
The historical meaning is the literal meaning from which a
reliable interpretation of a text must begin. Its opposite is
eisigesis, which is the process of reading in to a text meaning
(reading own meaning into the text) that are not properly
there.
 1.1 Meaning of Exegesis
 The term exegesis come from the GK word exegeomai w/c means ‘to lead out of’. For the application of the
Biblical test it denotes “reading out” the meaning of the text and its purpose to get an original meaning of
the text. Therefore it is interpretation or explanation of the text.
 Exegesis, then, is an investigation, conversation, and art. it is a very technical field of inquiry.
 There are two basic variables on which exegesis depends:-
1. What the author and the receiver commonly share and
2. Content and form of expression
 There are number of factors that can complex the exegetical task of the Bible
a. The third party perspective: - this is an outlook of the interpreter. s/he is not the original writer or reader.
b. Language barrier introduces into the interpreter or exegete.
c. Cultural gap
4. The historical gap
5. The existence of multiple and different texts of the same document
 Therefore biblical exegesis may be defined as the careful historical, literal and

theological analysis of the text. It is called scholarly reading. On the other hand
it is ‘close reading’ meaning the deliberate, word-by-word and phrase-by-phrase
consideration of all of the text.
 NB:-Exegesis is an investigation.
 In the process of exegesis
Historical question
Literary question
Questions related to the Religious or theological dimension of the text will be asked- because
exegesis means not being afraid of asking a difficult question
 As a result, exegesis is a very technical field of inquiry. It needs a variety of
approaches called criticism that is analysis
 There are three basic approaches to exegete the text today. (see Pp.7-10)
 1.2 Careful Analysis
 Exegesis means the careful historical, literary, and theological analysis of a text.
 This analysis must pay attention both to the language in w/c the original text was written

and to the specific cultural context that became a cause to the production that text.
 Exegesis can be said also close reading, the purposeful, word-by-word and phrase-by-phrase

studying of a text in order to understand it.

1.3 Studying to get the Original Meaning
“exegesis will seek to identify the single truth-intention of individual phrases, clauses, and
sentences as they up the thought of paragraphs, sections, and ultimately, the entire book…).
It is also deals with, what the Author & Receiver commonly share and content, & form of
expression.
Exegesis is finding the true meaning of the passages of scripture from word meanings and
context.
Exegetical process is cross-cultural. (Pp. 7-8)
 1.2 Careful Analysis
 Exegesis or the Deductive Approach to Bible study simply
means "to lead out" or "draw out," extracting
objectively, in a systematic study, what a text is
actually saying to its original intended readers in their
language, culture, and setting before we can discover
what it means.
 Exegesis is studying a text to get the writes intended
meaning it.
 Exegesis will seek to identify the single truth-intention of
individual phrases, clauses, and sentences as they make
up the thought of paragraphs, sections, and ultimately,
entire book.
 1.2 Careful Analysis
a. The three crucial areas or rules of exegesis that we have to know before we can
interpret correctly:
1. We must be aware of our nature, as we are filled with sin and desires that do
not match up to His Word.
2. We must be aware of the nature of Scripture and the Divine Author's intent.
3. The Bible was written by the words of people through their cultures, languages,

times, and histories, while at the same time all divinely inspired.
 Thus, when we are aware of this "tension" between the Bible's language,
history, literature, and our perceptions and limited understanding, then we can
be careful interpreters so that we are focused on Christ and His Word and not
ourselves or our ideas.
 1.2 Careful Analysis
The Basic Genres:
 History or Narrative: There are stories and the epics and include
Genesis, Exodus, Numbers, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 and 2 Samuel, 1 and
2 Kings, 1 and 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, Jonah, and Acts.
 Law: These are the instructions and precepts of God given to us
through Moses, such as Leviticus and Deuteronomy.
 Wisdom: These are the literature of maxims and sayings such as Job,
Proverbs, and Ecclesiastes.
 Poetry: These are the prose and rhymes such as Psalms, Song of
Solomon, and Lamentations.
 Prophecy: These include both major and minor prophets such as Isaiah,
Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Micah, Nahum,
Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi.
 1.2 Careful Analysis
 Apocalyptic: These are combinations of narrative and prose written in vivid
imagery and poetic phrases that are intended to exaggerate for a purpose such
as Daniel and most of Revelation.
 Parable: These are the sayings of Jesus that are narrative and instructional,
contained in the Gospels.
 Epistle: These are the letters written to a specific audience that are practical
for us today such as Romans, Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians,
Colossians, Thessalonians, Timothy, Titus, Philemon, Hebrews, James, Peter,
John, and the first three chapters of Revelation.
 Romance: These are narrative, written also as love stories, such as Ruth and
Song of Solomon.
 1.4 Finding the writer’s purpose
 Authorial intention
 An investigation of:-
 Historical questions
 Asking literary questions
 Asking about the religious or theological dimension of the text to understand the

theological issues the writer dealt with

1.5 Factors which make exegesis complex
1st . The third parties perspective – the 3rd parties – the interpreter needs to search out
information about both the (sender & receiver )
2nd . The language difference of the original text from that of the exegete.(language
gap).
3rd. Cultural gap-
 History of Exegesis
 The history of Christian exegesis has five stages. (Pp. 10-13)
1. The Apostolic Age
 The Apostles used the OT as the basis for their principle or teaching
(in 1st century)
2. The patristic Age
 There were two groups: the Alexandrian group who had interpreted the

Bible allegorically. (metaphorically, Symbolically).

 They said that, a text can have threefold meanings. Alexandrian

theologians were Irenaeus & Polycarp, especially Clement & Origen ,

institutionalized the allegorical method in the 2 nd & early 3rd centuries.
 Continues…
 The second is the Antioch group w/c said that the OT text had one meaning with the historical
sense in w/c that word would have been understood in the prophet’s time.
 They made strong emphasis on the single meaning of the texts.

3. The Middle Ages

 According to Thomas Aquinas- Biblical text has the literal meaning and symbolic meaning
 He used two different orders: saying that the Holy Spirit speaks to God’s people clearly in the

texts in the literal sense of the words.

 He continued to emphasize that the Bible also has a symbolic meaning b/c the heavenly things

cannot be explained in earthly terms, and the history of Israel had matters related to the new
covenant.
 For Aquinas the literal meaning of the text is the basis for all solid teachings; and on the other

hand, he still used the old doctrine of correspondences.

 But Nicolas of Lyra (1270-1340) emphasized the literal sense as the only reasonable basis for

exegesis.
 4. The Reformation Age
 Luther was against the allegorical interpretation of the biblical texts and affirmed the
single meaning of the text.
 Luther and Calvin brought back the biblical exegesis to the intended original meaning

of the text in the sense the writer wrote it, w/c is against the allegorical interpretation.
5. The post-Reformation Age
 In the 17th c pietism and rationalism raised. The pietists called the people to study the

word of God in group and individually.

 The most famous of them was John Wesley (1703-1791).The rationalists tried to

combine biblical revelation with natural revelation, and they made natural revelation
the entire source for Christianity.
 During this time biblical criticism was developed.

 In general, they used different fold principles and different orders in exegesis.
 Chapter Summary
 Exegesis –is an art w/c helps us to understand the meaning of the Bible
texts.
 Its meaning is reading out or drawing the meaning out of the text.
 It is studying what the text meant to the original readers and how to

interpret it to our time and context.

 exegesis is also careful and detailed historical, literary & theological

analysis of a biblical text.

 It is purposeful studying of a text to understand it.
 Exegesis needs principles, rules, hard work, research skills, perception,

imagination, sensitivity, & etc

 Chapter Summary
 the language, cultural, context, & time differences b/n the writer, the
original receiver & the today's interpreter make the exegetical process
very complex.
 2.1 The Three Rules of Exegesis
 There are three crucial areas or rules of exegesis that we have to know before we
can interpret correctly. They are:
1. We must be aware of our nature, as we are filled with sin and desires that do not
much up to His world
2. We must be aware of the nature of scripture and the Divine Author’s intent
3. The Bible was written by the words of people through their cultures, languages,
times, and histories, while at the same time all are divinely inspired.
 2.2 Investigate the General Meaning of the passage
 The primary goal of interpretation is to find the “plain meaning” of the Bible so that
it can be used in your life, church, and community.
 Good exegesis means we write down what God is actually saying not what we want
Him to say.
 Continues….
 In order to interpret a text we must identify the genre or the classification of the
types of literature in the Bible.
 These literature types are such as narrative, poetry, epistle, legal texts,
apocalyptic literature, and etc.
 Exegesis helps us to identify the types of the biblical literature to analyze and
interpret it in a very careful way.
 There is also contextual analysis-that concerns studying the text in its
surrounding contexts, in w/c the text was written, its meaning within the words,
sentences and paragraphs that surrounded it.
 There are various types of connections b/n individual paragraphs and immediate
context. These are: Historical, Theological, Logical and psychological
 Continues…
 We must approach the Bible text:
 Within its context
 With its world context
 By identifying its international context
 By identifying its cultural context i.e. the entire spectrum of political, social, and

religious beliefs and practices of that society.

 The audience context, the common experience and specific knowledge of the original

readers of the text.

 Contextualize the text- that is bringing a biblical author’s meaning to bear in other

times and cultures.

 Contextual analysis- helps us to learn the intention of the writer and the purpose of

his writing.
 Chapter Three
Contextual Analysis
 To study the context we should read the book preliminary in order to get the key views and features. We
can see also in the preface, conclusion, and/or throughout the book whether the author state his intention.
If we cannot get the context in this approach we can use a variety to locate the specific sections of the book.
1. A repeated term, phrase, clause, or sentence may act as the heading to introduce each part or as the
colophon (tailpiece) to conclude each individual section.
2. Often there may be grammatical clues such as transitional conjunctions or adverbs, such as then, therefore,
wherefore, but nevertheless, meanwhile.
3. A rhetorical question that leads to the argument of plan of a whole section could signal a switch to a theme
and section.
4. A change in time, location, or setting is a frequent device, especially in narrative contexts, to indicate
a new theme and section.
5. A vocative form of address deliberately showing a shift of attention from one group to another
constitutes one of the most important devices. It is often used in the epistolary type of literature.
 Chapter Three
Contextual Analysis
6. A change in the tense, mood, or aspect of the verb perhaps even with a change
in the subject or object may be another clue that a new section is beginning.
7. Repetition of the same key word, proposition, or concept might also indicate the
boundaries of a section.
8. In a few cases, the theme of each section will be announced as a heading of that
section. In those unusual cases, the interpreter need only make sure that all of the
contents of the section are judged in the light of the stated purpose of the author.
 All what we do here is an inspection of the total work of the author in order to
learn and to be able to state the unifying theme of the book, or connections
which bid the sections together, in a sentence or few sentences.
n
 Chapter Three
Contextual Analysis
There are four ways to ascertain the intention of the writer as far as his general
scope and plan are concerned:
1. Search first to see if the writer himself clearly sets forth his purpose in the
preface, conclusion, or body of the text.
2. Study the parenetical sections (the historical aspects), particularly of the New
Testament Epistles, in order to determine what applications the author himself
has made of the factual and doctrinal portions of the text.
3. As a clue to the writer’s overall purpose in collecting and editing history or
narrative, observe what details he selected for inclusion and how he arranged
them.
4. When no other clues are available, the interpreter must work out his own
statement of the author’s purpose. The interpreter will begin by studying how
the topic sentences of individual paragraphs work together to explicate the
theme of a given section.
 Then he will proceed to study the themes of all the sections and to evaluate the

connections between and within sections. Only when this has been completed
will the interpreter experience any kind of confidence in stating what the
author’s implied theme is.
 Chapter Three
Contextual Analysis
There are various types of connections between individual paragraphs
and immediate context:
1. Historical. There may be a connection of facts, events, or happenings in
space and time.
2. Theological. A doctrine may be dependent on some historical fact and
circumstance.
3. Logical. A paragraph may connect with an argument or line of thinking
that is under development in the whole section.
4. Psychological. Something in the preceding line of reasoning may
suddenly trigger a related idea.
 Hence, in order to deep meaning of the text and to come to understand

the words expirations the author used we must study the immediate
context.
 Chapter Three
Contextual Analysis
1. The Historical Context:
 This is about the time period and culture of the people who God used to
write it and the people they are writing too.
 It helps us to get a clearer sense of meaning and some general
knowledge of the time. We need to know the historical background.
 Things that happened before the text and things that are written in it
are also important. We need to know what things went on then in order
to understand what they were saying.
 We also need to figure out the date for the text. We can see the other
events and passages that relate to it.
 Chapter Three
Contextual Analysis
2. The Literary Context:
 This is the type of literature genres that refer to the meaning of the words; the
Nouns, Verbs, and Adjectives-both the meaning of the word(s) itself as well as
what they mean in their context of sentence structure and surrounding
passages.
 Establish the relationship between your passage and the entire book in which it
is found. Look at what comes before and after your passage. The meaning of a
passage derives in part from its position in the overall text.
 Meaning depends upon what the readers already know and what they will find
out.
 We should read the individual biblical texts in their literary context. Literary
context is the written material surrounding a text in question.
 Chapter Three
Contextual Analysis
 It is the material immediately surrounding a proposed
passage of the Bible, as well as the wider section in which
that passage is located.
In the exegetical process the most important literary unit to

attend to when reading a specific text is the book of the Bible

in which it is found.
Even when your focus is on a single passage for exegesis,

you must communicate the whole book of your passage. Even

some time you need to look beyond that individual book to its
connections within the whole Scripture.
This is called canonical context – the sixty-six books of the

Protestant Christian Bible.

 Chapter Three
Contextual Analysis
3. What is the Genre Context?
 How does the literary type or wording in the passage effect the interpretation?
In English, we have story, comedy, tragedy, novel, lyric poem, and epic to name
a few.
 In the Greek and Hebrew, we have narrative, law, poetry, prophecy, apocalyptic,
parable, epistle, and even romance.
 This is very important, as this helps us interpret the meaning of the text and
whether it is literal or figurative. There are eight major genres in the Bible: law,
historical narrative, gospel, illustrative narrative, wisdom, prophecy, hymnody
and epistle.
 These genres can be written in either prose or poetry. Once you know the genre
of the book, you can then determine the form of the smaller unit (your
pericope).
 Chapter Three
Contextual Analysis
 f. Social setting
When we read the Scripture we feel gaps usually related to the historical and
cultural distances between our world and the world in which the Bible was written.
We experience these gaps more potently in some texts that in others.
The Bible was written in a different setting than the one in which we live.
Then in order to understand and exegete a biblical text it needs us to realize the
cultural and historical setting in which the Bible was written.
 For this we must hold the truths: the significant distance of the social world of
the Bible from our world, and the nearness and relevance of the Scriptures to our
lives and needs.
 Chapter Three
Contextual Analysis
Hence, we must approach the Bible text within its context because it
helps us to understand better the nature of texts and guides us to
approach texts in a way that honors their inherent nature, and approach
Scripture in a way that hears what God, through human authors, has
communicated.
We start with it world context which is broader context. With this we

identify its international context such as information and experience

shared by humanity generally.
At the second stage we identify the cultural context – a particular society

ways of understanding and living.

It includes the entire spectrum of political, social, and religious beliefs

and practices of that society.

 Chapter Three
Contextual Analysis
The third level we should determine is the audience context, the common
experience and specific knowledge of the original readers of the text.
 It also concerns the particular period of time and particular local

community to whom the text was written.

At the final stage we should contextualize the text – that is bringing a

biblical author’s meaning to bear in other times and cultures.

In other words, contextualization is to hear Scripture’s meaning speak in

new contexts.
Why we do this is for that the Bible has something to say to us today,

because the Bible is the Scripture, God’s word.

 Chapter Four
Approach to exegesis

1. Synchronic Approach: - meaning “with[in] time,” i.e. “same time”. It helps to

understand the final form of the text.
some technical languages that related with this are:

 literary Criticism: - genre/type and form analysis, the quest to clarify a text as to its type.

 Narrative Criticism: - the quest to understand the formal and material features or narrative

texts.
 Rhetorical Criticism: - understanding the device , strategies, and structures employed in

the text.
 Lexical, grammatical, and syntactical analysis:- understanding words, idioms and

grammatical form and there relationship

 Sematic or discourse analysis:- a way in which the text conveys meaning

 Social-Scientific criticism:- social identity, perception of the world, cultural characteristics

2. The Diachronic Approach (Historical-Critical Model)
 meaning “across time”
 It is an approach focuses on the origin and development of the text.
 It includes

 Textual criticism: - for original word of the text, and concerned with the quest
for the original wording
 Historical linguistics: - understanding words, idioms and grammatical form
and there relationship
 Form criticism: - the original type of oral or written tradition reflected in the
text
 Traditional criticism: - growth of a tradition over time
 Source criticism: - written source used in the text
 Redaction criticism: - perceiving the ways in which the author of the text
purposefully adopted and adapted source.
 Historical criticism: - events and surrounding the production of the text
3. The Existential Approach
 we describe it as self involving; readers do not treat the text as a historical or

artifact but as something to engage experientially

 Taking the text seriously with respect to human experience
 The reader engage only world before the text.
 The ability to create an alternative world and to invite the readers to engage it by

using a powerful text in general and religious texts in particular.

 The very important ways for the existential readers are:

 canonical criticism: - Exegete the bible as a whole

 Theological exegesis and Spiritual reading: - exegete the text in the context of
specific religious tradition and for religious purpose
 Embodiment or actualization: - attempt to appropriate the text in the world
 Advocacy criticism, liberation exegesis, and theological criticism: - exegete in
the context of struggle
 An overview of an Interpretation Method
Interpretation is more like a circle than an outline
Move back and forth from part to whole called “Hermeneutical
Text to context circle”
Original meaning to contemporary relevance, and etc.

 The circulation of interpretation described as a process of “going forward by

circling around.”
 Chapter Five
Where to start Exegesis
5.1 Choosing a Text for Exegesis
 The first step in exegesis is choosing and establishing the text by determining the length of

the periscope
 An exegetical paper can be done on five to twenty-five verses.

5.2 Bible Translations, Versions and Editions

 The Bible we have in the original language is manuscripts w/c are copies of copies, b/se the

first original one is not found.

 Translation is an art through w/c the stories and thoughts of the ancient people with their

ancient language and culture is rendered into a modern language and culture of a group of
people.
 There are d/t philosophies of translation based on the nature and purpose of it. The main

two are word-for-word or literal translation (formal equivalence) and idea-for-idea or

dynamic-equivalence (functional equivalence).
 Continues..
 This is a level of preparation
 Determine an appropriate text for exegesis
 A Manageable text
 Relatively self-contained unit with clear begging and end
 Its length should normally be no less than the equivalent of paragraph or stanza
and no more than equivalent of a few paragraph or stanza.
 To determine units- study Bible and one volume of commentaries important
 Obtained a planed text to work like a study Bible, translations, editions with
parallel texts,
 Photocopy from the Bible, or print from an electronic version, or marking a text
of one version
 Continues…
5.2.1 Versions preferred for exegesis:
 RSV, NAB, and NRSV

5.2.2 Versions acceptable for exegesis, with caution

 NASB, REV, NIV

5.2.3 Versions unacceptable as the basis for exegesis, but useful in other ways
 The Message, GNB, CEV, NLT, NJB

5.2.4 Version unacceptable for exegesis

 LB, KJV of (AV) etc…
 The basic principles of good biblical exegesis are grammatical principle,

literal principle, historical principle and synthesis principle.

 Chapter Six
Elements of Exegetical Method
 There are seven elements of exegetical Method.
1. Survey – it is preparation and overview of the text
2. Contextual analysis – considering historical and literary context of the text
3. Formal analysis – the form, structure, and movement of the text
4. Detailed analysis – analysis of the various parts of the text
5. Synthesis –analysis of the text as a whole
6. Reflection- analysis of the text for today
7. Expansion & refinement- analysis of the initial exegesis
 Survey of the Text:
The First Element
 Read the text again and again by using several translations
 Write your observation, the differences from the translations, and the
question that arises
 Making an initial working translation of the text if you read the original
language
 Read the entire book in which the text appear and pay a special attention for the text

in connection with the presiding and the coming part of the book
 Consult one or more source that deals with the book (commentaries, Bible

Dictionaries)
 The historical context- the writing circumstance to answer the question
why, when, to whom, who, where etc.
 Continues…

 The Literary Context: - a general outline of the book

and a location of the passage in that outline
 Prepare a bibliography by noting any relevant

interpretation tools
 Then guess about the meaning of the passage and use

this as a working thesis- this must be and educated guess

of the meaning
 contextual Analysis: The 2nd Element
The Historical and Literary Context of the Text
1. Historical, social and cultural context
 Use tools like

 Bible dictionaries
 Bible commentaries
 Bible atlases
2. Literary and Rhetoric context
 Find or create a general outline of the book as a whole
 Consider the wider as well as nearer or immediate context carefully
 Formal Analysis: The 3rd Element
 Formal analysis contains form structure and movement of the passage
 Form of the Passage: - considering

the literary genre of the book, and

The literary form of the passage
 Structure of the Passage :- this must be your own outline of the passage, you can
refer what the others outline looks like
 Movement of the Passage: - this the flow the passage from the beginning to the
end.
Consider the flow of the passage
 Detailed Analysis of the Text: The 4th Element
 This is verse-by-verse analysis
 Use the two column, phrase-by-phrase, chart created during the

preparation phase
 Find key actors and actions
Subject, verb and other
Qualifying phrases
Or other key words, or images etc.
 Pay special attention to function words (because, and, but, although, though,
however , etc.)
 Look to other scriptural text for allusion (suggestion, citation) and for the
evidence of other source and how they are used.
 Synthesis: The 5th Element
 This is the level of formulating the point of the text
 At this level an interpreter attempts to raise the questions that

addresses:
 the main point of the text
The reason why this text included in this part
The claim of the text for the original hearers
The response of the hearers
And other related questions
 Reflection: The 6th Element
 Make an observation about the contemporary significance of the text from
your own perspective- this is the level of contextualization
 There are five interpretive postures.
1. A Hermeneutic of Antipathy /opposition
2. A Hermeneutic of Appreciation or Non Commitment
3. A Hermeneutic of Discernment or Inquiry
4. A Hermeneutic of Suspicion
5. A Hermeneutic of Consent or Trust
 Expansion and Refinement of the Exegesis: The 7th Element

 This is expansion and refinement of your initial exegesis

a. Prepare bibliography
b. Take careful notes by using commentaries before articles, looking information
that escaped your initiations, see again for clarification and correction, built an
important information by using an evidence, look for an alternative interpretation
for your insight, take note in your own words
c. combine your initial exegesis with the data you get from the source
d. Write down your own conclusion and clam about the context, form, structure
e. Develop and record a thesis statement about the main points and functions of the
passage
f. Develop an outline of your paper that follows your main steps in the exegetical
process
 Chapter Seven
Exegetical Analysis
1. Syntactical Analysis-concerns grammatico-historical method of exegesis
 The aim of the grammatical and historical interpretation is to determine the

specific usage of words as employed by each writer within a particular age.

 This grammatico concerning the simple. Direct, plain, ordinary, and literal

sense of the phrases, clauses, and sentences.

2. Verbal analysis concerning with studying the same words w/c have
different meanings in different sentences according to their context and
usage.
 Continues…
 3. Theological Analysis helps us to teach the readers God’s specific and
immediate address through our passage
4. Homiletical analysis is an exegetical method w/c use to express the text to
life and condition of our readers or audience with the intended original
meaning of the passage
 Chapter Eight
Critical Analysis
 Critical analysis mans careful examining of a text, making intelligent
judgment about:
 Historical, literary, textual and philosophical questions
 Studying with careful examining from d/t points of view,
 The tools of exegesis are:
 Textual Critcism
 Literary criticism
 Redaction criticism
 Traditional criticism
 Chapter Nine
Reflections
1. How to Use the Procedure
As exegetes we should respect the authority of the text.
 The practical procedures an exegete should follow are:

1. Allow the text to set the agenda

2. Let the questions point to the appropriate methodology, exegetical
technique, or type of criticism
3. Utilize the tools appropriate to a given exegetical technique-
4. Correlate the questions and answers addressed to this point-
5. Conclude the analysis-
6. Synthesize the findings into a coherent interpretation of the passage.
 Chapter Ten
Exegesis and Exegete
 To do an effective exegesis and to teach the believers the true word of the exegetes and all the church ministers are
responsible.
 To do an effective life transforming exegesis, the exegete must be faithful and reliable to reveal the truth and original
meaning of the Scriptural.
 Fee has given eight important rules w/c we should follow to do good exegesis (Fee, 32).
 These basic rules are:
1st survey the historical context in general
2nd confirm the limits of the passage
3rd become thoroughly acquainted with your paragraph or periscope
4th analyze sentence structures and syntactical relationships
5th Establish the text
6th Analyze the grammar
7th Analyze significant words
8th Research the historical-cultural background
 The exegete should select a text for exegesis being based on it need, plan his paper carefully, focus on the
significance and expand and refine his exegesis.
 Chapter Eleven
Exegesis Guidelines
1. Preparation
2. Initial Exegesis
2.1 Survey
2.2 contextual Analysis
2.3 Form Analysis
2.4 Detailed Analysis of the passage
2.5 Synthesis-
2.6 Reflection
 3. Research-Expansion and Refinement of your initial
exegesis
3.1 prepare a bibliography
3.2 Take careful notes
3.3 Review your notes
4. Consolidation
5. Develop Application
6. Writing the parts Before the Main body of the exegetical paper
7.Write Final Exegesis
8. Common mistakes to be avoid (see pp. 79-86)
 To write your exegetical paper
Steps in Your Exegesis
1. Check various translations and arrive at a paraphrase of your text.
2. Determine whether there are any significant textual variants.
3. Sketch the historical, social and cultural situation in which the passage was written in a couple of paragraphs
and state in one (or at the most, two) sentences what the fundamental point the writer of your text was seeking
to make.
4. Determine that the passage (pericope) has its own integrity. Note carefully its beginning and ending and how it
relates to what precedes and follows.
5. What is the genre of the book, the literary form and the structure (outline) of your unit or pericope?
6. Exegesis
a. To do your exegesis, pick out what you consider to be (no more than seven or eight) the most significant
words or phrases in your pericope; focus on how these words or phrases function not only in your unit, but
also in scripture and the world of the Bible. This will mean you will need to look at several major word studies
on these materials.
b.
 To write your exegetical paper
b. Now write your verse-by-verse commentary on each verse of the unit. You will need to work with several good
commentaries noting both points on grammar and syntax. Here you will get additional information on your key
words and phrases. By now you should have a wealth of information and a good grasp on what you are hearing
from your text.
c. A special feature of biblical interpretation is what interpreters refer to as inter-textuality. Writers of the Bible will
often echo or quote other earlier biblical passages in some scheme such as foreshadowing or prophecy and
fulfillment. This process is what we call inter-textuality. Look at the columns of parallel references in your study
Bible or in commentaries for any evidence that this process is at work in your passage. Also be sure, especially if
you are working with the Gospels, Kings, or Chronicles, that you note parallels when the same material is
referenced. The similarities and differences between two writers narrating the same incident can give helpful
information to a careful interpreter.
7. Form a tentative conclusion that supplements what you determined earlier to be the central or major point(s) of
your pericope and write this up in a summary not to exceed half a page. (You may have to reformulate what you
concluded earlier.) How do your conclusions illuminate the argument and theological claims of both your pericope
and the overall biblical book in which it occurs?
 To write your exegetical paper
8. You are now ready to consider how you will bring an authoritative word from this text to your
hearers. This involves the particular hermeneutic you wish to apply to your pericope. (The particular
hermeneutical approach an interpreter may choose can vary widely.
Some may approach the text with a hermeneutics of suspicion. We advocate a hermeneutics of consent
or trust). Procedurally, we suggest that the interpreter work out of a context where he keeps three basic
concepts in mind:
- (1) What is the text saying to a community that accepts the Lordship of Christ?

- (2) What is this text saying to a community that views itself as a contrast society over and against the

world?
- (3) What is this text saying to those living in the time between the times? i.e. to those who view that

the new creation has taken place but has not yet come in its entirety.
9. Write your final synthesis. This should be no longer than a good paragraph; state clearly what you
consider to be the central points you would highlight in teaching or preaching. 10. With the exegesis in
hand, draw up your talk or write your sermon.
 To write your exegetical paper
A. start from the context, the form,
B. Note that refrainment and expansion of the exegesis
C. Discuses and evaluate the most important alternative interpretations of the
most important issues
D. Document
E. Follow the form for paper outlined in the standard guide to paper
writing
F. Read, Reread, Rewrite, recite/Recall and Rewrite it
 Assignment
 Exegetical paper (on John chapter four(4): write 2500-3000 words plus bibliography.
Preparatory:
1. Read the passage. Make your own assessment of the passage without the help of any
commentaries
2. After you have done this, read about the passage in three to five of the recommended
commentaries on John.
Writing the Paper
 Comment on the context of the passage
 Give an analysis of the literary structure
 Look for any key ideas or central teaching each section of the passage
 Most of your paper should be exegesis
 Apply 300-500 words of this passage to the life of the church today where you think it is
particularly appropriate.
 Questions ???????????

Ethiopian- Coffee
Ceremony