EXEGESIS


 


EXEGESIS

 

This morning, I awakened with the word “EXEGESIS” swirling back and forth between my conscious and subconscious mind. I started about my normal daily routine and “EXEGESIS” would again bounce off my frontal lobe and land smack in the center of my thinking.

 

Growing up in the church I remember hearing the term “EXEGESIS”… but never really understood what it meant.

To my small ears that word sounded like “ex-a-Jesus”.

I thought it meant they were trying to exit Jesus right out of that section of the Bible.

And...  in a lot of cases that might not have been too far off.

Jesus seemed to have had the most trouble with the ones that spent their time squabbling over the Mosaic Law… the scriptures… and what they meant.

 

 

The Oxford Dictionary defines “EXEGESIS” as:

critical explanation or interpretation of a text, especially of scripture.

from Greek exēgēsis,

from exēgeisthai ‘interpret’,

from ex- ‘out of’ + hēgeisthai ‘to guide, lead’.

 

 

So, apparently this method of study for interpretation is to guide or lead you out of your own way of thinking into the very thought, intent, motive, and purpose behind what was said when God said it… HIS HEART!

 

THAT IS WHAT “LOGOS” (THE WORD) MEANS!!! …the very thought, intent, purpose and motive behind what is spoken!

 

 

 

While the English word "EXEGESIS" is not in the Bible, the underlying Greek verb, exegeomai, (from which "EXEGESIS" is derived) IS USED in the New Testament.

“The verb means ‘to explain (narrate) in a way that clarifies what is uppermost (has priority).’” (BibleHub Helps Word Studies)

 

 

Lk24:35AMP “They began DESCRIBING IN DETAIL (exegeomai) what had happened on the road…” (to Emmaus... "didn't our hearts burn within us?" Lk24:32)

 

Jn1:18AMP “No one has seen God [His essence, His divine nature] at any time;

the [One and] only begotten God [that is, the unique Son]

WHO IS IN THE INTIMATE PRESENCE OF THE FATHER,

HE has EXPLAINED Him

[and INTERPRETED and REVEALED (exegeomai)

the awesome wonder of the Father].”

 

So… it is not about simply

·       studying the etymology of each word,

·       gathering the definitions,

·       researching the speaker and audience,

·       discovering the context of each scripture…

 

Instead, it is approaching THE WORD OF GOD (THE LOGOS) as a relationship.

He is a person. (Jn1:1-5)

The way you interpret what a person is saying is determined by the relationship you have with the person speaking…

                  …knowing how they think

                  …how they respond

…what their character and nature is…

 

…so that when they speak, you actually hear the thought, intent, purpose and motive behind what they are saying…

…YOU HEAR THEIR HEART.

Then you get what they are saying…

…because the essence of who they are.

 

THAT’S EXEGESIS

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