Biblical Hermeneutics

Questions tagged [authorial-intent]

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Questions investigating a text's meaning by discerning what its author intended it to mean.

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Is it possible to have saving faith in Jesus Christ if one has misunderstood who the Jesus Christ of scripture really is? Romans 1:1-4

I ask because of noting how chapter 1 of Romans deals with the person of Christ – who he is – while not dealing with what he has done to save sinners until chapter 3. Could this be significant? I read ...
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What does Ecclesiastes 12:7 exactly mean by "the spirit returns to God"?

Ecclesiastes 12:7 (ESV): 7 and the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it. What does Ecclesiastes 12:7 exactly mean by "the spirit returns to God"? ...
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Why does John say "he saw", instead of "heard", regarding the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ?

In the opening of Revelation we read (NIV) The revelation from Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant ...
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What did Jesus mean by "buy from me gold refined by fire" and "salve to anoint your eyes" in Revelation 3:18?

When addressing the lukewarm Church of Laodicea, Christ suggested the following: Revelation 3:14-22 (ESV): 14 “And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: ‘The words of the Amen, the faithful ...
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What are the signs of a true apostle? 2 Corinthians 12:12

2 Corinthians 12:11-12: 11 I have been a fool! You forced me to it, for I ought to have been commended by you. For I was not at all inferior to these super-apostles, even though I am nothing. 12 The ...
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How does the Stone hear words in Joshua 24:27?

Stones do not have ears to hear. Yet we learn in [Joshua 24:27] that The-Stone (הָאֶבֶן Ha-Even) was a Witness which שָׁמְעָה "heard" >> כָּל־אִמְרֵי יְהֹוָ֔ה "all [the] Words of ...
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What specifically were These-Laws הַֽחֻקִּ֥ים "Ha-Chuqim" (upon their hearts) referenced by [Jeremiah 31:36] which Israel keeps to remain a nation?

Jeremiah claimed Israel's nation could not exist before YHVH, if "Ha-Chuqim" These-Laws depart from upon their hearts : [Yirmiyahu יִרְמְיָ֖הוּ | Jeremiah 31:36] "If [these-laws] depart ...
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Why did Textus Receptus add the word "Χριστοῦ" to [Revelation 12:17]?

Rome's persecution of specific Israelites who have "τὴν μαρτυρίαν τοῦ Ἰησοῦ" was poetically documented in [Revelation 12:17] - "And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to ...
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What did Paul mean by "power" in 1 Corinthians 4:19-20?

1 Corinthians 4:19-20 (ESV): 19 But I will come to you soon, if the Lord wills, and I will find out not the talk of these arrogant people but their power. 20 For the kingdom of God does not consist ...
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Major themes associated with the narrative related to Jotham's censure of people of Shechem for killing off Jotham's full brothers in Judges Book

( Related question posting: What deeper understanding/What can we infer when we read the account of Jotham's censure of people of Shechem for killing off Jotham's full brothers? ) What are ...
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In Romans, does Paul vary how he identifies "the Gospel" in a way which also identifies "His Son" and "the Christ" as God?

In Romans Paul uses the term εὐαγγέλιον, "Gospel" or "good news" 9 or 10 times (some manuscripts have "blessing" in 15:29). Paul first calls himself an apostle of the ...
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Why does Deuteronomy 7:11 in [MT] show מִּצְוָה Mitsvah (s.) for "Commandments" (pl.), instead of Mitsvot , like "ἐντολὰς" [LXX]?

If the word "Commandments" (plural) was actually meant to be written in [Deuteronomy 7:11], why does the [MT] show the singular word מִּצְוָה versus the [LXX] plural word ἐντολὰς? [MT, ...
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Is 2 Corinthians 12:12 binding for all true apostles throughout history?

2 Corinthians 12:11-12: 11 I have been a fool! You forced me to it, for I ought to have been commended by you. For I was not at all inferior to these super-apostles, even though I am nothing. 12 The ...
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2answers
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Onesimus was a brother in the flesh of Philemon?

Philemon 1:16 no longer as a slave but more than a slave—a beloved brother [Onesimus], especially to me [Paul] but how much more to you [Philemon], both in the flesh and in the Lord. Were Philemon ...
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What deeper understanding/What can we infer when we read the account of Jotham's censure of people of Shechem for killing off Jotham's full brothers?

What deeper understanding/What can we infer when we read the account of Jotham's censure of people of Shechem for killing off Jotham's full brothers? ( Judges 9:1-21) And Abimelech the son of ...
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King Saul asks who David's father was in 1 Samuel 17 for rhetorical effect in response to seeing how a young boy like David killed a giant, Goliath?

There is confusion as to why King Saul asked who David's father was in 1 Samuel 17 because the preceding 1 Samuel 16 chapter already recounts the story of how King Saul came know and meet David. ...
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Does the Greek word "καί" in James 1:27 create a Distinction ("God [and] the Father", KJV) or Surname ("God the Father", ESV)?

Different Translations of James 1:27 ( KJV | ESV ) present alternative concepts of "God" in relationship to the Father: KJV presents θεός as the observant servant of the Father [James 1:27,...
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Why were the Magi mentioned of in the gospel of Mathew but not in Luke and Mark?

The Gospel of Matthew highlights and mentions Magi coming from the east to visit the Christ. Why was this narrative highlighted and emphasized in Matthew and not mentioned in the other synoptic ...
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Is Paul's singling out of 3 specific spiritual gifts (prophecies, tongues, knowledge) in 1 Cor 13:8 intentional or rhetorical?

1 Cor 13:8-12 (ESV): 8 Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 ...
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Is Luke 11:9-13 a promise for believers or unbelievers?

Luke 11:9-13 (ESV): 9 And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, ...
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Is Revelation 1:19 an interpretive framework for the book of Revelation?

In Revelation 1:19, Jesus instructs John: “Write therefore the things that you have seen, those that are and those that are to take place after this” (ESV). There are two or three divisions in this ...
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Did Paul expect "the perfect" to come during his and the Corinthians' lifetime?

1 Corinthians 13:8-13 (ESV): 8 Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in ...
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What is meant by "all Scripture" in 2 Timothy 3:16? [duplicate]

2 Timothy 3:16 (ESV): 16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, What is meant by "all Scripture"? What specific books ...
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Does the use of past tense in Hebrews 2:4 indicate that signs, wonders, miracles and the gifts of the Holy Spirit had ceased?

Hebrews 2:1-4 (ESV): Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. 2 For since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable, and every ...
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Can 1 Corinthians 15:3-9, particularly verse 8, be used as a proof-text for the claim that there are no more apostles after Paul?

1 Corinthians 15:3-9 (ESV): 3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was ...
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Should πνευματικα (pneumatika) in 1 Corinthians 14:1 be translated as "spiritualities" or "spiritual things" instead of "spiritual gifts"?

My question is motivated by an answer to a related question I asked on C.SE in regards to 1 Corinthians 14:1. Specifically, the linked answer argues that the Greek word πνευματικα (pneumatika) should ...
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In 1 Cor. 14:1, was Paul's exhortation to "earnestly desire spiritual gifts" addressed only to the Corinthians, or to all Christians in general?

1 Corinthians 14:1 (ESV) Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy Did Paul write this exhortation only for the Corinthians who were the immediate ...
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6answers
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Psalm 119:67 "Before I was afflicted I went astray" could be interpreted/translated in different ways

Psalm 119:65-69 (NASB1995) 65 You have dealt well with Your servant, O Lord, according to Your word. 66 Teach me good discernment and knowledge, For I believe in Your commandments. 67 Before I was ...
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2answers
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Does the Reward of Repentance in Jeremiah 18:8 refer to spiritual salvation (in Heaven) or homeland security (on Earth)?

The Word of YHVH דְבַר יְהֹוָ֖ה is spoken through the prophet Yirmiyahu יִרְמְיָ֔הוּ regarding the conditional reward for national repentance : [Yirmiyahu יִרְמְיָ֔הוּ “Jeremiah” 18:8, MT] “And when ...
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Reconciling Revelation 13 with Revelation 11

Continuing on from my previous question, I’m after some further understanding of this same section in Revelation. Consider this ... 1st - Here the beast was given authority .. REV 13:5 And he was ...
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Who is giving this Entity Authority?

This passage has me curious... REVELATION 13:5 And he was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies, and he was given authority to continue for forty-two months. I’ve always assumed that it ...
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In Colossians 2:9 - Are Fully Deified souls in Christ ( πλήρωμα τῆς Θεότητος) : Sinless or Omnipotent?

If we [become] Fully Deity in Christ, based on [Colossians 2:9-10] which states: [9] For in Christ all the **fullness of the Deity** lives in bodily form, [10] and in Christ **you have been brought ...
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Does Colossians 1:18 refer to Mortals or Corpses as the Dead "nekron" (νεκρῶν)?

If Jesus is "Firstborn" (πρωτότοκος) "out from the Dead" (ἐκ τῶν νεκρῶν) as stated by Paul & Timothy in [Colossians 1:18], and not conceived from "a man" | ἄνδρα (...
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Were the Locusts ( ἀκρίδες ) of Matthew 3:4 suppose to represent the banished Devourer ( בָּֽאֹכֵ֔ל ) of food from Malachi 3:11?

Jesus intentionally associates the prophecy of [Malachi 3:1] with John the Baptist, during John’s imprisonment in [Matthew 11:10]: οὗτός γὰρ ἐστιν περὶ οὗ γέγραπται, Ἰδού, ἐγὼ ἀποστέλλω τὸν ἄγγελόν ...
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Do Malachi 1:2-3 & Romans 9:13 refer to God Loving Jacob & God Hating Esau as hyperbole or a figure of speech, not Calvinism/predestination doctrine?

Calvinist/Reformed Baptists often cite the the following verses associated with Jacob being selected as opposed to Esau as examples of supporting the Doctrine of Calvinism/Predestination(i.e. ...
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James 2:10 pertains to breaking the law as viewed from a holistic perspective,& also has Nothing to say about degrees of severity of different sins

James 2:8-13 8 If, however, you are fulfilling the [a]royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well. 9 But if you show partiality, you are ...
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Why are passages in the Book of Joshua repeated in the Book of Judges (Jos. 15:15-19, Jdgs. 1:11-15)?

In these two parallel sets of passages, why is the Book of Judges merely restating that which was stated in Joshua 15? Joshua 15:15-19, NASB: Then he went up from there against the inhabitants of ...
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Did the Egyptian curse Yahweh (blasphemy) or the Israelite in Leviticus 24?

Leviticus 24:10-12 וַיֵּצֵא בֶּן אִשָּׁה יִשְׂרְאֵלִית וְהוּא בֶּן אִישׁ מִצְרִי בְּתוֹךְ בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וַיִּנָּצוּ בַּמַּחֲנֶה בֶּן הַיִּשְׂרְאֵלִית וְאִישׁ הַיִּשְׂרְאֵלִי. יא וַיִּקֹּב בֶּן ...
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Meaning of "For when a face is sad a heart may be happy"

In Ecclesiastes 7:3 (NASB) Sorrow is better than laughter, For when a face is sad a heart may be happy. What is the meaning of "For when a face is sad a heart may be happy"?
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Simon Peter vs. Simeon Peter - is there significance/context to using one vs. the other

Peter is regularly referred to as "Simon Peter". But in two places in the New Testament he is called "Simeon Peter". At the Jerusalem conference in Acts 15: 13 and after they are ...
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What does Isaiah mean by "Wash you, make you clean"? (Isaiah 1:16)

Isaiah 1:16 Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil; (KJV) The repentance motif is continued in the next few verses, including the great ...
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2answers
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What is the significance of John 3:25?

I’m having trouble connecting John 3:25, which talks about John’s disciples getting into a discussion with a Jew about purification, with the following verses about Jesus baptizing and people ...
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Why did Pilate refer to Jesus as Christ/Messiah?

Why did Pilate refer to the fact that Jesus was called (by some) Christ/Messiah during his debate with the Sanhedrin...given that Pilate knew it was envy that motivated their accusations against Jesus ...
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3answers
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What does Revelation 8:8 refer to - a volcano or maybe a meteorite?

What do you think Revelation 8:8 refers to, a volcano or maybe a meteorite? Rev 8:8 - The second angel sounded his trumpet, and something like a huge mountain, all ablaze, was thrown into the sea. A ...
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49 views

When does γραφή refer to the Tanakh vs additional holy writ vs writings in general?

The word γραφή ("scripture, writing") is used to refer to a variety of written documents - I'd like to understand the similarity or difference in meaning across 4 passages. It can refer to: ...
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2answers
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Do Titus 1:2 + 2 Timothy 3:16 mean that scripture is inerrant?

Amended for clarity Two passages from Paul that are often used together: In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began; (Titus 1:2) All scripture is given by ...
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1answer
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Who is Jacob asking to bless Joseph?

This question is prompted by some downvoting I received in another response. I have my own answer, but am curious as to how this will be answered/interpreted by others - maybe testing mine? The ...
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3answers
236 views

Is Acts 26:14 testifying Jesus spoke : Hebrew or Aramaic?

Is Acts 26:14 testifying ישׁוּעָ Jesus ( Ἰησοῦς) spoke עִבְרִי Hebrew (Ἑβραΐδι) or ܐܪܡܝܐ Aramaic? When studying Acts 26:14 from the [ESV] translation, we read : " And when we had all fallen to ...
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531 views

If the Word was God, and the Word was the Son, can we conclude that the Son is God?

John 1:1 (NIV): In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. John 1:14 (NIV): 14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the ...
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62 views

Did the Greek Septuagint ignore the Hebrew name change of Mikayehu מִיכָֽיְהוּ to Mikah מִיכָ֔ה in Judges 17:4-5?

Did the Greek Septuagint ignore the Hebrew name change of Mikayehu מִיכָֽיְהוּ to Mikah מִיכָ֔ה in Judges 17:4-5? When we read "Judges" / שֹֽׁפְטִ֑ים Shoftim 17:4-5 in the Tanakh, we notice ...

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