Prior Book | Prior Chapter | Prior Verse | Next Verse | Next Chapter | Next Book | Viewing NASB and Amplified 2015 | |
NASB | Hebrews 1:1 God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Hebrews 1:1 God, having spoken to the fathers long ago in [the voices and writings of] the prophets in many separate revelations [each of which set forth a portion of the truth], and in many ways, |
Bible Question: When trying to understand a certain passage of Scripture, should the history of the times be taken into consideration? |
Bible Answer: Dear Cuddle, Lockman's work -- even the creation of this Forum! -- is predicated on the belief in a doctrine known as the "Verbal Plenary Inspiration of Scripture." That phrase simply states the belief that God directed the writing of every single word in the original autographs of the Bible, using and guiding the whole aspect of the life, mind, and times of the writer. We see this idea throughout the teachings of Christ and the apostles (see Matthew 4:4; Luke 4:4; 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 3:2; Jude 17; Revelation 22:18-19; etc.). Paul bases an entire theological argument (Galatians 3:16) on whether a word in Genesis was plural or not! Consequently, for proper interpretation, the grammatical aspects of any given passage is crucial. Furthermore, the history and culture in which a text was written is equally important. Each Biblical text has a meaning that is "single, definite, and fixed." That is the meaning we are after! Remember, however, that although there are no private interpretations (2 Peter 1:20), but all Scripture is given to every believer for knowledge, reproof, correction, and instruction (2 Timothy 3:16), there are many, many possible applications. Those applications are the result of applying the truth of God -- as rendered by sound interpretation -- to our present individual circumstances. I'm reminded of a quote I've cited previously on the forum, by the late Francis Schafer. "Men today do not, perhaps, burn the Bible, nor does the Roman Catholic Church any longer put it on the Index, as it once did. But men destroy it in the form of exegesis: they destroy it in the way they deal with it. They destroy it by not reading it as written in normal, literary form, by ignoring its historical-grammatical exegesis, by changing the Bible's own perspective of itself as propositional revelation in space and time, in history..." I hope this information is helpful to you in your continued study of the Word! In the mean time, let's keep in mind our dependency on the Holy Spirit to assist in this effort. We can express that dependence by frequent prayer for ourselves and our brethren in Christ as each of us pour over the treasure of the Word of God! In Him, Doc PS If you would like to read some very definitive and helpful principles right along these lines, I'd encourage you to study the statements at the following web sites: http://www.bible-researcher.com/chicago1.html http://www.bible-researcher.com/chicago2.html (particularly this one) |