INTRODUCTION TO

HERMENEUTICS
Principles of interpretation: Gramathical interpretation

Based on the book of Louis Berkhof

¿WHAT HERMENEUTIC IS?
The hermeneutic is the science that teach us the principles, methods and rules of interpretation.
The three basic aspects of the interpretation of the bible are:
a) Gramathical interpretation
b) Historical interpretation
c) Theological interpretation
GRAMATHICAL INTERPRETATION
Gramathical interpretation

In this context, we are going to review, seven aspects about the gramathical
interpretation, as:
Meaning of every word
Meaning of the words in their conection – usus loquendi
Inner helps to the explanation of the words
Use of figurative words
The interpretation of the thoughts
Inner helps for the thought’s interpretation
Outer helps for the gramathical interpretation
1. Meaning of every word
Because the scripture was written by human beings, inspired by God, is very important to consider the gramathical
aspect of the scriptures. There’s two ways of doing this: the first one is studying since the general text to the specific
words, and the second one is studying the specific words to the whole text. For practical reasons is better doing in the
second way, mostly when we are studying a foreign language.

Three aspects basics to consider:

a) The etymology of the words

As an advice, is a good practice that the student of the Holy Scripture consider the etymology of the words,
because have this knowledge might help it to determine the exact meaning of one word or help to (her or him)
interpretate the text in a good way.

b) The common use of the words

More important than the etymology of the words, is more important to know the common use of the words, that is:
been familiriazed with the meaning of the words and the meaning that adquire the words with the pass of the years.

c) The use of synonym words

The synonym words, are words that have the same meaning or match in one or more of their meanings. The
context in which the word is going to determinate if a word will be understand in its general or special meaning (Jn
21:15-17).
2. Meaning of the words in their conection - usus loquendi
The essencial point in the study of the separated words, is their particular relation with the passage in which
they are. The interpreter must decided if the word has been used in her particular o general meaning and if
they are used literal or figuratively.

Principles to be considerer:
a) The language of the scripture must be interpretated according his gramathical meaning, and the meaning
of every expression, proposition or declaration, has to be determinated by the words employee in it.

b) One word just can have one fixed meaning in connection with the passage where is happening.

c) Somethimes there is cases when different meanings of a word can get together and produce a full
meaning, without breaking the last step (Jn 20:21).

d) If one word is used in one passage more that once, we can suppose that could have the same meaning in
the whole passage (Mt 8:28).
3. Inner helps to the explanation of the words
Here arises the question ¿how an interpreter can describe better the meaning of in a given passage?
We can think that the more effective way is consulting a dictionary or a good comment. in the case, when the
interpreter has to judge for himself, will going to be neccesary the use of inner helps.

Some inner helps:

a) Definitions or explanations that the authors gives by themselfes, are the more effective help (Gn 24:2; Tim
3:17).

b) The subject and the predicate of one proposition explain each other (Rom 8:19-20).

c) The parallelism can serve to determinate the meaning of one word.

d) The parallel passages are an important help.

could be verbal parallel or real parallel. Between the verbal parallel we have parallels of words or phrases.
4. Use of figurative words
a) Principal “tropos” used in the Holy Scripture
-metaphor, metonymy and synecdoche.

b) Inner resources for determine if the intention is offer a literal or figurative sense
- texts like the laws, the historical books, philosophical books, between others, have the
purpose of gives us the most precision and clarity possible.
- there is a old hermeneuthical rule that said: every word must be understood in it literal way,
at least that literal interpretation implies a contradiction itself.
- the most important media are the mentionated before, is very important that the interpreter
can guide by them.
4. Use of figurative words
c) Useful principles for interpreting the figurative language of the bible
- is very important consider some aspects of the context of the passage, because the use of
the “tropos” as: geographic characteristics of Jerusalem, religious institutions of Israel, the
history of the antique people of God, and the daily life and customs of the places that appear in
the bible.

- the interpreter has to make an effort to discover which is the principal idea, mostly when the
author use metaphors, because we could start to thinking in a lot of things, but is important keep
in the line of the text.

- we have to consider that any metaphor about God or the future glory in heaven, never is
going to be good enough to describe it, but helps us to have an idea of how is God and how is
going to be our life in heaven.

- is possible to write in literal words a big part of the literal language of the bible, BUT we have
to be clear that in many situations is not going to be posible, for example, in the passages about
God and the eternal subjects.
5. The interpretation of thoughts
Now, we are going to talk about the words, but in a global way, inside a phrase, related to the thoughts. When
we analized the formal thinking, we are talking about a “logical interpretation”. Because the bible was wrote by
diferent persons, guided by the Holy Spirit of God, we have to considerer the same rules to analize the texts
that we now to analize any text: idioms y figures of the thought, order of the words in a sentence, special
meaning of different cases and prepositions, logical conection of diferent clauses and sentences, and
develop of the thinking through the whole passage.
a) Idioms and special figures of thinking

Every language have idioms and is important to considerer at the time of the interpretation. There is different
figures depending of what the author of the text wants to expresse. For example there’s figures that promoves a
real representation of the reality (as the alegory), or make “soft” an expression (as the euphemism), etc.

b) The order of the words in a sentence

It is important to considerer the original language that was used to write that passage: mostly hebrew in the old
testament and mostly greek in the new testament.

c) The special meaning of the cases and prepositions

d) The logical conection between the different and sentences.

It is related to the gramathical and is necessary the study of participles and conjuctions.

e) Develop of the thinking of a whole section.

6. Inner helps for the thought’s interpretation
The bible itself has some “helps” for the logical understanding of its content.

a) Special scope of the author

It is very important to considerer that every author of the bible, the intention at the moment they wrote.
Every of them has a special idea at the moment of writting and they use specific words, examples,
idioms, etc to get to that point.

b) The connection
is related to read the whole section and tried to understand what is saying the text based in everything
we see until here.

c) The parallelism also can help in the interpretation of thinking.

7. Outer helps for the gramathical interpretation
a) Books

These resources consist in books that can help to the interpreter in his study of the Holy Scripture.
Between them we most distinguish:

- the gramathics of the original languages

- lexicographics dictionaries

- concordances

- exegetical and explicatives comentaries

7. Outer helps for the gramathical interpretation
b) Right use of comentaries
- Try to not make use of the comentaries at least that be really neccesary. First, make
your own study, based in the principles learned through the gramathical
interpretation.
- If after of have doing an appropiated study of the word, you still need to consulting
one or more comentaries, try to evoid the “practical” comentaries.
- If you do your study, and wanted to consulted one comentary, try to do it with a list of
specific questions.
- When you finish your study, is a good idea to compare your own conclusions and
interpretations with the conclusions and interpretations of other authors.