OT 1, 2, 3, Virginia Theological Seminary

Exegesis, of the Old Testament as well as the New, aims to illuminate a biblical text, to point to a useful interpretation of it. Such intensive study of a biblical passage is itself an act of prayer, done to the glory of God. The first action in any exegesis is therefore prayer for the Holy Spirit’s presence and guidance. All other steps follow in this light.

In the 5-6 page papers required in this course, you will obviously not produce the definitive interpretation of your passage. Instead, you should make enough preliminary conclusions to provide a coherent interpretation, that fits the details of the text, including some possible use of this passage in teaching or preaching. We are not looking for the, one right interpretation. (There is no one right exegesis, but there are many wrong ones!)

Please note, from your syllabus, the length of the paper (5-6 pages, single-sided, double-spaced; Times New Roman Font; 12-point). Please also note encouragement to use Hebrew and Greek, in their proper characters. Whatever style of documentation you use (see Student Handbook), please be sure to give proper credit where it’s due. (Note: this will include the author’s, as well as the editor’s name, e.g., for articles in a Bible Dictionary or for notes from a Study-Bible).

Exegesis is an art in which you will grow more skilled with practice. There is no one ‘right’ series of procedures or method that works for every biblical text, but certain kinds of inquiry help with most. A basic resource for methods of Old Testament exegesis is Old Testament Exegesis, by Douglas Stuart (‘recommended’ on your syllabus; page references are from the second edition of this).

A NOTE about commentaries: They are a valuable but seductive resource. Each is necessarily limited in scope and point of view. Some suggestions for effective use:

1. Work through as much as you can of these steps on your own FIRST, then consult the commentaries.

2. When you look at commentaries, it’s good, if possible, to look at some from differing theological perspectives (e.g., Catholic, Protestant, both conservative and liberal, and Jewish commentaries—more if you have time!)

3. If you start with the most recent ones, they may refer you to earlier (and valuable) ones.

4. This is an iterative process! AFTER reading commentaries, you may well see your passage more clearly. You then can use their expertise. But FIRST doing as much on your own as you possibly can will keep you from simply absorbing a commentary’s point of view and missing what it misses.

An excellent exegesis will:

• make constant reference to the biblical text (lots of verse references!)
• make arguments and decisions, not leave problems unresolved
• use the methods we’ve been developing in the course.

IMPORTANT! The research outline given below is not the outline of your final write-up: the exegetical process is not the format for the presentation of your paper. Organize your research in your own way, as you think best. Work toward a flowing style that argues your coherent interpretation of your passage. Sample papers, of differing lengths, are available for consultation.

II. STEPS FOR EXEGESIS (these help many; see Stuart for much greater detail):

NOTE: some of this work will be possible only if you can work with Hebrew, which would obviously help with understanding your passage. If you cannot, DO NOT DESPAIR! There are many excellent English translations and study aids, including BibleWorks (on VTS computers). You will find plenty to do, whether or not you read Hebrew!

If you can use Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia (BHS), its footnotes often (but not always) indicate variants, e.g., in the Septuagint (the stylized G) or Qumran (stylized Q). You are not looking for all possible variants, only the ones that make a difference in interpretation! [Note: if you find one that seems particularly significant, a further resource is the Critique Textuelle de l'Ancien Testament.]

Whether or not you can use BHS, consulting many English translations (be cautious with paraphrases!) may help you note variants, as well as important or ambiguous words. Where are these versions not saying the same thing? Does the Hebrew support one but not another translation, or do these reflect a range of meaning different in Hebrew from in English? Have translators smoothed over a problem in the text?

Are there problems of grammar that make a difference in translation? Are there differences in sentence or paragraph division? (Remember that these are all interpretations!) Are there interesting patterns of verb forms? Is there repetition of significant words?

Notice important and repeated words, especially proper names. Define any that are not obvious. Does a proper name have a literal or ‘punning’ meaning? Are there any interesting idioms (e.g., ‘cutting’ a covenant)? (Differences in translation may help you access these).

It may be helpful to choose a few (probably no more than 3) words that appear to have central theological or interpretative significance for this passage. Find the Hebrew word(s) that lie behind them. Search, through concordances (see Stuart, 119-120) or BibleWorks, for where else these are used in the Old Testament. Is there any pattern? (Are they used in law codes, prophetic oracles, history?) Can their use elsewhere illuminate their meaning here? (For more details, cf. Stuart, 120-121.)

AFTER you have done this, you may consult the theological dictionaries for further insight. [Theological Dictionary of the Old Testament , ed. Botterweck and Ringgren, is newly in English and helpful, as far along in the alphabet as it goes. The German original is also available.]

Note the historical setting behind the text. Are there any parallel passages related to the same conditions? Would it help to look at a History of Israel (one by John Bright is on reserve in the VTS library)?

What social setting is assumed in the passage? Is this significant to understanding it? (Also see ‘Form Criticism’ below).

What is the geographical setting? Where did this take place? Are the physical features of this place important? Is this place of local or national significance? Computer resources, such as the Logos Bible Atlas and the Holy Land Satellite Atlas, may prove helpful to you.

*Danger: Do not step too far back from your passage. If your final paper has more than a paragraph on general background issues, you will know your focus is too broad.

Does this passage appear to come from one source/tradition or many? How can you tell?

What source(s) are postulated for it? J, E, D, P, H (if from Pentateuch)? Another? On what basis? What date(s) for its writing? What setting(s)?

If the postulated author has other writings in the OT, how do their similarities and differences illuminate this text?

Are there parallels in any ancient Near Eastern sources outside the Bible? What similarities and differences do you see? What do these say about theological intentions of the biblical author(s) or editor(s)?

Is this pericope a logical unit? Would including verses before it help? hinder? understanding? Verses after it? How can you tell?

Is it part of a larger narrative (e.g., journey, legal code, patriarchal history, prophetic oracle)?

This helps to understand the structure of the text. It would show whether this is prose or poetry, and point out ‘units of information’ (Stuart, 32) that are major either in length or importance. It would show where your text is unique over against other examples of its genre. Possible outline forms include:

1) Formal structure: Are there patterns (e.g., repetition, reversal, chiasm, theme and variations; see others, Stuart, 33, and 34 for poetry), major or minor?

2) Logical structure: Is there a line of argument? What steps can you discern? Is there a ‘punch line’ to which all leads? Several ‘punch lines’? Do these fit? Are they convincing? to you? to a likely earlier reader?

3) Narrative structure: Are there several scenes? Is there development of character? Does this lead to a climax or denouement?

What literary type (genre/form/Gattung) does this passage fit? Is it all one form or a combination/mixture of forms? Compare other examples of the genre within the Bible (concordance work may well help here) and perhaps from the larger biblical world.

In what setting (Sitz-im-Leben) might this form have been used? (Worship? Law court? School? Coronation? Funeral? Pilgrimage?) Who were the passage's tradents? Don't be timid—suggest a life-setting for your passage. [Stuart, 29-32, may be helpful! Also see Rendtorff, 77-128]

What function is intended for this particular form in this context? What theological points are made by using it here?

Your text is a Scripture of the Christian Church. Ask yourself why? Shift your focus to your text's interrelationship with the community of the faithful.

What is the nature and theological value of your text that proved formative of faithful community? Is it part of a stream of theological tradition? Why did the faithful preserve, archive, treasure, and meditate on this theological tradition in this form? Are there clues for answering this question in the text's "canonical shape"—in the way the community has selected, configured, and ordered your passage?

Are there several voices (sources, layers) within this pericope? If so, how does the present configuration and integrity of the passage amount to more than the sum of its discrete sources or layers? How would the wholistic form of this pericope have impacted the communities that preserved it as Scripture?

Where in the Hebrew Bible is this found? In Torah, Prophets, or Writings? Where is this pericope within this section? Where within its book? What precedes and follows it? *Danger: Do not step too far back from your passage. Use the narrative context only to uncover the specific sense of your passage.

Is all or any part of this pericope used elsewhere in the Old Testament? Is it quoted? alluded to? Do its theological themes or vocabulary occur elsewhere? (Here a study Bible’s cross-references or the ‘Treasury’ (bulb) button in BibleWorks may be helpful). Try to use Scripture to interpret this Scriptural passage. Scripture provides a context of interpretation that is very different from the reconstructed, historical context of interpretation that modernist approaches emphasize.

In the canonical context, what meaning comes from this pericope’s shape and location? Does it add to, disagree with, embellish, stand apart from pericopes before and after it? Those within the same narrative? Within the same book? What theological issues does this raise in the canon?

What does it have to say to other parts of the canon: in its own book, in the section (Torah, Prophets, Writings), in the Old Testament, in the New Testament? [NOTE: this could be a life’s work! For this paper, do you see any connections? Note them, without doing a complete exegesis on them!]

Is this pericope (or part of it) used in the New Testament? Where? How? If only part of it is used, why? Is it in dialogue with NT texts? [All this should be brief: this is an OT exegesis paper!]

* Most important: Make sure it is clear how your exposition (section on relevance) flows out of your exegesis (section on critical analysis).

What is the theological witness of the passage to God, God's activity in the world, God's search for relationship with humanity? How does God meet us in the passage?

How would this witness shape the life of faithful Israelites? The faithful Christian community? How should it shape the life of individuals today?

What Word of God do you hear for today in this passage?

What do you unhesitatingly affirm in this passage? Why? Where do you find yourself taken aback? How will you deal with the scandal of the text?

These sections show the work you need to do before writing your connected, coherent interpretation. They have been set off from each other to make sure that each is addressed, but this division is artificial (as can be seen by a certain repetitiveness!) When you’ve studied your pericope in this depth, each part of the analysis should inform your final interpretation. It is, after all, one pericope, not six (1-6, above), that you have studied. Some passages will be better illuminated by one step, some by others. In your paper, emphasize what has provided most enlightening, but give some indication that you have looked at and understand other methods.

For the format of your paper, Stuart (43) discusses strengths of, and methods behind, different possibilities. Choose the one that helps you best present and support your interpretation.