Bible Interpretation-1, Easy

March 1, 2025 additions, clarifications, edits

Bible Interpretation - 1, Easy

Easy Interpretation

This website has been created to offer ideas to people experiencing difficulties staying in the faith and running the race to completion.

(Mat 24:13 BSB) But the one who perseveres to the end will be saved.

Abstract

This article provides one straightforward approach to interpreting scripture.

Letter to You Who Are Disenchanted with the Church

Your reason for disenchantment with the church is respected. But more importantly, you are loved. You are truly and deeply loved. We are not referring to a commitment family and others may have to you. You are loved by people who, as an emotion or feeling, love you. You may not know their names, but they know of you, perhaps some of what you are doing, and love you. This love is not reasonable; it is not logical. It sees past your deeds and loves you. If we examine this love from the evolutionary perspective of what strategy best supports the survival of the species, or in this case, the survival of Christianity, it is counter-intuitive; it seems self-destructive. You may have heard the following verse quoted.

(Isa 55:8 KJV) For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.

This love is an emotion. This is regardless of your position on church matters. You are respected. We support your right to believe as you do, including when we disagree. Please do not give up on us; continue fellowshipping with us.

I would be thinking, how can anyone feel love toward me? From a Christian’s own ability to muster a good feeling about you, they may fail. We are referring to a genuine love that can only come from God. This exists outside of science, it is mystical[1]. In our mortal bodies, all Christians are imperfect. In Christ, all things are possible. For the target audience of this website, you probably have some verses in mind right now that teach concepts stated here. The following are some.

When from a human perspective, goodness makes absolutely no sense, God is at work. See if you can find a way to join Him.

Introduction

The Easy interpretation method makes use of the following premises.

  • God inspired the Bible.
  • God dictated some parts.
  • God influenced people to write the Bible.
  • God wrote, and what he wrote was rewritten by people into other media. Example the Ten Commandments.

Most Christians believe the people in the bible lived, and the Bible is a valid account they authored, perhaps as a scribe being influenced by God.

Alternatives

Many great options, such as the S.O.A.P. method (use Internet search), are free. Our purpose is to serve Christians feeling conflicted about church beliefs. Church beliefs are based on how the Bible is understood, tradition, and more. To understand what a verse in the Bible means requires reading or listening and understanding[2].

For most of us, a method such as SOAP works well. Understanding a passage, a verse, or a word may require using more than one version of the Bible. Many people keep a recently published dictionary of the English language nearby or use more than one online version. This is all easily accomplished many times during personal study with the use of technology (cut and paste)[3]. However, many English versions of the Bible are available[4]. Read a few versions and see if they bring clarity to the verse. Also, consider frequent use of a general dictionary of the language or perhaps an online subscription.

If you are not reading the Bible daily, then consider starting. Audio recordings of the Bible are available as well as apps, some with a daily plan. The printed book we have titled the Holy Bible is tangible; it has been printed on paper for centuries. What is so great about this is that it serves as a fixed reference for statements that generations have studied and declared to serve a purpose in Christianity. Many and perhaps all of the Bible exist in languages no longer in use, which is good. The definitions of the words in a dead language are fixed, at least relative to modern English. English definitions are based on how the word is used, and that changes. This is why we recommend a recently published dictionary of English, perhaps in print or app, access through a tool in a word processor or an online version. The message does not change but extracting it will require different processes by different people in differing contexts.

Start small, but start. It helps to incorporate it into a routine, such as listening to it during your daily commute to work.

The Easy, Straightforward Interpretation Method

Conditions (Premises)

This method depends upon reasonable, sensible assumptions. It fails when we attempt to use it to understand the person of God Himself. HE interacts with people in one of three distinct ways, three beings, each with a particular purpose, the three in unity of purpose.

We Can Understand God’s Will for Us

Suppose God works with each person within their context. Their context includes worldview, language, and culture. If this is true, then Bible writers of the Old Testament would have written in a language they knew. Corollary: we do not find ancient scripture manuscripts written 5,000 years ago in English.

The Free Will to Sin or Not

There are several more fundamentals, such as free will. If free will is required for eternal justice, then we may sin or not (Ro 3.23 …all have sinned…). God profoundly experiences the emotion of love for us. God is not a stoic contract enforcer[See exercise in Additional Information]. HIS love for us is not a decision He made as a commitment. He decided to make us in His image. We are His children, and in some way, we resemble Him. Naturally, God loves us just as any good father loves his children. Aside: any child we raise, genetically related or not, will carry our imprint.

Generally, we think of the people living in the same lingual, cultural, time, and place as the Biblical scribe would understand what the scribe wrote. The people at the time did not need commentaries to understand it.

We Are Just Like the Ancients

After the first sin, humankind left the Garden of Eden. Are you aware of any evidence that these people were somehow different than us? For example, people can feel hurt today by social rudeness as they were thousands of years ago (Jdg 15.6-7 Samson’s wife taken). Today’s people and past generations can laugh (Ge 18.13 Sarah’s ability to give birth to a child). We are well entrenched in cultural norms, and our first reaction could be an emotion when they are violated.

Observation is Not the Same as Discerning

The Easy interpretation method assumes that if ancient people understood it, we have the innate ability also to understand. Here, innate refers to our ability to understand and empathize with the challenges the ancients faced. However, we may not have the same worldview as them, and God communicates to us in a way we can understand. It may be directly, through another person, or a writing.

Fails

Later, there will be examples where a straightforward and literal interpretation fails. The failures are all cases that have been a part of disagreement amongst Christians. We hope to provide support for both opposing understandings.

Guide

  1. Pray. Short, long, whatever you sense meets the need, be sincere and respectful when you talk to God. To start any Bible reading, consider praying at the beginning; perhaps, after contemplating the verses, pray again. This may seem impractical in some situations. In others, the need could be for praying and fasting before Bible study.
  2. Read the verse or passage.
  3. Are you familiar with all the words? Given the context, do you understand the message? If uncertain, consult a general dictionary and other versions of the Bible. Is any word intended as a metaphor?
  4. Is the message bizarre? For example, if God is said to have made a person’s heart hard, is that the same as wood becoming petrified? Mineralization and crystallization of wood make it hard like a rock. Our name for that is petrified wood. If the literal meaning is bizarre, look for a metaphor.
  5. Always try putting yourself in the writer’s time, place, and culture. His context and worldview may be required to reveal its meaning to the modern reader. The ancients did not have a contemporary understanding of meteorology. If drought resulting in famine occurs, some will have the discernment to detect God and work or that He is not at work, and some won’t. If rain and flood kill most people, some will know God is recalibrating the earth’s population (resetting it or weeding out evil-doers).

Can you think of verses where people witnessed miraculous signs by Jesus, and they believed? Or, perhaps instead of immediate belief, they wondered if this could be the Messiah. Were some people stubborn, stiff-necked, refusing to accept? During this life, we do not all understand the same way (1 Co 13.12).

  1. If you continue in an interpretation dilemma, then pray. You have at least two choices: talk to another Christian, your spiritual leader, or perhaps a Christian small group. Alternatively, wait for God to answer the prayer. Keep an open mind and delay proclaiming an unusual interpretation to others. In another article, we discuss commentaries.
  2. Are you ready to pray? Does the passage bring to mind something or someone to pray for? Perhaps a political leader, an international conflict, your family, etc. If so, then pray[2].

Bible Version Guide Basics[4]

  • If you have a primary group of Christians you meet with, find out what version of the Bible they use. Some groups coordinate and choose one version but some groups try to have many versions represented. Regardless, it is important for you to have a version of the Bible you can understand[5]. Try starting with a free version, such as the Blue Letter Bible (BLB) app.

This list will be expanded in future articles to include the use of articles in favor of a version, the use of articles opposing a version, and more. Some people who study versions of the Bible can produce a case in favor of any version and against that version.

Supplemental Ideas to Consider

One believer I know always has a physical Bible in his vehicle. This is a low-cost and easy-to-read version that he can give away. One year, he had not given any away, so he went onto the streets and found someone to give that Bible to. His practice was to replace his ‘vehicle’ Bibles as they were given away.

A believer may want to budget for giving away an attractive leather-bound version for special occasions.

For most of us, ignoring or throwing away a nice gift someone gave us is pretty hard.

I recently heard of someone who purchased a package of small figurines of Jesus, keeping a few in the vehicle available for giving away.

Note: we do not pray to figurines just as we do not pray to a musician or an icon. They remind us of things in Heaven and can influence cognition and emotion toward God.

Prayer

Thank you, God, for people and objects that remind us of you. In Jesus name, amen.

Example Where Quick Interp May Fail

(Exo 4:21 ESV) And the LORD said to Moses, “When you go back to Egypt, see that you do before Pharaoh all the miracles that I have put in your power. But I will harden his heart, so that he will not let the people go.

The quick interpretation of v 21, taken literally, is that God Himself caused Pharaoh to disobey. That is, what God did to Pharaoh, what would be wrong for us to do if we could. Some Christians are comfortable with a literal interpretation of God, causing the person to resist. However, there are other interpretations available. One ancient Egyptian religious belief had to do with the weight of the person’s heart at death. It is said that if it weighs more than a feather, a creature would eat the dead person. We can assume that would effectively end the person’s existence, something a pharaoh would want to avoid.

This is based on art and explanation in a sidebar at Ancient Egyptian afterlife beliefs. (2025, January 15). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Egyptian_afterlife_beliefs

(Exo 4:21 NET) The LORD said to Moses, “When you go back to Egypt, see that you do before Pharaoh all the wonders I have put under your control. But I will harden his heart and he will not let the people go.

Reading v 21 as containing a modern metaphor, God hardened Pharaoh’s heart means to make him stubbornly refuse to obey God. There have been great Christians who supported this perspective. Our purpose here is to offer interpretation ideas to those struggling with church beliefs.

Premises

  • God knows our every thought. He knows exactly what we do and does not know.
  • God knows every non-believer’s thoughts, what they know and do not know, and how we understand the world around us.

Regarding the historical facts below, some years or ages are approximate. Some are speculations based on external data. Various authorities disagree on Moses’ birth year. Some of the options are 1391, 1592, and 1571. Moses was put with his birth mother for nursing. Nursing in ancient Egypt lasted about three years.[6]

(Act 7:23-24 NET) But when he was about forty years old, it entered his mind to visit his fellow countrymen the Israelites. 24 When he saw one of them being hurt unfairly, Moses came to his defense and avenged the person who was mistreated by striking down the Egyptian.

So, from about age 3 to 40, he was living with and as an Egyptian. But he knew he was an Israelite.

First, try to put yourself into Moses’ position. What was Moses’ worldview? He was raised to adulthood as an Egyptian. Whatever his worldview was, it was probably mostly from how he was raised, Egyptian. God knows how Moses understood words. It is reasonable to suspect Moses knew that when God said He hardened a heart, Moses believed that was a statement about Pharaoh’s wellbeing in the afterlife.

Summary

Start with a straightforward, reasonable, common-sense approach to understanding the Bible, verse by verse. Pause for a moment. Does this produce an interpretation that you believe is correct? For this to lead to a proper understanding, you must know the definition of each word. Consider reviewing how other Bible versions wrote the text. Try to put yourself in their position; how would they have understood? Christian colleagues can be an excellent resource for interpretation corroboration (or confirmation) and to learn from.

Conclusion

All Christians should read the Bible. Many believers have been well nourished by fellowshipping with other believers. Regular attendance, small groups, as well as impromptu discussions. One Christian I know takes conflicted feelings about what the Bible teaches to the Lord in prayer. Often, this is repeated until God communicates the answer, or He does not at that time.

A few decades ago, a man was a member of one of the mainstream denominations. That denomination’s teaching was in accord with one of the mainstream perspectives. A particular interpretation of Romans best supported that perspective. The pastor starts a series on Romans but explains the verses from an alternative perspective. The member was familiar with the passages and had previously adopted the same interpretation as the denomination. From his study, the interpretation passed the most tests. However, part of a reason-based approach also required him to keep an open mind, engaging his intellect in understanding. For him, taking such matters to God in prayer is one way we understand the Bible.

The member wrote a series of letters to the pastor, who did not appreciate them. The member prayed, again and again, Lord, correct me if I am wrong. But there was no answer from God.

A few weeks into the series, he finds an empty room to pray in for a few minutes before meeting people for lunch. In those few minutes, something happened that he could not have predicted. Furthermore, what happened exceeded what he was capable of imagining was possible. He reported a powerful sense that God was pleased with him and loved him, which continued for days. Here is the extraordinary part: from that moment on, he only felt the deepest love for the pastor. God did not say he was right. God did not say he was wrong. But when the Christian left that prayer period, he did so with the most profound acceptance of the pastor. All sense of conflict had been abolished. Now, differences in interpretation just did not matter. His overriding feeling, an emotion, was love for his pastor. This continued throughout the remaining years the pastor served.

(Joh 14:26 NKJV) But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.

Notes

[1] See the Glossary in the More section of the website for a brief definition for how we use the word ‘mystical’ on this site. A supporting case requires a very different approach than a definition. This is because our use of the word is about communication with a being not like us, a being far greater than us, a being who’s substance, whatever that means in this context, cannot be fully understood by us.

[2] When a Christian understands the verse, the Christian may need to meditate on it. Is God the Holy Spirit speaking through it to us? Do we need to change? When you know you should change you should. If you keep saying no to God, and pray in submission to God regularly it is likely to create a problem, which for some of us the metaphor of an erupting volcanic fits. If you suppress God speaking to you then over time you will be on a different spiritual path and this author thinks it to be inferior to what God knew you were capable. It is never, again for emphasis never too late to change. Jesus understands.

[3] Paper, pencil, and a printed Bible have a very high reliability. Electronic technology is susceptible to many problems. Electronic technology greatly increases efficiency but we suggest maintaining study skills by sometimes using hand written personal thoughts, printed Bibles and printed reference books.

[4]

Bible Versions

A goal for site content is to be independent of the Bible version. This is the reason many articles contain quotes from several versions. The literal interpretation of a verse may conflict with some church denomination’s teachings. If we know that a concept being promoted in an article or blog post conflicts with any mainstream church, we try to use the version of the Bible that the denomination prefers. Exceptions will exist for various reasons. See the Bible interpretation series (currently being written or edited) in the BnB section.

[5] When a group requires use of a Bible text that the average group member cannot natively understand, they are forcing an intermediary (person, software, book) between you and the Bible. This is one of Theologian Martin Luther’s tenets. And this is why the Wycliffe Bible Translators organization was formed.

[6] Motherhood In Ancient Times, https://www.hhhistory.com/2019/08/motherhood-in-ancient-times.html?form=MG0AV3, accessed 2/11/2025

Additional Information

Audio

One benefit of listening to the Bible is that some recording players and voice synthesizers give you the option to control the speed. You may speed up playback when the text can be comprehended quickly. Additionally, you can slow it down to allow for an emotional response and perhaps to take notes. Later versions of MS Word include text-to-voice capability. Choose the voice option that works best for you, the one you find best communicates the meaning. Sometimes many accents for a language are available.

How We Describe the Christian Faith

Sunday school teachers, Christian friends, evangelists, pastors, and priests did not create God. Believers influenced by God write theology and interpret scripture and life. It is here where we should consider the possibility of imperfect knowledge, regardless of the church type.

Exercise

For those of you who enjoy reasoning through challenges, describe what Christianity would be like if God’s function is to create rules, laws, judge sinners, provide an alternative to eternal punishment, love as a commitment and not an emotion, covenants as contracts. How would this influence sermon preparation, delivery, and evangelism?

About the Bible Interpretation Series

Many Christians are doing well in the faith and know they are growing. Some see that they have been more connected with the faith in the past. Sometimes God seems distant, sometimes a feeling of being conflicted about church teaching. This website intends to offer alternative, mainstream Christian perspectives. Sometimes, one mainstream Christian perspective does not work as well for a believer as a different one.

No part of this series requires the reader to be a polyglot, able to study scripture in many languages. Everything suggested on this website works for people that only speak English, or any other language that offers a variety of Bible versions and study tools. No suggestion planned requires the use of a software translation tool.

There is a reason for each mainstream perspective.

Interp-1, Easy

This approach is a straightforward understanding of the scripture. if something does not make sense that we read, then a good choice is to talk to your Christian peers or spiritual leader. Interrupting Bible text may require the frequent use of an ordinary dictionary, which can feel like excessive overhead. However, many people become used to using online websites and apps because they are convenient and, for our purposes, kept up to date. Online dictionaries can be fast but may require a paid account, other options exist.

Interp-2, Tradition

Teaching Christianity is a serious responsibility and requires due diligence for interpreting scripture. Before prayer meetings, our preparation is often prayer. Before the Bible teaching, prayer and careful preparation are needed.

Here, we add tradition to the research. We show respect for tradition when we make use of a classic commentary. After the research, write your paraphrase of the verse and how you understand it.

Interp-3, Advanced

Advanced Bible study is beyond the scope of why this website was created. But it is essential to know that it exists. One type is a critical analysis, which can be lengthy for a single verse or word. A few tools will be discussed but no attempt for how to use them. Simply using some tools may require two levels of depth for defining the terms used. In the past, some tools were only available, for example, a parallel of the Gospels in Greek and German.

Interp-4, ‘Heart knowledge’

This article will be delayed. Some people believe that the witness of the Holy Ghost is in every believer and themselves. Other people state what they have experienced and what they are aware of. So, this is on hold because there is so much to write from many Christian perspectives.