Andrew Reid (These notes are not to be copied or shared ...€¦ · The Hermeneutical Spiral: A...

Andrew Reid

(These notes are not to be copied or shared without permission from

Andrew. He can be contacted at [email protected])

Course Outline

Week 1

Part One Introducing Biblical Interpretation

A. An Introduction to Biblical Interpretation

B. A Model for Interpretation: The Five Looks

Part Two Exegesis and Observation

A. Exegesis and Observation (Look Up! Look Down!)

B. Observation Illustrated (Jonah 1)

Week 2

Part Three The Details of Exegesis

A. Answering the Questions Raised by Observation

B. Exegesis Illustrated (Jonah 1)

Part Four Genre and Reading Below the Surface

A. Understanding Genre and Illustrating it (Jonah 1)

B. Reading ‘Below the Surface’

Week 3

Part Five Biblical Theology

A. Understanding Biblical Theology (Look Back! Look Forward!)

B. Biblical Theology Illustrated (Jonah 1)

Part Six Application

A. Understanding Application (Look Here!)

B. Application Illustrated (Jonah 1)

Books and Stuff

Suggested Key Books to Read (Optional)

Either…

Nigel Beynon and Andrew Sach, Dig Deeper: Tools to Unearth the

Bible’s Treasure (Nottingham: InterVarsity, 2005)

Or…

Vaughan Roberts, God’s Big Picture: Tracing the Storyline of the

Bible (Nottingham: InterVarsity, 2002)

Helpful Further Reading

Alexander, T. Desmond, and Rosner, Brian S., eds. New Dictionary of

Biblical Theology. Leicester: Inter-Varsity Press, 2000.

Brent, Sandy D. and Giese, Ronald L. Cracking the Old Testament

Codes: A Guide to Interpreting the Literary Genres of the Old

Testament. Nashville: Broadman and Holman, 1995.

Fee, Gordon D., and Stuart, Douglas, How the Read the Bible for All Its

Worth. Third Edition. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2003.

Kaiser, Walter C., and Silva, Moisés. An Introduction to Biblical

Hermeneutics: The Search for Meaning. Grand Rapids: Zondervan,

1994.

Klein, William W., Craig L. Blomberg, and Robert L. Hubbard.

Introduction to Biblical Interpretation. Revised and Expanded.

Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2004.

Osborne, Grant R. The Hermeneutical Spiral: A Comprehensive

Introduction to Biblical Interpretation. Revised and Expanded.

Downers Grove: InterVarsity, 2006.

Overall Purpose of the Course

The subject is designed to introduce participants to the concepts of

biblical interpretation through the use of the ‘Five Looks’ model and to

illustrate its use in relation to the book of Jonah.

Aims

• To present an understanding of the nature of biblical

interpretation.

• To introduce and explain a transferable model of biblical

interpretation.

• To illustrate the model of biblical interpretation from the book of

Jonah.

• To enable participants to explore biblical interpretation for

themselves through using the model on a particular passage of

scripture

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this subject, participants will be able to:

• Interpret a passage of the Bible in a way that is true to its original

meaning and which is applied to their own lives

• Explain to others a transferable model of biblical interpretation.

• Be able to understand key concepts of biblical interpretation

such as exegesis, biblical theology, and application.

Part One (A and B)

Introducing Biblical Interpretation

Aims

• To introduce the concept of interpretation and its implications

for reading the Bible.

• To introduce and give an overview of the ‘Five Looks’ model of

biblical interpretation.

• To give a broad overview of the policies that form translation

approaches to the Bible and the subsequent benefits of different

English translations of the Bible.

• To illustrate how to read a whole book of the Bible (Jonah) and

break it up into manageable blocks for further study.

Learning Outcomes

At the completion of this lesson, participants will be able to:

• Explain the broad differences in approach to Bible translation and

the benefits of each.

• Outline the five key elements of the ‘Five Looks’ approach to

interpreting the Bible.

• Use concepts learnt to break a small book of the Bible up into

manageable blocks for further study.

Part 1 (A)

Introducing Biblical Interpretation

Starting with a Story

Jonah knew the story well.

It was in the second book of the Law.

God had performed a spectacular rescue of his people.

A malevolent, anti-God Pharaoh had forced them into cruel slavery.

They had groaned deeply because of their slavery.

They cried out for help.

And the Lord heard.

He remembered his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

He saw the people of Israel.

He knew.

And he came down.

He waged war on Pharaoh and rescued his people in a spectacular

show of power.

He bore them on eagle’s wings and brought them to himself.

Then he entered into covenant with Israel.

He made them his treasured possession.

His kingdom of priests.

His holy nation.

He gave them his law.

Then the most disastrous and shameful event occurred.

At the very time when Moses was up on the mountain of God…

Under the very eye of the Lord…

Israel engaged in idolatry at the base of the mountain.

They made a golden calf.

Then the told each other that it was this golden calf that brought them

up out of the land of Egypt.

It was a terrible sin.

And God responded in anger.

He threatened to wipe out the people and form a new nation from

Moses.

But Moses interceded.

He begged God to relent.

And remarkably he did.

Oh, he did punish sin.

But he did not do away with is nation.

He continued to be their God.

And shortly after this incident he revealed himself to Moses.

He physically passed before Moses.

And he proclaimed his name and his nature to him.

These are the words he spoke to Moses. 6… ‘The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious

God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, 7maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness,

rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty

unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for

the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.’

[Exodus 34:6–7; NIV]

Israel now knew their God in a special way.

He was the Lord.

He was a God who relents from sending disaster.

He may judge, but his overwhelming disposition is mercy, grace,

steadfast love, and faithfulness.

This is who he is.

This is what he is like.

Jonah the prophet knew this.

And that’s why he was packing his bags.

For this very morning the word of the Lord came to Jonah.

And that word was clear and unequivocal.

Jonah was to get up and go.

He was to head off to Nineveh, that renowned evil, God-hating, God’s

people hating nation.

And he was to call out against it.

But Jonah would have nothing of it.

He remembered the golden calf incident.

He knew God’s nature to have mercy.

He knew God relented from sending disaster.

And he had a strong suspicion that if this was his nature it would not be

restricted to Israel.

It would even extend to Nineveh, that great and evil city.

And so he Jonah would not go.

Instead, he would head off in the opposite direction.

Though he hated the sea, he would go down to Joppa.

He would find a ship going to Tarshish.

And he would flee God’s presence and God’s word.

Friends, my name is Andrew Reid and I want to welcome you to this

Ridley Certificate course on Understanding Your Bible.

Now, you might think that this story of Jonah is a strange place to start.

However, I’ve chosen it deliberately.

You see, the course that I’ve designed is fundamentally a course about


You see, the story of the golden calf incident in Exodus 32 is a key one

in the Bible.

So is God’s revelation of himself to Moses in Exodus 34.

And within the Bible we see a number of people engage in biblical

interpretation of this story and this revelation.

Jonah is one of them.

And he tells us in chapter 4 of his book that his interpretation caused

him to run away.

You see, chapter 4 tells us that Jonah knew that if God was like he

revealed himself in Exodus 32 and 34, then he would not stop at

turning his anger away from Israel.

His nature would open up the possibility of forgiving even evil cities

like Nineveh.

So, Jonah read his Bible.

He interpreted his Bible.

He understood his Bible.

He applied what he read to his own context.

And he acted.

Of course, although he interpreted the Bible properly, his application

was the wrong one.

He should have obeyed God and preached to Nineveh.

Anyway, as you probably know, God stopped him in his tracks and

then called him again and sent him again to Nineveh.

And then God did exactly what Jonah had anticipated.

And so, what this story of Jonah tells us is that biblical interpretation is

a very ancient skill.

It goes back to the Bible itself.

Now, having shown you this, let me introduce you to what we are going

to do in this first session.

Goals for Our First Lesson

Our first session has very modest goals.

First, I want to introduce you to the concept of interpretation in

general.

Second, I want to introduce you to the nature of the Bible so that we

can know what it is we are interpreting and how to go about it.

Third, I want to explain the nature of biblical interpretation.

And finally, I will just say a brief word about bible translations.

What is Interpretation?

Okay, let’s start by thinking about interpretation.

Interpretation is a fundamental human skill.

You are doing it now as you listen to me.

If you drove a car today you did it.

For example, perhaps you saw this sign.

Hopefully, when you did, you interpreted what it said and took your

foot off the accelerator and place it on the brake.

In other words, you saw an instruction.

You interpreted it.

And you did something in response.

You applied it.

Or perhaps you saw this sign.

Now, I don’t know if you have this equivalent in Singapore.

However, in Australia this one has now become so familiar in

Australian cities that nearly all drivers understand it and its

implications.

It means that there is a school nearby and that a particularly strict

obedience is required at particular times of the day.

Perhaps because of a past experience with a speed camera and/or a

police person, we also know that disobedience can be painful.

So, we can might not only have a cognitive response but also an

emotional one.

In any case, we engage in interpretation.

Now road signs are but one example of just how fundamental

interpretation is to our existence.

Relating to our spouse, our children, our parents, and our friends, all

requires interpretation.

We might have to read verbal cues or even non-verbal ones.

Watching movies requires interpretation.

As does reading sms messages.

Or searching the Internet.

Or catching public transport.

Nearly every activity we engage in as human beings involves us in

interpretation.

Interpretation is a natural skill required of us as humans.

However, let me say that good interpretation can sometimes require

hard work.

Those of us who are married know this.

As do those of us who are parents.

Sometimes words and actions need hard work and even interaction if

we are to understand them properly and make proper responses.

Interpretation is a natural skill required of us as humans.

However, good interpretation requires good skills

It sometimes requires learning good interpretative skills.

They might include developing skills such as listening, questioning,

observation, and communication skills.

The Nature of the Bible

So, we’ve now introduced the notion of interpretation.

However, before we apply it to the Bible, we need to think about the

nature of the Bible.

There are a number of foundational or key things about the Bible that

we need to grasp before we attempt to interpret it.

Now there is so much that I could say here, but I just want to some key

ones.

A written document

The first thing to say sounds a bit stupid but it needs to be said.

The Bible is a written document.

It is not some kaleidoscope of images put together, even though its

words might conjure up images in our minds.

It is not a piece of music, even though its words were often set to

music.

It is a library of written works.

And that means that to understand it we are going to have to

understand how to interpret words.

We are going to have to read and understand words.

This is the first thing about the Bible: it is a written document and good

interpretation involves us developing good reading skills.

A translated document

The second thing to say about the Bible is that it is a translated

document.

It was originally written in three major languages.

The most used language used in writing the Bible is Hebrew.

Most of the Old Testament is written in Hebrew.

The second most used language used for writing the Bible is Greek.

The New Testament is written in Greek.

The third language used for writing the Bible is Aramaic.

There are various Aramaic sections of the Old Testament.

For example, a large part of the book of Daniel was written in Aramaic.

Now for most of us, we are going to rely on someone else translating

the Bible into English for us.

And we have so many good English translations of the Bible.

However, we should remember that all translations have to make

choices about what words to use.

Just being aware of that will help us as we seek to interpret the Bible.

The Bible as the Word of God

These first two things about the nature of the Bible are fairly mundane.

However, these next two are fundamentally important to know and

remember.

The most important thing to remember is that as Christians we believe

that the Bible is the inspired word of God.

In 2 Timothy 3:16–17 the Apostle Paul is speaking about the Old

Testament Scriptures and says these words: 16All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching,

rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17so that

the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every

good work. [2 Timothy 3:16–17; NIV]

Although Paul is speaking about the Old Testament in particular, his

words equally apply to the rest of Scripture.

The Scriptures are said with the very breath of God.

They are inspired.

They are from him.

In this sense, the Bible is the word of God to humanity.

It is a book from the mouth of a divine author conveying timeless

truth.

The implications of this for interpretation are profound and we will

begin to explore them in our next session.

However, at the moment, we can say that this means that the Bible will

have implications for us.

Even more, it means that studying the Bible is not just an interesting

academic exercise.

It is listening to the living God speak.

This means that we will come to the interpretation of the Bible with

reverence and fear.

We will also open our hearts and will to be willing to obey what we

hear.

Moreover, since all the Bible comes from God, we will expect there to

be an overall unity about it.

It will hold together as a whole.

The Bible as the word of humans

So, when we interpret the Bible we should interpret it as the Word of

God.

However, there is another side to this.

The other side is that the Bible is also written by humans under the

inspiration of God.

In other words, while being under the inspiration of God, the Bible is

also written by humans in human situations to other humans in their

own situation.

If we were to combine this with our previous point we could say that

The Bible is a book with human authors that conveys

timeless truths from God couched in human words.

Of course, this does not mean that the authors of the Bible were robots

or automatons who lent their hands and pens to God.

On the contrary, when each author wrote he had his own personality,

his own history and his own way of expressing himself.

Moreover, when he wrote he did so as a human being of his age, with

various preconceptions concerning the nature of man, the world, and

society.

He wrote with the language and idiom of his surroundings to an

audience who also held the various preconceptions of their age

concerning the nature of man, the world, and society.

One of the implications of all of this is that what the Bible says to us will

arise out of what the author said to his original readers.

Therefore, our understanding of what is being said in the Bible will be

enhanced by finding out what we can of the world, situation, history,

personality and language of both the author and the original reader.

So, to be good readers of the Bible we are going to have to not only be

good readers.

We are also going to have to develop some other skills as well.

Sometimes we are going to have to dabble in history and geography

and perhaps even a bit of ancient politics if we are going to understand

what someone is saying.

The Nature of Biblical Interpretation

So, let’s see if we can summarise the nature of the Bible and biblical

interpretation.

First, the primary point of focus for us is to hear the word of God.

God’s word for to us comes in the form of Scripture.

Scripture was written under the guidance and oversight of God

through his Holy Spirit.

However, the agents for writing it were human beings separated from

us in time and language.

What’s more, the people who received the original writings of

Scripture are separated from us in time and language.

So, to interpret Scripture properly we are going to have to not only

understand words, but understand the original context from which

they were written and to which they were written.

Perhaps an example would help here.

Biblical interpretation can be likened to time travel (illustrate).

A Note on Bible Translations

Before finishing off this session, it would be helpful to say a brief word

about Bible translations.

Bible translations vary an enormous amount.

On one end of the spectrum, we have translations that work hard on

trying to translate more literally, or to have a word for word

equivalence.

This was the default way of translating up until fifty years or so ago.

There are still some translations that have this general policy.

The best known ones are the NASB and the ESV.

At the other end of the spectrum are paraphrases.

Eugene Petersen’s ‘The Message’ lies at this end of the spectrum.

Somewhere in the middle are translations that try to translate more

along the lines of idea for idea.

A good example of this can be found in the Good News Bible.

Even other translation sit somewhere between word for word and idea

for idea translations.

A good example of this might be the various versions of the NIV

translation.

On top of these considerations, translations vary according to how

they translate gender related language.

For this course, the best option is to use a more literal or ‘word for

word’ translation for your detailed work on the text of Scripture if you

have access to one.

However, a good moderating translation which is entirely adequate for

our purposes would be the standard used at Ridley, the NIV11.

It is also the version that I would recommend as a good all purpose

Bible.

My approach will be to use the NIV11 in general.

However, occasionally I may refer to one or other more literal

translations.

Part 1 (B)

Introducing a Model for Biblical

Interpretation

Remembering Where We Were

Welcome back to this series of presentations on understanding your

Bible!

You may remember in our last session that I introduced you to a key

passage from the book of Exodus.

The story was all about how Israel had sinned in the incident with the

golden calf.

It was a heinous sin.

A terrible event from a people who had just entered covenant with

God.

Nevertheless, God relented from sending disaster.

He revealed his nature and his name to Moses.

You may also remember that Jonah used this story and this revelation

to run away from God’s call upon him.

Well, I want to start this session by telling you some great news.

You haven’t heard the last of Jonah!

In fact, throughout these series of presentations we are going to take a

look at the book of Jonah.

It is going to be the book that I use to illustrate principles of biblical

interpretation as we go along.

So, look forward to learning some great things.

That’s the first thing I want to say before we get underway.

Remembering what we learnt

The second thing I want to do as we begin this presentation is to

remember what we learnt in the last lesson.

You may remember that I said that interpretation is a basic and

fundamental human skill.

We do it all day, every day.

Then I explained that there are four things we need to remember

about the nature of the Bible.

Each of them has implications.

First, the Bible is a written document, made up of a library of written

documents.

The implication is that when we interpret it, we need to use all the

good reading and interpreting skills that you’d use on any written

document.

Second, the Bible is a translated document, originally written in a

language that most of us can’t understand.

The implication of this is that when we interpret it, we need to not

forget this.

Translations cannot always capture everything the original language

captured and so sometime we might need to do some extra work.

Third, the Bible is the Word of God.

This means that when we are reading it, God is speaking to us.

We are listening to the living God speak when we read it.

So, we are going to have to come with open hearts, reverence, and

even fear.

We are going to have to be ready to obey.

Also, because it come from God, it will have an overall unity and will

hold together as a whole.

The fourth point is that the Bible is a book written by humans who

lived in a different time and place from us.

Therefore when we read the Bible we are going to have to be sensitive

to their context.

We are also going to have to do some careful thinking about how it

applies to us in our context.

Finally, in our previous session we briefly reflected on different

translations and I recommended that for this course you stick with a

version that is at the more literal end of the spectrum of translations.

So, with this groundwork done, we can now get started.

In this session, I want to accomplish two things.

First, I want to introduce my little model of biblical interpretation.

I developed it over a number of years and it is a standard model of

interpretation used at Ridley.

It is also used by Langham Preaching in teaching pastors around the

world how to understand a Bible passage as they prepare to preach.

It is designed so that it can be easily memorised and understood.

If you want a name for it, you could call it ‘The Five Looks’.

An Introduction to ‘The Five Looks’

So, let’s take a look at it together.

It’s called ‘The Five Looks’ because it is based around the analogy of

looking.

The five points are designed so that you can remember them on the

fingers of one hand:

[hold up the fingers of one hand]

Look up, look down, look backward, look forward, look here.

Now I will show you the model in diagrammatic form.

[Put up slide … perhaps put it up again whenever a new point is

introduced]

An important presupposition: The ‘double

authorship’ of scripture

So, let’s take a look at it together.

It’s called ‘The Five Looks’ because it is based around the analogy of

looking.

The five points are designed so that you can remember them on the

fingers of one hand:

[hold up the fingers of one hand]

Look up, look down, look backward, look forward, look here.

Now I will show you the model in diagrammatic form.

[Put up slide … perhaps put it up again whenever a new point is

introduced]

A short overview

STEP 1: Look up!

[Show diagram]

Step 1 in the process is to ‘look up’.

This step arises out of the fact that the Bible is God’s word.

Because the Bible is God’s word we read it with reverence and

humility, ready to worship, obey, and serve the God who speaks to us

through it.

So, this is the first thing that we must do when we come to study the

Bible and prepare to preach or teach it.

We look up to God in PRAYER AND FAITH.

We trust that he will help us interpret his word through his Spirit, that

he will speak to us through it, and that he will be at work in us to

transform us through it, working in us to help us to believe and obey

what we hear.

STEP 2: Look down!

[Show diagram]

Now let’s turn to Step 2.

Step 2 in the process is to ‘look down’.

This step arises out of the Bible being the words of human beings.

The people who wrote the book we are reading and the people to

whom it was addressed lived in a particular context, with their own

language, culture and history.

So, looking down means looking at the text itself and studying it very

carefully.

It means finding out as much as we can about the authors, their

historical and cultural situation, the languages in which they wrote

and the readers for whom they originally wrote.

It also means looking at the methods that they use to convey their

message.

The technical term for this part of the task of interpreting the Bible is

EXEGESIS.

Exegesis is about drawing out from the text what it meant its original

context.

It seeks to do this because the more we understand what a text meant

in its original context, the more we will understand what God wants to

say to us through those words now.

STEP 3: Look backward!

[Show diagram]


Step 3 is about beginning to grasp what place this passage has in the

whole of the Bible.

Here we ask ourselves how this passage of the Bible fits into how God

has already revealed himself.

Some of this involves examining how this passage fits into the

storyline of the Bible as a whole.

However, the main emphasis here is examining how this passage fits

theologically into God’s revelation that has been given previously.

Steps 3 and 4 combined arise out the Bible being the word of God and

the words of human beings.

Because it is the word of God, there will be a unity and coherence

across all of scripture which we will seek to identify and understand.

STEP 4: Look forward!

Now let’s explore Step 4.

[Show diagram]

In Step 4 we seek to look forward.

This is the place where we recognise that this passage of the Bible is

part of God’s great purposes in Jesus Christ.

So, we ask how this particular passage fits into God’s Christ-shaped

purposes for the world.

Steps 3 and 4 together are all about the task of BIBLICAL THEOLOGY.

They are about how the Bible hangs together theologically.

STEP 5: Look here!


[Put up diagram]

Step 5 is all about APPLICATION or CONTEXTUALISATION.

In the diagram, it is indicated by the words ‘us’ in the circle.

Having understood the passage in its original context and its larger

Biblical context, we now turn to our own context.

We ask ourselves how the passage of Scripture we are looking at

impacts upon us in a situation that is somewhat distant from the

original readers or hearers.

By the way, you might wonder why I’ve put the word ‘us’ rather than

the word ‘me’.

The reason for this is that most of Scripture is not so much addressed

to us as individuals but us as a group of believers in God.

Unfortunately, we often think that the Bible is our own private and

personal revelation which only affects us.

No.

On the contrary, while the Bible has profound personal implications, it

is largely meant to be applied to groups of people.

It is directed toward ‘US’.

Important Things To Remember in Using the Model

So, there is our model in outline.

Now, when we use this model, it is important to recognise some key

points.

First, although the model is pictured and explained in quite a linear

fashion (that is, it appears as though you systematically work through

each of the points consecutively), the reality is that biblical

interpretation is a dynamic process.

In this process each of the elements are constantly interacting with

the text and the other elements and combining to adjust our total

understanding of the passage we are studying.

Second, not every part of the model will apply to all passages.

For example, when we are engaged in the exegesis of a passage there

may be no historical or geographical elements that are significant for

understanding the passage.

Third, Biblical interpretation is not simply an academic exercise.

It is a spiritual exercise and therefore needs the constant guidance and

help of God through his Spirit.

We will therefore be constantly asking him to be at work as we engage

in this task.

So, that is our model in outline.

In the next sessions we are gradually going to work through each step

in more detail.

However, that’s for a future session.

What I want to do for the remainder of this session is to get started

looking at the book of Jonah.

A Case Study: Jonah

The Structure of the Book of Jonah

Whenever you are looking at a particular passage in the Bible, the best

way to start is to break up the book into manageable sections.

Now, you could rely on the break-ups that other people give in Bible

Dictionaries, Study Bibles, or commentaries.

However, the best thing to do is to try it yourself.

Fortunately with a short book like Jonah it’s pretty easy.

However, the same principles apply to longer books as well.

So, let’s have a go at Jonah.

Step 1: Get Acquainted

The very first thing to do is to take up the book that you have chosen

and simply read it through from beginning to end without stopping.

My guess is that even for slower readers, this should take less than 20

minutes, as long as you don’t stop to go and make a coffee or answer

the phone.

Now read it again.

This time have a pen in hand.

As you go, write down your first impressions.

For example…

What parts strike you?

What sorts of reactions do you have to the book?

What sorts of reactions do you have to characters in it?

Who are the heroes?

Who are the villains?

What areas of life does it seem to address?

What questions does it raise for you?

What is its mood?

Does it remind you of any other parts of Scripture?

Now, I’ve done this exercise myself and on this slide you’ll see a little

mindmap of my first reading questions.

[insert slide on Second Reading]

Why is Jonah so rebellious?

What's Jonah's view of God?

How is it that Jonah doesn't act like other prophets when he is called?

What would I do in Jonah's situation?

The picture of God is striking: He is powerful, compassionate, caring

to both Jews and pagans, etc.

Is it right to talk to God the way Jonah does?

Jonah has a freedom in interacting with God that I'd be scared to

exercise. Am I wrong or is Jonah wrong?

I really like the book. It's punchy and down to earth. In a funny way I

like Jonah too. He's easy to identify with. Why?

What is the Psalm doing there?

Who are the heroes in the book (Jonah, the mariners, or the

Ninevites)?

Did this really happen?

What's this business about the fish?

So, that’s the second time through.

Remember, there are no right or wrong answers here.

You are just giving first impressions.

It’s sort of like jotting down your thoughts on a person you’ve met for

the first time or your impressions of a spectacular piece of scenery

that you’ve seen for the first time.

Now, read it for a third time.

Keep your pen or pencil in hand or your fingers on a keyboard.

This time jot down the principle topics and dominant ideas that are

taken up, addressed, or interacted with in the book.

Also note down when the focus changes.

For example, when does the focus of the action change?

Or when does the focus change from one person to another?

Or when does the focus change from one location to another?

Or even, when does the focus change from one type of literature to

another?

Here’s another question to try at this time?

Are there any little summaries or opening and closing statements that

might indicate that one section is ending or another one beginning?

Again, I’ve done this exercise myself and here are my results.

[insert slide on Third Reading]

It seemed to me that on a cursory reading the principle topics

addressed by the book are:

God's character and nature.

Jonah's attitude to non-Jews compared with God's attitude.

God's love for his people.

The relationship between the prophet and the word of God which he

brings.

Step 2: Make up an outline of the book

So, that’s step 1 done.

By now you should have a good feel for the book, particularly if it’s a

short book.

Now read it again.

This time make a provisional outline of the structure of the book.

The aim here is to see how the author has laid out his material and how

each part is related to the other.

As you do this, don't forget that the original author didn't put in the

chapter breaks, verse numbers or headings.

All of these have been added by people wanting to be helpful and

unfortunately not all of them have been!

If you are dealing with a small book like Jonah, then look for major

divisions.

To do this, look for breaks in thought, connecting words, and changes

in the person who is the focus.

Once you’ve got the major sections, a good idea is to give each section

a title that states the content of the section.

The next stage is to take this a little bit further.

Now look for natural subdivisions following the same procedure you

used for the larger sections.

Again, give a title to the sub-section.

If at all possible, make the title of the sub-section relate to the major

title of the major division.

Example: Jonah

Now, I’ve done this little exercise on Jonah myself and here’s what I

came up with.

First, as I read through it I thought that the chapter divisions in NIV

Bible were basically right.

The book could be divided into four sections.

The first two sections concerned Jonah and his flight from God and his

word.

The second two sections concerned Nineveh and its acceptance of

God's word.

Both sections have a rescue or deliverance.

Jonah is rescued in chapter 2.

The Ninevites are delivered from sin and punishment in chapter 3.

Both have a record of Jonah’s reaction, one in chapter 2 and one in

chapter 3.

So, here’s my draft outline.

[Insert slide: Jonah division version 1]–

1.1-2.10 Jonah at sea

1.1-17 Fleeing and fearing God.

2.1-10 God rescues Jonah

3.1-4.11 Jonah at Nineveh

3.1-10 God rescues Nineveh

4.1-11 Disputing God’s generosity

For larger books

Read the book paragraph by paragraph, giving a title to each (a word or

phrase).

Combine the paragraphs into units, logically relating them in terms of

thought, event, content or character, giving a title to each unit.

Combine units into sections, and sections into divisions following a

similar procedure, again giving a title to each.

Step 3: Consult a Commentary or Bible Dictionary

Consult a commentary or Bible dictionary.

Most commentaries or Bible dictionaries give an outline of the

structure of a book. Compare yours with theirs. Don't automatically

assume that they are right! Adjust your outline as you see fit.

You could have done this at the start and saved yourself a lot of

trouble, but you would not have gained a feel for the book yourself, nor

would you have read the Bible yourself (which is the purpose of this

whole exercise)!

Anyway, that’s the end of our second lesson and this week’s session.

I trust that you’ve enjoyed relearning some old things and taking in

some new things.

However, we’ve only just started.

I hope that you’ll begin to use the skills you’re learning in your own

reading of the Bible this coming week.

Part 1 (A and B)

Discussion/Reflection Questions

Think back to the last argument you had with someone. How much of

the argument as due to issues of interpretation?

Without looking at notes. Write down the five points of the ‘Five

Looks’ method. Are there any you don’t understand? What parts don’t

you understand? Why?

If you are in a group, compare at least three Bible translations of one or

both of these passages: Psalm 46 and Romans 1:16–17 (if you are on

your own and have internet access, you might compare three

translations of these verses on www.biblia.com).

How do the versions differ? Which one is the most readable? Which

one makes you work harder at trying to work out its meaning? Do the

differences between translations change the meaning? How?

Taking it further

Choose either the book of Jonah or Titus and read through the book as

suggested in the second lecture. Compare your results to the

translators headings in your Bible or those given in a study Bible or

Bible dictionary.

Part 2 (A and B)

Exegesis and Observation

Aims

• To introduce the concept of observation and how it functions

within exegesis.

• To outline and illustrate the major observations questions used

to interrogate a text.

• To illustrate the use of observation questions on Jonah.

Learning Outcomes

At the completion of this lesson, participants will be able to:

• Understand the difference between simply reading a passage and

‘observing’ it.

• Analyse a passage of Scripture by asking of it six key observation

questions.

• Identify key words that may be important for unlocking the

meaning of a passage.

Part 2 (A)

Exegesis and Observation

(Look Up! Look Down!)

Introduction

Dr Watson had seen very little of Sherlock Holmes lately.

But now, as he walked by his house in Baker Street, the well-

remembered door caused him to be seized with a desire to see Holmes

again.

He rang the bell and before long found himself before Holmes

standing before his fire.

Holmes waved Watson into an armchair and gave him a good looking

over.

‘Wedlock suits you,’ he remarked.

‘I think, Watson, that you have put on seven and a half pounds since I

saw you.’

‘Seven!’ I answered.

‘Indeed, I should have thought a little more.

Just a trifle more, I fancy, Watson.

And [you are] in practice [as a doctor] again, I observe.

And so Holmes goes on.

After a few minutes of conversation, he reveals to Watson some

intricate details of his life that dazzle Watson.

In amazement, he says to Holmes that he, Watson, has eyes that are as

good as those of Holmes, and yet he does not see what he sees.

And Holmes responds.

‘Quite so [Watson] … You see, but you do not observe. The distinction

is clear.’

It is this statement by Holmes that I want you to hear.

He is telling us a truth that we need to take on board if we are to

understand the Bible well.

You see, it is not enough to simply see.

What we need to do is observe.

It is not enough to see the text of Scripture.

What we need to do is to observe it.

With this said, let me welcome you back to this series of presentations

on understanding your Bible!

Welcome!

Let you remind you of our first two lessons.

In the first lesson, I introduced the concept of interpretation and noted

how much a part of life it is.

It is a basic and fundamental human skill which we practiced every

day.

In the second lesson, I introduced a model that I’ve developed for


It is based around five looks.

It is designed so that you can remember it on the five fingers of one

hand [hold up hand and point to each finger]

Step 1 is to ‘look up’ to God in PRAYER and FAITH.

Step 2 is ‘look down’.

It is about looking down at the text of Scripture and drawing out from it

what God is saying to the original readers.

This looking down at the text is often called EXEGESIS.

Step 3 is ‘look back’ to see what has led up to this passage in the rest of

Scripture.

Step 4 is ‘look forward’ to see how this passage fits into God’s

unfolding purposes that have their centre and end in Jesus.

Steps 3 and 4 are to be taken together.

Together they make up what we call BIBLICAL THEOLOGY.

Finally, we came to Step 5: ‘look here’.

This is all about application or contextualisation.

In other words, it is about the significance or implication of the

original passage for us as God’s people now.

So, that’s a brief refresher about where we’ve been so far.

The heart of biblical interpretation is the task of EXEGESIS.

So, in the next four to six lessons, this is what we are going to give our

focus to.

We are going to concentrate on ‘Look Down’, or EXEGESIS.

Today, we are going to look at one aspect of EXEGESIS, that is,

‘Observation’.

In the second lesson for today, I am going to take you through an

example of ‘observation’ from the book of Jonah.

So, let’s get started.

Introduction to Observation

First, let’s remember what we are doing.

We are taking on board the advice of Sherlock Holmes.

We are walking into the world of a Bible passage and we are not just

looking or seeing.

We are observing.

Second, we are picking up where we left off last time.

That is, we have a particular passage on which we’ve decided to do

some indepth study.

For example, we saw last time that the book of Jonah breaks up into

four sections.

We might have chosen one of those sections to study.

Now, with this in mind, let me tell you one of the best ways to start

observing a text.

It is to simply read it out loud.

Nearly every passage in the Bible was designed to be read aloud.

So, why not read it out loud as it was designed to be read.

Doing this task forces you to think about where the emphasis lies, what

is doing on, who is doing what, etcetera.

It will familiarise you with the passage.

So, before we get down to the nitty gritty of observation, read the

passage out loud.

Now, once you’ve done this, you could ask some set questions of the

text.

Most of the questions begin with the letter ‘W’.

One begins with the letter ‘H’.

The first question is ‘WHO?’ [Put UYB_Observation_01.jpg on Screen]

What we do here is that ask a whole series of ‘WHO’ questions of a

text.

For example…

WHO is the writer of this passage? Do we know? Does it matter?

WHO is the main actor in the story?

Is it God or another person?

If it is another person, who is that person?

WHO else is involved?

WHO meets whom?

WHO does what to whom?

You might like to simply write down a list of all the people involved.

Or you might draw some of the interactions that occur between the

people involved.

If you were doing this exercise on the little book of Philemon in the

New Testament, you’d find out great things.

For example, you’d find out that the letter is written by the Apostle

Paul.

It is addressed to Philemon, a Christian who is a friend and slave

owner.

It is all about a runaway slave called Onesimus.

However, if you dig a bit deeper you’ll notice that the letter is also

addressed to other people as well.

In other words, it’s an open letter about a somewhat private matter.

This changes the whole dynamic of how we read and understand it.

So, that’s the first ‘W’ question: ‘WHO?’

The second ‘W’ question is: ‘WHAT?’ [Put UYB_Observation_02.jpg on

Screen]

Again, we ask a whole series of ‘WHAT?’ questions of the text.

For example, WHAT happens?

WHAT actions does one person do to another?

WHAT are the results of those actions?

WHAT ideas are present in the passage?

These ‘WHAT’ questions are particularly important in narrative texts

of the Bible.

And narrative takes up about one third of the Bible.

For example, the core books of the Old Testament, that is, Genesis to

Deuteronomy, are set in narrative format.

And the core books of the New Testament, that is, the Gospels, are set

in narrative format.

And to understand narrative, you need to be constantly asking the

‘WHAT?’ questions.

Now, I will illustrate each of these questions in a little more detail

using Jonah 1 in our next lesson.

However, for the moment, we are just going to go through each one of

them in outline.

We’ve looked at ‘WHO?’ and ‘WHAT?’

Our next ‘W’ word is ‘WHERE?’ [Put UYB_Observation_03.jpg on

Screen]

Here we read through the text again and notice WHERE everything

happens.

We find all locations mentioned in the passage.

We ask ourselves if they are important and, if so, why?

We might even ask FROM WHERE the letter or document originates.

Now sometimes when you are doing this exercise, it might be helpful

to have a map that helps you identify exactly where some of these

places are.

Here a Bible atlas can help.

Or even the maps that you can sometimes find in the back of your

Bible.

Or a quick internet search will often show you a map or even give you

some pictures of common locations mentioned in the Bible.

But now let’s turn to the time references within our passage.

And to get at them, we use another ‘W’ word: ‘WHEN?’ [Put

UYB_Observation_04.jpg on Screen]

Here we read through the passage and find every reference to time.

We ask WHEN the events here happened.

Is the time WHEN things happened important? Why is it important?

Is the historical setting important? Why?

What time references are given in the passage?

Are they important? Why?

Do the references to time change?

What impact does this have on the meaning of the passage?

Now, I’ll give you a little example from Jonah here.

If you look at Jonah 3:1 and ask yourself the ‘WHEN?’ question, you’ll

find out an interesting thing.

Ask yourself WHEN the word of God came to Jonah ‘a second time’.

Then God says, ‘Go to Nineveh…’

Then there are references to how long it took to walk through

Nineveh, how long Jonah went into the city before beginning his

prophecy, and how long Nineveh was given to repent.

But let’s move on to our next ‘W’ word to ask of the passage.

This time it is ‘WHY?’ [Put UYB_Observation_05.jpg on Screen]

Here you might read the passage again and ask these sorts of

questions…

WHY do the events occur?

WHY do the main characters do what they do?

Does this passage tell us WHY the events occurred here?

Does it tell us WHY the various people do their various actions?

WHY is this passage important in the Bible?

WHY is this author writing?

In relation to the ‘WHY?’ question, you might like to think about the

incident involving David and Goliath in 1 Samuel 17.

Why do you think that David decides to take on Goliath.

Is it because of his zeal for God?

Or is there some other motive?

Or are his motives mixed?

The ‘WHY?’ question is a very important question to ask of this well

known passage and one that is not often asked.

You might also ask why Paul is writing the letter to the Romans.

Or why Jesus doesn’t go up to heal Lazarus when Mary and Martha ask

for his help in John 11.

So, that’s the last of our ‘W’ questions.

Now we turn to our ‘H’ question.

And the question to ask now is ‘HOW?’ [Put UYB_Observation_06.jpg

on Screen]

Here we read the passage and keep asking ourselves ‘HOW?’

For example…

HOW do things happen?

HOW well do they happen? What hitches are there? What makes

them succeed or fail?

HOW quickly do they happen?

By what means do they happen?

HOW does God react?

HOW do the people react?

By way of example, if you ask the ‘HOW?’ question in Exodus 1, you

find out some very interesting things?

HOW does God bless his people?

He blesses them through causing them to be fruitful and multiply?

HOW does Pharaoh react to God’s blessing?

He works at causing their fruitfulness to be put under threat?

HOW does God counter this?

Well, we are not actually told the answer to this because God becomes

quite silent.

However, we are told about two midwives who fear God and who have

spectacular success in preventing Pharaoh’s actions.

Then we are told of the birth of Moses.

Then we are told of various incidents that shape the life of Moses.

Then we hear that God hears the groaning of his people.

So, asking the ‘HOW?’ question helps us see HOW God responds to

Pharaoh.

So, there are our five ‘W’ questions and our one ‘H’ question to ask in

observing a text.

WHO … WHAT … WHERE … WHEN … WHY and HOW

But there is one more thing we can do when observing a text.

We can keep our eyes peeled for three sorts of special or key words.

[Put UYB_Observation_07.jpg on Screen]

The first sort of key words are connective words or connecting words.

You might call these ‘the little words that mean so much’.

They include words such as ‘for’, ‘but’, ‘so that’, ‘if’, ‘and’, ‘as’,

‘therefore’, ‘because’, ‘otherwise’, etc.)?

Unfortunately, sometime our more contemporary English version

have chosen to drop them out of translation.

However, they are often very important for interpretation.

So, for example, the apostle Paul will often be halfway through a letter

and he will drop a ‘for’ or ‘therefore’.

You can see an example of this in Romans 12:1.

Paul has just spent eleven chapters explaining God’s great plan in

Jesus that is spelt out in the gospel.

He then says in Romans 12:1, ‘THEREFORE, I urge you, brothers and

sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living

sacrifice…’

In other words, because of what I’ve told you about in the previous 11

chapters, you should respond in this way.

Here the word ‘THEREFORE’ structures the whole of Paul’s thought

and letter.

This is a major use of a little word.

However, these little words are often very important.

So, keep your eyes open for them.

If necessary, check more than one translation of the Bible to see if

there are some that have been dropped out by the translators.

Keep your eyes peeled for the little words that mean so much.

The second group of words to watch out for are the words that repeat

themselves.

Often an author will repeat words as ways of highlighting or stressing

things.

Let me show you an example from Psalm 46. [Insert on screen

Psalm46.jpg]

This is a psalm all about the security of God’s city in the world.

Look at the repetitions of the word ‘fall’.

In verse 2, we are told that mountains FALL.

In verse 6, we are told that kingdoms FALL.

In other words, the created order is in upheaval and the nations are in

upheaval.

However, look at the third reference to FALLING in verse 5.

God is within his city, she will not FALL.

Why not?

Because God is with her and will help her.

That’s why the rest of the Psalm repeats the refrain, ‘The Lord

Almighty is with us; The God of Jacob is our refuge.’

Looking at the repeated references to ‘FALL’ in this psalm therefore

unlocks some of the core of its meaning.

So, look for words that are repeated.

They are important for meaning and can often unlock meaning.

And you don’t just have to stick with single words.

Sometimes phrases or even sentences that are repeated can have the

same effect.

The next group of words to keep your eyes open for are the action

words or verbs.

Verbs or action words carry the story along.

So look out for them.

Find each one of them.

Ask who is doing the action.

Ask to whom the action is done.

Find out whether the action is done in the past, the present, or the

future.

Make note of any verb that is a command.

Now, the final group of words are those that are interesting in some

way or even unusual.

These are the words that look out of place in some way.

They are words you don’t know.

Words that you wouldn’t expect.

Words that are just bizarre or unusual.

Words that make you say, ‘What’s that all about?!’

These are the words that you might need a dictionary for.

Or words that look out place.

And you need to work out why the author has used them there.

So, this is our first step in the LOOK DOWN or EXEGESIS section of


We are to be like Sherlock Holmes is when he walks into a room or

when he meets anyone.

We don’t just see.

We observe.

We watch.

And we ask questions of the text.

We interrogate it with our eyes and our minds.

Constantly engaged.

Constantly interpreting.

And as we do, the Scriptures will open up for us.

We will find wondrous things which God has incorporated into his

word.

And we will be drawn into greater wonder at him.

And we will know how better to serve him.

So, after you have done some work together or on your own we will

come back and I’ll work through Jonah 1 with you by way of illustration

of the principles we’ve learnt in this lesson.

Part 2 (B)

Observation Illustrated (Jonah 1)

Introduction

Welcome back to our second session for today.

It is great to have you with us again.

I hope that the previous session was instructive for you in terms of

understanding observation.

As I indicated, observation is the first step in the exercise of ‘Looking

Down’ or EXEGESIS.

In this session I will be illustrating observation from Jonah 1.

However, before I do this, I want to raise with you the risk of all that we

are doing.

The risk is that we begin to think that if we do all these things then at

the other end of the exercise we will have a definitive interpretation of

Scripture.

In other words, interpretation can easily be reduced to a merely

academic exercise with assured results.

Pushing it even further, we might conclude that we, with our trained

minds, stand over Scripture.

However, this would be to get things wrong.

We stand under God.

God gives us Scripture to guide us in matters of faith and conduct.

And we stand under God as we stand under his Scriptures.

We still have to grapple with them intellectually.

But, true interpretation of them is a spiritual exercise dependent upon

the enlightenment of God by his Spirit.

That is why Paul is constantly praying for believers that they might

grow in their understanding and knowledge through the illumination

of God’s Holy Spirit.

You can see this in 1 Corinthians 2:2; 2 Corinthians 4:4–15; Ephesians

1:17–19; Philippians 1:9–11 and a variety of other passages.

This is why our first step in biblical interpretation is to LOOK UP to

God in faith, asking him to be at work as we use our minds to interpret

his word.

But we must not stop there.

God’s illumination is designed to draw out the obedience of faith.

In other words, we interpret the Bible in order to understand it, in

order to live under God’s authority and guidance by living under his

word.

So, we not only pray for guidance in our interpretation.

We also ask God to work in us that we might willingly obey his word.

So, why don’t you just pause this presentation for a moment and spend

time praying that God will be at work while we begin our work on

Jonah 1.

I have prayed for you that this will be the case even as I have prepared

these presentations.

Jonah 1

As we begin on Jonah 1, I encourage you to have your Bible open with

me at Jonah 1.

I will be using the latest version of the New International Version.

I will work through our various questions in observation and we’ll see

what we can find.

The first question we isolated was ‘WHO?’


Now, since we are in chapter 1, we should at least ask WHO the writer

is.

And unlike some other parts of Scripture, nowhere in Jonah is the

writer identified.

Presumably that’s because God, who is the author of Scripture, doesn’t

think it is important to know this bit of information.

So, we can safely not worry about it and move on.

Now let’s see who else is identified within this first chapter.

Look at the first verse.

First, there is the LORD.

Second, there is Jonah.

Now, we are given a bit of information about him.

He is the son of Ammittai.

Now, a quick search of the Bible will reveal that there is a prophet

named Jonah, son of Amittai in 2 Kings 14:25.

Now, presuming that this is the same person, the verse in 2 Kings

doesn’t really help that much in terms of giving us substantial

information, except that he appears to be exercising his ministry

during the reign of Jeroboam II, who reigned from 786–746BC.

2 Kings also says that he comes from a place called Gath Hepher.

Third, there are the Ninevites.

Now, all that is mentioned here is the city of Nineveh.

However, the people of Nineveh are clearly on view because the book

talks about their wickedness.

Fourth, we have some sailors.

We meet them in verse 5 and we meet their captain in verse 6.

They are also called ‘the men’ later in the chapter.

Now the final character in this chapter is not really a person.

However, we shouldn’t omit the huge fish of verse 17.

He or she is clearly a significant figure in the story!

But let’s pursue some more of this.

You might like to skim through the story and ask yourself who the

main actor is within this chapter.

Is it the LORD?

Or is it Jonah?

Or is it the Ninevites?

Or the sailors?

Or the fish.

Clearly God is the agent of sending Jonah, pursuing him through the

storm, and providing the fish.

However, the focus in this chapter and in the whole book appears to be

Jonah and his particular attitudes and actions.

Later, I will show you how I think that this is highlighted within the

chapter itself.

For the moment, you can see that it is his actions, his words, and his

rescue by the fish that provide the focus.

Now, if we had time, the next thing we could do under this heading

would be to go through each of the actions by each of the major figures

here.

However, let’s move on to our second observation question.

The first question was ‘WHO?’

The second observation question is, ‘WHAT?’


So, WHAT happens here?

One way we could do this is to put our major characters in one column

and then list their actions.

I’ve done this for you and you should see it on the screen.

You can see that I’ve divided my piece of paper into three headings.

First, the name of the character.

Second, the action they did.

And third, some comments I’ve made for myself about what I noticed

or what questions I had.

So, we will turn to the LORD first.

If you look at my table, you will notice that I have observed a few things

in terms of WHAT he does and to whom.

[insert Jonah_1_God.jpg]

Verse 1: He sends his word to Jonah.

In verse 2: He tells Jonah to preach against Nineveh (v 2)

In verse 4: He sends a great wind to cause a storm (v 4)

In verse 7, although it is not said explicitly, we suspect that he is the

agent who causes the lot to fall on Jonah

In verse 17, he provides a huge fish to swallow Jonah (v 17)

You will also see on the screen that I have noted the wickedness of the

Ninevites and made a note to myself that it indicates that wickedness,

even outside of his people is noted by God and deserves punishment.

Now let’s have a look at Jonah.

When we ask WHAT he does, it is clear.

[insert Jonah_1_Jonah.jpg]

He receives God’s word (‘came to Jonah’; v 1)

He runs away toward Tarshish (verse 2)

He sleeps below deck, effectively ignoring not only God’s call but also

God’s pursuit of him (v 5)

He responds to sailors’ questioning by speaking of his worship/fear of

the LORD (v 9)

He tells the sailors to cast him into the sea (verse 12).

Now look at my comments.

I have noted the following things.

First of all, why does he flee to Tarshish. Is it in the opposite direction?

Perhaps it is because the Old Testament in Isaiah 66 says that it is a

place where God’s glory or fame is not known.

I’ll have to do some more work on this later.

Also, it is clear that Jonah knows God.

However, although he says that he worships/fears him, he doesn’t act

like it!

Jonah also knows that God can weather and that the fault is his own.

He also knows what will sort out the situation in terms of the storm.

[insert Jonah_1_Sailors.jpg]

So, that’s Jonah.

Now let’s have a look at the sailors.

When we ask WHAT they do, it is also clear.

The sailors ‘Fear’ and ‘cry out’ to their god/s (v5)

They choose to cast lots to determine responsibility (v 7)

They quiz Jonah about identity (v 8)

They are ‘terrified’ because of what Jonah has told them (v 10) and ask

Jonah what to do (v 12)

The sailors try to avoid throwing Jonah overboard (v 13)

They call upon ‘the Lord’ and ask not to be held accountable (v 14)

Finally, they throw Jonah overboard, ‘greatly fear the Lord’ and offer

sacrifices/make vows to him.

Now here are my notes and comments as I read the passage and

thought about the sailors.

First, I asked myself why the sailors try and avoid throwing Jonah

overboard.

I noted that they have a great respect for the LORD and reflect that in

their actions.

[insert Jonah_1_Captain.jpg]

Now let’s turn to the captain and the fish.

When we ask ‘WHAT’ they do, it is very obvious and clear and doesn’t

change much of what we have already worked out.

Finally, when I ask, the WHAT question about ideas present in the

passage, I can come up with a few immediately.

First, it is clear that God is the creator.

Jonah tells us that he is the maker of the heavens and the earth.

We also see his control of the sea and of the great fish in it.

Second, he is a redeemer of his people.

He rescues Jonah and he spares the sailors.

Third, he is the only real God.

The other gods cannot do anything.

They are impotent in terms of sending and stopping storms.

Fourth, there is a contrast between the sailors and Jonah.

The sailors seem to come out better in chapter 1 than Jonah does.

They are not God believers in the beginning but by the end are

showing their fear of God in worship and sacrifice.

On the other hand, Jonah says that he worships or fears the Lord, but

doesn’t demonstrate it in the way that he lives before God.

You can see that by answering ‘WHO’ and ‘WHAT’ we’ve already done

a lot of work on the text.

Some of the answers to our other questions will be a little repetitive

now.

However, we should still work through them.

So, our third ‘W’ question is

Our next ‘W’ word is ‘WHERE?’ [Put UYB_Observation_03.jpg on

Screen]

This question is very straightforward.

There are only a few locations that are important for us.

First, there is Nineveh.

Then there is Joppa and Tarshish.

Then the sea, which appears to be the Mediterranean.

Finally, there is the boat, which is on the sea.

Of all of these, the most important would appear to be Nineveh and

Tarshish.

When you do a word search in the Bible for ‘Tarshish’ you find that the

name can refer to a person (e.g. Genesis 10:4) and a place (e.g. Psalm

48:7).

The references in the Psalms and the prophets (e.g. Psalm 48.7; 72.10;

Isaiah 23.6; 60.9) speak of it as a place of great ships.

It is a somewhat distant and exotic place full of merchants and goods

(such as silver, iron, tin, and lead) that were in demand by the nations

of the world (e.g. Psalm 72.10; Isaiah 60.9; Jeremiah 10.9; Ezekiel 27.12,

25).

Isaiah 66.19 links it with Libya, Lydia, Tubal, Greece, and other distant

islands that ‘have not heard of the Lord’s fame or seen his glory’.

A search of the various Bible Dictionaries reveals that we have no

definite identification of the whereabouts of the city.

So, in my view, the reference in Isaiah 66 is the most helpful in

understanding what is going on when Jonah ‘flees from the presence

of the Lord’ and heads to Tarshish.

Tarshish represents to Israelites the furthest possible distance from

God and the greatest possibility of escaping him.

The city of Nineveh occurs 21 times in the NIV.

Nine of those references concern the story of Jonah (seven in the book

itself and two in the New Testament – Matthew 12:41 and Luke 11:32).

I looked up a Bible Dictionary on ‘Nineveh’ and ‘Assyria’ and also

looked up a map to find its location.

These tell us that it Nineveh was a principal city of the Assyrian nation

and became its last capital city.

It was situated on the River Tigris in what is now Northern Iraq.

[Put on screen ANE_004_MajorNations_001_Nineveh.jpg]

It then gave some details about size and importance.

The references in Jonah itself tell us that Nineveh was a large and

important city in the world that Jonah lived in (1:2; 3:2–3; 4:11).

It was a city known by God because of its wickedness (not unlike

Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities mentioned in

Genesis 18-19).

This information is probably enough for us to have some idea of the

importance of Nineveh and why Jonah was so negative about it.

The map you see now will give you a feel for the location of Nineveh

and the nations important within the Old Testament.

Now let’s turn to our next ‘W’ word.

That word is ‘WHEN?’ [Put UYB_Observation_04.jpg on Screen]

Let’s now turn to Jonah 1 and notice the references to time.

First, we are given no specific time at when these events occurred.

The only way we can locate approximate time is through the

references to Nineveh and Jonah.

These would probably place Jonah the events of Jonah sometime near

the dates of Jeroboam II’s reign, that is, 786–746BC.

The next thing to do is to see if there are any other time references

that appear to be important or if there are any changes to tenses and

the like.

Again, there does not appear to be anything significant here except for

the reference to three days and three nights in verse 17.

The next part of our observation is ‘WHY?’


At this stage, we begin to get into interpretation proper.

The big question here is WHY the main characters do what they do.

At this point we are a little in the dark because the passage itself does

not say anything explicitly.

However, we have already see that Jonah appears to be a bit of an anti-

hero.

Normally when prophets in the Old Testament are called by God they

might put up some resistance but they eventually do God’s will.

Here Jonah doesn’t argue that we know of here.

He simply runs in the other direction.

This anti-hero feel is emphasised by the godliness of the sailors.

So, we are not quite sure why this passage is here as yet.

However, we know the questions to ask.

We have lots of fodder for our further exegesis.

When we come to the ‘HOW?’ question, we find that we’ve covered

most of these areas already.

We have pursued HOW things happen and by what means.

We have noticed how God reacts.

But we haven’t yet been told what God thinks of his prophet.

Finally, we can turn to our key words.


The first sort of key words are connective words or connecting words.

You might call these ‘the little words that mean so much’.

They include words such as ‘for’, ‘but’, ‘so that’, ‘if’, ‘and’, ‘as’,

‘therefore’, ‘because’, ‘otherwise’, etc.)?

Now there are a few such words in our NIV translation.

The first one is the ‘BUT…’ of verse 3.

God sends his word in verse 1.

He commands in verse 2.

And then verse 3 says, ‘BUT… Jonah ran away…’

The second connective is ‘THEN’ in verse 4.

It clearly indicates that God is continuing after Jonah and not allowing

his rebellion to go unnoticed.

He will not escape.

The NIV continues to pursue these connecting words throughout the

narrative, keeping the sense of rhythm and flow.

There is ‘So’ in verse 11.

‘Instead’ in verse 13.

‘Then’ in verse 15.

And ‘Now’ in verse 17.

At this point we are somewhat dependent on our English translators to

be adequately reflecting the nature of the Hebrew.

The more adventurous among us might want to check the

commentaries later to see if they have any more light to shed on the

significant or not of these connective words.

In terms of repeated words and action word, we have again raised most

of the issues related to these.

However, I should point out that if you took a look at the ESV

translation, you would notice two words that are repeated a number

times in a way that is not as well reflected in the NIV.

I will put verses 5, 9, 10, and 16 from the ESV on the screen.

[Insert Jonah_1_hurl.jpg]

The ESV translates the Hebrew word for fearing with the English

words ‘fear’ or ‘afraid’ and so better reflect what is going on in the

original language.

5Then the mariners were afraid, and each cried out to his god. And

they hurled the cargo that was in the ship into the sea to lighten it for

them. But Jonah had gone down into the inner part of the ship and had

lain down and was fast asleep. [Jonah 1:5; ESV]

9And he said to them, “I am a Hebrew, and I fear the LORD, the God of

heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.” [Jonah 1:9; ESV]

10Then the men were exceedingly afraid and said to him, “What is this

that you have done!” For the men knew that he was fleeing from the

presence of the LORD, because he had told them. [Jonah 1:10; ESV]

16Then the men feared the LORD exceedingly, and they offered a

sacrifice to the LORD and made vows. [Jonah 1:16; ESV]

A similar thing happens in relation to the Hebrew word for ‘throwing’.

This word occurs in verse 4, 5, 12, and 15.

Again, you can see them on the screen as they are translated in the

ESV.

[Insert Jonah_1_hurl.jpg]

4But the LORD hurled a great wind upon the sea, and there was a mighty

tempest on the sea, so that the ship threatened to break up. [Jonah 1:4;

ESV]

5Then the mariners were afraid, and each cried out to his god. And

they hurled the cargo that was in the ship into the sea to lighten it for

them. But Jonah had gone down into the inner part of the ship and had

lain down and was fast asleep. [Jonah 1:5; ESV]

12He said to them, “Pick me up and hurl me into the sea; then the sea

will quiet down for you, for I know it is because of me that this great

tempest has come upon you.” [Jonah 1:12; ESV]

15So they picked up Jonah and hurled him into the sea, and the sea

ceased from its raging. [Jonah 1:15; ESV]

When we come to exegesis proper, we will see if there is any

significance to this.

However, in the meantime, we will simply note it.

Well, I hope that this has opened up Jonah 1 for you.

As you can see, our observation of the text has stretched us well

beyond just seeing things.

We’ve OBSERVED, and have discovered new things about Jonah 1.

Moreover, we’ve found things that we need to do some more work on.

So, perhaps in the week to come you might like to do a similar exercise

on another chapter of Jonah.

Perhaps you could do so with a friend and/or compare notes together.

Andrew Reid (These notes are not to be copied or shared ...€¦ · The Hermeneutical Spiral: A...

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