SDSU Interpert a Passage of Scripture from The Old Testament Discussion

First, select your passage of scripture to be interpreted. Selection must be approved by professor.

Second, read, re-read, and re-re-read your passage over and over, for at least a week (two weeks recommended) before you actually begin researching the passage.

Third (to be done from the first step of selecting a text to the conclusion), pray that the Lord will guide you in understanding the text and in hearing (and taking to heart) its message. Prayer is not a substitute for research. But neither is research a substitute for prayer. Do your research with your ears open.

Fourth, section your paper under the following headings.

INTRODUCTION: Introduce not only your passage, but the paper. Provide an “outline” of the paper within the introduction. Say what you are going to do in the paper and how you are going to do it. If you can say what you are going to do, you have a better chance of actually doing it. Length: One paragraph.

PERICOPE: (5 points) Identify the beginning and ending of your passage. What makes the beginning a beginning and the ending an ending? Explain why your passage is a legitimate thought unit. Look for indicators such as change of subject, speaker, location, genre, etc. Length: One paragraph. Note: This section is not about why it is good to study your passage. Rather, it is about justifying why you begin with a particular verse and end with a particular verse. What makes it a “complete thought?”

GENRE: (10 points) What is the genre (type of literature) of your specific passage as well as the document to which it belongs? What are the exegetical implications (the things you need to keep in mind, the questions you need to ask) of your particular genre? Fee & Stuart, How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth, is a good source for genre information and implications. Length: One to two paragraphs.

HISTORICAL CONTEXT: (20 points) Identify and discuss the historical context(s) of your passage. This includes pertinent political, cultural, and social factors, and especially the occasion and purpose of the text. What situation called forth the text from the author? Who is writing/speaking to whom and why? What outside information do we need to know in order to understand what is being said? Are there possible and/or identifiable multiple historical contexts? For example, in the N.T. the gospels have the dual setting of Jesus in his ministry and also that of the evangelist and his church. In the O.T. one might think of the setting of the person Ruth as well as the setting of those for whom the book of Ruth was initially written.

BOOK OUTLINE – DOCUMENT CONTEXT: (20 points) Discuss the document/literary context of your passage. What is the larger argument/story-line of the book that your text is a part of, and what part does your text play in that argument/story-line? What is the writer’s line of thought and where does your text fit within it? Provide a brief outline of the document/book to which your text belongs, being sure to comment on the place and function of your passage within the larger document.

CONTENT: (20 points) Identify and discuss the specific content of your passage. Unpack the “meaning load” that the text is carrying. Trace the line of thought/argument within the text. Identify the meaning of key words, the significance of key events, etc. Be able to outline the text. Know how it hangs together and the point(s) that is/are being made. How does it speak to the situation and what is it saying? This is where you finally get at what specifically the author intended to say, what the text meant when it was first spoken/written and heard/read.

Another way to think about this is in terms of persuasion. What was the author trying to persuade his readers to do, believe, or feel? What was the (intended) impact of the writing upon the receiving community? What response was the writer seeking? How did the writer attempt to accomplish this goal?

EXEGETICAL SUMMARY: (10 points) In a sentence or two, what did the text mean to its author and its first recipients? What was the author attempting to do or accomplish among his/her initial readers? Length: One paragraph.

THEOLOGICAL WITNESS: (10 points) What does the text reveal about the nature of God or what it means to belong to the people of God? What is God saying about God’s Self through God’s Word? What is the theology that is driving the writer? What is the picture of God & God’s desires/purpose that you receive from your particular text? Length: One or two paragraphs.

MAKE THE INTERPRETATION: (5 points) Apply what the text meant in its initial setting to life today. What does the text mean? Remember that what it meant governs what it means. Make application of the theological witness to our own lives. Don’t just think individually, but also in terms of the people of God – especially your local church. Length: One or two paragraphs, not more than one page.

CONCLUSION: You may make the above interpretation section your conclusion, or you may add a conclusion, summarizing the results of your research. You might re-emphasize what the text meant, what it means, and even add a personal note on how doing this paper has affected you. Length: One paragraph.

BIBLIOGRAPHY: (Possible to lose 20 points here.) Use at least two translations, one a dynamic equivalent and the other a literal, and identify them in your bibliography (abbreviation is fine). Course textbooks should be used. You must also make use of two or three commentaries (not more than three). You may also use a study Bible and/or a Bible dictionary and/or handbook where pertinent (these do not count as commentaries).

TOTAL LENGTH: Five to six pages (not including title page and bibliography), with a minimum of four. Papers should be typed, double spaced, and in a font similar to Times New Roman at 12 points. Follow a standard manual for bibliography, footnotes, etc. While I am primarily interested in content, care should be taken for spelling, grammar, etc. The paper should read well. I strongly recommend reading the paper aloud before submitting it.

Possible O.T. Passages for BIB 1001 Interpretive Paper

Joshua 1:1-9

Joshua 2

Judges 4

Ruth (any chapter)

1 Samuel 3

1 Samuel 16:1-13

2 Samuel 11

1 Kings 18

1 Kings 21

2 Kings 4:1-7

Isaiah 2:1-5

Jeremiah 32:1-15

Ezekiel 37:1-14

Amos 5:21-24

Jonah (any chapter)

Micah 6:1-8