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Consult Secondary Sources (a Good Commentary) on Your Passage
- Types of commentaries (7:30 ff)
- devotional – focus on application
- homiletical – helping preacher prepare the message with outlines, illustrations
- expository – middle road between technical and practical
- most useful for pastors and teachers
- technical or critical – detailed study of original language and cultural background
- Different commentary series (11:00 ff)
- expository
- Expositor’s Bible Commentary
- New International Commentary
- Tyndale Old & New Testament Commentary
- New International Biblical Commentary
- Anchor Bible Commentary
- New Century Bible Commentary
- Baker Exegetical Commentary
- NIV Application Commentary
- technical
- International Critical Commentary
- Word Biblical Commentary
- Hermeneia
- New International Greek Testament Commentary
- expository
- Tips for selecting and using commentaries (12:20 ff)
- Evaluating commentaries
- Is the commentary well organized and easy to use?
- Does it provide a good introduction to the book incl. genre, historical context, purpose, occasion of writing?
- Does the author demonstrate competence in original languages?
- Does the author discuss interpretational difficulties?
- Does the author give a balanced treatment of problems?
- Does the work comment on each verse?
- Is there a bibliography?
- Are the author’s sources documented?
- Does the author promote novel interpretations?
- Does the commentary follow the stated theme of the book well?
- Choosing a commentary
- What are your personal needs?
- What are your original language skills?
- How much time do you have to study the text?
- Ask those with more experience
- Consult a commentary survey (also, Spurgeon, Commenting and Commentaries)
- Using a commentary
- Don’t let the commentary replace personal Bible study; check the commentary’s conclusions against the text itself.
- Read the text first, take notes, outline etc., then consult the commentary.
- Consult more than one commentary if possible, especially for problem passages.
- Beware of seeking a commentary that agrees with your personal interpretation.
- Be aware of theological biases – your own and the commentator’s.
- Evaluating commentaries
- Types of commentaries (7:30 ff)
- Analyze Syntactical Relationships
- How do the sentences relate to each other?
- How do the parts of the sentence relate to each other?
- Main clause
- subordinate clauses and their function
- grammatical relationships
- Analyze Key Terms and Themes
- word studies
- words that repeat in a particular context
- related words (themes) that repeat
- more detail next lesson
- word studies
- Resolve Interpretive Issues and Problems
- determine which issues are essential
- does it directly affect the meaning of the passage
- types of problems
- textual issues
- genre identification – Rich man and Lazarus: parable or history
- meaning of certain words or issues of syntax
- historical questions – which prison, which heresy
- resolving problems
- follow sound hermeneutical principles
- avoid being overly dogmatic
- seek illumination from the Holy Spirit
- determine which issues are essential
- Evaluate Your Results From the Perspective of Wider Contextual and Theological Issues
- relate the passage to the broader teaching of Scripture
- the book as a whole
- the author’s body of work
- the rest of Scripture on the particular theme under consideration
- relate the passage to the broader teaching of Scripture
- Summarize Your Results
- revisit thesis statement, outline, conclusions
- revise and refine as necessary in light of understanding gained from the wider context
- Don’t forget: Scripture is its own interpreter.
- If the Bible contains the interpretation, USE IT!
- For example, the parable of the sower.
- If an OT passage is quoted in the NT, look for additional light on the subject in the NT context.
- For example, Joel 2:28-32 and Acts 2:16ff.
- Psalm 89:26 and Hebrews 1:5
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Psalm 110:1 and Matthew 22:43-44, Hebrews 1:13
- If the Bible contains the interpretation, USE IT!