“None of the daughters of Israel shall be a cult prostitute, and none of the sons of Israel shall be a cult prostitute. You shall not bring the fee of a prostitute or the wages of a dog into the house of the Lord your God in payment for any vow, for both of these are an abomination to the Lord your God.” Well, that’s an awkward way to begin an article… 

Many years ago, my family and I were visiting a church, and during Sunday school, they were going through the book of Deuteronomy; we came to this text. When the teacher tried to exposit the meaning of “the price of a dog shall not be brought into the house of the Lord your God”, the gentleman taught that, if you breed dogs, you shouldn’t tithe on that money, to which I leaned over to my wife said, “he just said what?”. Context matters. Hermeneutics matter.  

The Scriptures teach us that everything that we need for life and godliness are contained within the Word of God (2 Peter 1:3). And as we read and study the Scriptures, we must learn how to rightly divide the word of truth. And by rightly dividing the word of truth, we can properly interpret, understand, and apply the truth to the issues and the struggles of life. 

The theologian D.A. Carson frames it this way – “A text without context is a pretext for a prooftext.” So, how do we avoid taking a text and misinterpreting and misapplying it? The answer – having a correct hermeneutic that allows for proper biblical interpretation and application.  

At this point you may be asking, “what is a hermeneutic.” 

Hermeneutics is the study of the principles and methods used to interpret Scripture. For the nerds (like me), the word comes from the Greek term hermēneuō, meaning “to interpret,” “to explain,” or “to translate.” It’s related to Hermes, the Greek messenger god—one who delivered and interpreted the messages of the gods—hence, the idea of conveying meaning clearly. 

There are several systems or frameworks that have been developed throughout church history that have arranged orthodox  interpretation principles in ways that form the lens through which we view and interpret the overall storyline of scripture. Most often, our hermeneutical system determines, among other things, our eschatology (how we view and understand last things) and the how (not the what) of Soteriology or salvation. 

The purpose of this article is to offer a simple, practical method to Bible study that can easily be replicated when daily searching the Scriptures. This method of study is most often referred to as ‘Inductive Bible Study’ which is meant to help the believer properly interpret, understand, and apply the text of scripture to our lives. There are three basic principles involved in this form of study: 1. Observation, 2. Interpretation, and 3. Application. The following is a brief explanation. 

Observation 

In observation, we ask the question, “what does the text say.” In this, we look at the structure, the literary style, and identify the words and phrases that may be important to our text. Through observation, we gather information by: 

1. Reading intentionally – Look at the text in its immediate and larger context. 

2. Noting key words and phrases – Especially verbs, repeated words, connectors (for, therefore, but, so that), and terms that are emphasized. 

3. Identifying structure – Sentences, paragraphs, stanzas, literary form (narrative, poetry, prophecy, epistle, etc.). 

4. Looking for contrasts, comparisons, cause and effect – These often reveal the author’s intent. 

5. Asking the “who, what, when, where, why, how” questions. 

6. Discovering historical and cultural context – Note places, customs, people, and background information. (Note: there are many good and even free resources to help with this) 

Interpretation 

In interpretation, we ask, “what does the text mean.” We are not to ask, “what does the text mean to me”- asking this question leads to a subjective interpretation. The proper interpretation of any text is discovered by: 

1. Context – Interpret a verse in light of its paragraph, chapter, book, and the whole Bible. 

2. Theological/Doctrinal consistency – Scripture is the best commentary of Scripture, God’s word does not contract itself, the meaning of any text will be in harmony with the rest of God’s word. 

3. Word meanings – Study the original Hebrew/Greek words. This sounds overwhelming, but modern technology makes this easily available to us.  

4. Grammar and syntax – Observe verb tenses, voice, mood, and sentence flow. Verse parsing and mapping helps. 

5. Historical-cultural background – Consider how the original audience would have understood it. 

6. Authorial intent – Ask, “What did the inspired human author mean under the Spirit’s guidance.” 

Study helps such as commentaries, dictionaries, concordances, and books on customs are all available through software such as Logos and many times are available for free. 

Application 

In application, we ask the question, “how does this text apply.” Proper application involves the truth applying to all people, of all time, everywhere. There’s no such thing as your truth, my truth, their truth – there is only The Truth. So first, ask how does this apply to all people of all ages, cultures, and societies. Then, we can ask how the truth taught in the text applies to the church corporately and to our lives personally.  

Practical application can be discovered by: 

1. Making distinctions between descriptive and prescriptive passages. That is, is the particular passage describing people, events, or actions, or is it telling us this is what we should (prescribing) do.  

2. Revealing Christ, the gospel, and God’s kingdom. How does the text point to or reveal Jesus and His message and authority and rule over life. 

3. Submitting to the truth in adjusting what we believe, how we live, our attitude, and our character. 

4. Personally responding through worship, obedience, proclaiming the gospel, etc. 

I know that reading this may, at first, seem overwhelming. But if you are willing, and by God’s grace, you can employ these principles in a routine and systematic way over a short period of time. The benefits are well worth it. By proper study, you too will recognize that when you read or hear Deuteronomy 23:17 that the Scripture isn’t trying to regulate dog-breeding profits.