Updated American Standard Version
Giving Bible readers what God said not what translators think God meant
The historical-grammatical method of interpreting Bible prophecy is a method used by conservative Christians to interpret the prophetic passages of the Bible. This method emphasizes the historical and grammatical context in which the prophecy was written, as well as the literary genre of the prophecy, in order to understand the author's intended meaning.
Have you ever read a hermeneutics book that always gave you the rules and principles of Historical-Grammatical Interpretation, but stopped there? They never showed you how you came to those conclusions based on the understanding of the historical context, language, grammatical structure, and broader context of the verse? Here in this article, we will give you a more detailed explanation of how the principles of historical-grammatical interpretation can be applied. We will walk through step-by-step on how the interpreter would use the rules and principles for each verse.
WHAT DID PAUL MEAN? “When he ascended on high he led captivity captive, and he gave gifts to men.” (Eph. 4:8) Who ascended on high? Where is high? Who is “he” that led captivity captive? What are these gifts that “he” gave and to what “men”? Why is Paul’s citation of Psalm 68:18 different?
To confide in God’s will, the secret of all true greatness is to rise out of all our anxieties and plans and fears when we think of ourselves as the arbiters of our own fortunes, and so 'lean to our own understanding.' Not in acts of solemn worship or great crises only, but 'in all thy ways;' and then God will make the 'path' straight and even.
One of the most difficult verses in the Bible, not to understand, but for many to accept, is 1 Corinthians 6:9-11. Many see it as extremely politically incorrect! Yet, it is the Scripture, and it is truth.
Not only will you receive this biblically grounded article on a sin versus practicing sin, but there will be a few related linked articles throughout this article to help the reader get an even wider picture of sin, sin that leads to death, the unforgivable sin, salvation, and much more.
The context (the surrounding Bible verses) will enable us to understand what the author meant, not what we think, feel, or believe. The context also runs throughout the Bible, so if our view of a verse is at odds with other Bible verses elsewhere, we must rethink our view, as the Bible does not contradict itself.
The drift in modern translations is to produce a colloquial Bible with a simple vocabulary and syntax. What lies behind this drift? Some of the prefaces answer the question. The assumption is that the Bible itself is a simple book intended for people of limited education and intelligence.
Most have heard the saying ‘a picture is worth a thousand words.’ However, the Bible has a real knack for painting a picture with just a few words. The word pictures found in God’s Word creates an image in the mind of the reader that will likely never be forgotten.
However, what happens if and when we do commit sin? Have we tried in vain to be holy? Do we start all the way back at the beginning and lose the spiritual ground we’ve gained?