A Real Author, a Real Audience
Every passage of Scripture had a real human author and a real historical audience. Moses wrote to a nation in the wilderness, Jeremiah to exiles in Babylon, Paul to churches whose members he greeted by name. God used human authors to communicate His Word in real time, culture, and language.
“For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.”2 PETER 1:21 · KJV
Both halves of that verse matter. Every word is God's Word (inspiration), yet holy men of God spake. God did not bypass their minds, their vocabulary, or their settings. So the meaning God gave is the meaning He gave through those men to their first hearers. Understanding what the text meant to the original audience is the first step toward understanding what it means for us today.
After comparing Scripture with Scripture, authorial intent is the second tool in our belt.
The meaning an author expressed in his words for his first readers. It asks, What did the author mean, and what did the original readers understand? It is found in the text itself, in its words, grammar, and setting, not in guesses about the author's private feelings.
They Gave the Sense
“So they read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading.”NEHEMIAH 8:8 · KJV
The Levites caused the people to understand the law (Nehemiah 8:7). The word for sense is the Hebrew sekel (שֵׂכֶל), insight or understanding. And the people rejoiced, because they had understood the words that were declared unto them (Nehemiah 8:12).
Written for Us
“Of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you: Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow. Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into.”1 PETER 1:10–12 · KJV
The prophets knew they were writing of the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow, and they searched for what manner of time the Spirit meant. They learned that not unto themselves, but unto us they were ministering.
Ask “What did the author mean?” before “What does this mean to me?” We cannot skip this step and jump straight to personal application.
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For Deeper Study
- Living by the BookAmazon Howard G. Hendricks and William D. HendricksA practical guide to observation, interpretation, and application, including keys such as context and culture.
- Things to ComeAmazon J. Dwight PentecostA classic dispensational study of prophecy with full chapters on the Abrahamic, Davidic, and new covenants.
- Dispensationalism: Essential Beliefs and Common MythsAmazon Michael J. VlachA short, clear explanation of dispensational beliefs that answers common misunderstandings, including the claim of two ways of salvation.
- The New Moody Atlas of the BibleAmazon Barry J. BeitzelMaps and explanations of the lands of the Bible, so that geography can give place to what you read.
- Manners and Customs of the BibleAmazon James M. FreemanFirst published in 1874, it explains Bible customs book by book as they appear in the text.
- Foxe's Book of MartyrsAmazon John FoxeThe classic Protestant record of those who died for the faith, from the early church to the English Reformation.
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Theological Method
How we move from individual texts to whole-Bible conclusions: reading each passage literally in its grammatical and historical context, letting Scripture interpret Scripture, rightly dividing the Word, and staying humble before what God has revealed.
Open Doctrine