Bible study terms can sound intimidating, but they describe ordinary questions every reader asks:
- What does this passage mean?
- How do I know?
- How should I respond?
Understanding words like exegesis, eisegesis, and hermeneutics helps us read Scripture carefully instead of assuming the Bible means whatever first comes to mind.
For a fuller introduction to careful Bible study, start with my Bible Study 101 collection.
These definitions fit into the larger question of why some Bible study methods are better than others.
Application
- The process of taking the author’s intended meaning in context and considering how that truth should shape our faith, repentance, obedience, worship, and daily life.
- Biblical application flows from the meaning of the passage; it should not replace or ignore the author’s original point.
- Question answered: “How should I respond?”
Bible Study Procedure: A Step‑by‑Step Approach to Scripture
Author's Intent
- The meaning the biblical author intended to communicate to his original audience through the words, grammar, structure, context, and genre of the passage.
- Responsible Bible study seeks to understand that intended meaning before drawing conclusions or making application.
- Question Answered: What did the author intend to communicate?
Goal of Bible Study: Author’s Intent Explained
Context
- The surrounding information that helps us understand a passage.
- This includes the verses before and after, the argument of the book, the historical setting, the original audience, and the Bible’s larger storyline.
- Question answered: What surrounds this?
Why Context Is Key to Understanding the Bible
Eisegesis
- From the Greek: "leading into"
- "the reading into a passage of Scripture what is not there in the meaning of the text"
- Question Answered: Am I imposing my view on the text?
- Eisegesis happens when we start with our own idea, assumption, or agenda and then try to make the Bible support it.
Before You Study: 6 Convictions to Bring to the Bible
Exegesis
- from the Greek: "leading out, drawing out"
- "the explanation of what a passage of Scripture meant in its literary and historical context"
- Question Answered: What did the author mean?
- Exegesis means we start with the passage and work to understand what the biblical author intended to communicate.
10 rules for interpreting the Bible + an example
Augustine’s 9 Principles of Interpretation: A Practical Guide
Genre
- The type of literature a passage uses, such as narrative, poetry, prophecy, wisdom, gospel, epistle, or apocalyptic literature.
- Genre matters because we do not read a proverb the same way we read a promise, a parable, or a command.
- Question answered: What type of material is this?
Hermeneutics
- "The explanation of what a passage of Scripture means in the context of the whole of Scripture with particular reference to its application for any person or situation"
- Hermeneutics builds upon exegesis and focuses on the contemporary application rather than meaning to the original readers.
- "The only proper control for hermeneutics is to be found in the original intent of the biblical text" (Fee & Stuart, pg. 26).
- Question Answered: What did the author mean?
- Hermeneutics is the set of principles we use to move from careful reading to faithful understanding and application.
How to Study the Bible: The 5 C’s that Clarify Any Passage
Interpret
Here are three definitions from the Concise Oxford Dictionary. All three have the idea of "meaning" in common.
- "to expound the meaning of" (i.e. proclaim, exposit something you already know and what to tell)
- "to make out the meaning of" (i.e. work at figuring out; meaning is relatively obscure and need some work to be discerned)
- "to bring out the meaning of" (i.e. to elucidate, expand upon a clear meaning)
- Question Answered: What does the text mean?
- The goal is to understand the author’s intended meaning in context.
Mastering Bible Study Interpretation
Observation
- The process of carefully noticing what the passage says before trying to explain or apply it by looking at items like: Who is speaking? Who is being addressed? What words are repeated? What commands, promises, contrasts, reasons, or connections appear in the text?
- Before we explain or apply a passage, we slow down and notice words, grammar, repeated ideas, contrasts, commands, promises, and connections.
- Question Answered: “What does the text say?”
How to Observe Scripture: The First Step in Bible Study
Proof-Texting
- Using an isolated verse to support an idea without considering the verse’s context or the Bible’s larger teaching.
The #1 Mistake Christians Make When Interpreting the Bible
Common Interpretation Mistakes to Avoid
- Starting with application: Asking “What does this mean to me?” before asking “What did the author mean?”
- Ignoring context: Quoting one verse without reading the surrounding passage.
- Flattening genre: Reading poetry, prophecy, narrative, and epistles as if they all work the same way.
- Over-personalizing: Assuming every detail in the passage is directly about my current situation.
- Letting commentaries think for us: Consulting experts before doing our own careful observation.
Must-Read Books for Confident Scripture Study
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