Biblical hermeneutics is the study of the principles and methods of interpreting the text of the Bible. Second Timothy 2:15 commands believers to be involved in hermeneutics: “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who . . . correctly handles the word of truth.” The purpose of biblical hermeneutics is to help us to know how to properly interpret, understand, and apply the Bible.
1. Pray
James 1:5 But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and [h]without reproach, and it will be given to him. The context of this verse is trials and temptations.
2 Peter 3:14-18 Therefore, beloved, since you look for these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, spotless and blameless, 15 and regard the patience of our Lord as salvation; just as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given him, wrote to you, 16 as also in all his letters, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which the untaught and unstable distort, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction. 17 You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, be on your guard so that you are not carried away by the error of unprincipled men and fall from your own steadfastness, 18 but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.
If the Apostle Peter needed God's wisdom to understand Paul's writings, followers of Christ must seek God's wisdom as well.
2. Context, Context, Context!
There are 6 Questions that help us determine the context. A. Who is Speaking? Just because Satan's spoken words are recorded in the Bible, do we follow them? Or should we place more value on the words of Christ? B. What is being said, What is being done, or what is not being said? C. Why did the subject say that? Jesus in Matthew 15:25-29 But she came and began [k]to bow down before Him, saying, “Lord, help me!” 26 And He answered and said, “It is not [l]good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” 27 But she said, “Yes, Lord; [m]but even the dogs feed on the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.” 28 Then Jesus said to her, “O woman, your faith is great; it shall be done for you as you wish.” And her daughter was healed [n]at once. Why in this passage does Jesus use a derogatory term to address this woman? This is part of the context and must be answered to understand the passage. When is important in any Biblical passage to determine the context. The Covenant the subjects are under. When did this happen? ETC . Why in Matthew 15:25-29 is also key to understanding the text. Often in written text like Matthew 15, you can not understand is Jesus speaking in Jest, condemnation, or challenge until the why is answered. In this text from the facts, the woman is not an Israelite and Jesus final response to her. It is clear he spoke a derogatory remark to challenge or test to see if her faith was real. How is the last question of context? Jesus is clear it is not enough to hear and believe the word, we must ask and act on what we know. Matthew 7:26 Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not [r]act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.
3. Do not do Eisegesis
Eisegesis. ... While exegesis is the process of drawing out the meaning from a text in accordance with the context and discoverable meaning of its author, eisegesis occurs when a reader imposes his or her interpretation into and onto the text. (Wikipedia)
Restoration movement has a slogan that provides a good principle Where the Bible speaks we speak, where the Bible is silent we are silent.
4. Do Exegesis
Here is a great example of good Exegesis; "It's important to study Bible passages and stories within their context. Taking verses out of context leads to all kinds of error and misunderstanding. Understanding context begins with four principles: literal meaning (what it says), historical setting (the events of the story, to whom is it addressed, and how it was understood at that time), grammar (the immediate sentence and paragraph within which a word or phrase is found) and synthesis (comparing it with other parts of Scripture for a fuller meaning). Context is crucial to biblical exegesis in that it is one of its most important fundamentals. After we account for the literal, historical, and grammatical nature of a passage, we must then focus on the outline and structure of the book, then the chapter, then the paragraph. All of these things refer to "context." To illustrate, it is like looking at Google Maps and zooming in on one house.
Taking phrases and verses out of context always leads to misunderstanding. For instance, taking the phrase "God is love" (1 John 4:7-16) out of its context, we might come away thinking that our God loves everything and everyone at all times with a gushing, romantic love. But in its literal and grammatical context, “love” here refers to agape love, the essence of which is a sacrifice for the benefit of another, not a sentimental, romantic love. The historical context is also crucial because John was addressing believers in the first-century church and instructing them not on God’s love per se, but on how to identify true believers from false professors. True love—the sacrificial, beneficial kind—is the mark of the true believer (v. 7), those who do not love do not belong to God (v. 8), God loved us before we loved Him (vv. 9-10), and all of this is why we should love one another and thereby prove that we are His (v. 11-12)"(https://www.gotquestions.org/context-Bible.html)
5. Use Occam's Razor
William of Ockham was an English Franciscan friar, philosopher, and theologian of the Medieval period. He came up with the Occam's Razor principle.
Occam's razor is a principle from philosophy. Suppose there exist two explanations for an occurrence. In this case, the simpler one is usually better. Another way of saying it is that the more assumptions you have to make, the more unlikely an explanation is.
Good hermeneutics has been undermined time and time again by Bible students putting their assumptions on a text. The most solid understanding of scripture requires the least assumptions and to accept what the Bible plainly states.
