What is the Author’s Intended Meaning?

What is the Author's Intended Meaning?

A.I.M. and Why It Matters

When we open our Bibles, we can go in several different directions when it comes to interpretation. We ask ourselves, “How do I feel in this moment while reading this? How do I WANT it to make me feel… Does this relate to what I learned on the flannelgraph in Sunday School? How can I relate this to my current life?”

 

However, the text in front of us could be interpreted as literal… figurative… narrative… prophecy… so, the odds of us landing on a similar genre across several different books are pretty slim. The problem I see across the board is when people open up their Bible to read- they immediately ask themselves after reading, “What does this mean to me?”

 

Honestly? I don’t care what it means to you.

And I’m not trying to be mean- and here’s why.

My major issue? You weren’t the original audience for this book. No offense.

Books are written for specific audiences. And it’s pretty slim that you fit into that original audience. I mean, there aren’t alot of us who are from first century Israel… or earlier. If we don’t understand who the author was, where they were from or who they were writing to- we won’t understand the main depth to the message. We will only glean surface level information. If we are reading something and only applying it to our lives – we are missing the point. The message- the impact- the TRUTH. That life-changing “AHA” moment or epiphany you are looking for as a reader. Not to mention, if we miss his point,one could argue that he just wasted his time trying to get his message across. What a shame.

 

A Quick Exercise on the Importance of A.I.M.

 

As readers, we need to give author’s the credit they deserve. For example, read the statement to the right. 

 

Now, if we understand the speaker of the text to be a woman carrying out a birthday cake to the awaiting party guests in the backyard… it’s a happy scene.  But, if we understand the narrator to be a man who is intent on killing a family inside the house? Awful, horrific scene. Knowing the author’s intended meaning is HUGELY important.

 

A.I.M. Exercise

“I slid through the french doors, carrying what would indefinitely bring an end to the night.”

Get Rid of Preconceived Ideas

Every author has a purpose and message that they are trying to communicate. When I took a class on writing this past winter, one of the first things I learned was to ask myself, “Who is your audience? Who is the ‘person’ you’re writing to?” Without this- authors have no purpose or message to get out. 

 

When we layer our theology or beliefs about the world upon the words in the Bible as we read, we are missing a huge part of the message. (Or most of it… if we’re being really honest with ourselves.) Since we are not from the first century, how do we go about even determining what the author was trying to communicate to his audience? What was his main message?

 

When we seek to find out the Author’s Intended Meaning, we must put aside our cultural, emotional, personal, historical and denominational beliefs. Read in more detail here in this post. That means, if we think we know what the author is trying to say (maybe due to something we heard from a Sunday School teacher back in the day) then we may lose his actual meaning.

 

Do something quick for me. Try to determine the author’s intended meaning in Matthew 19:26. It’s a verse that’s largely taken out of context by our generation… and therefore, the author’s message is lost. (Find out my thoughts in my next post, “What’s the Deal with Context?”)

 

At the end of the day, we need to focus on the author’s intended meaning/message above all else. If not… are we even giving him the credit? And that’s a true shame.

 

Before Opening Your Bible

Before Opening Your Bible

Tips on How To Begin Reading Your Bible

Here’s the thing I believe is the downfall to most Bible reading. 

People… JUST… START… READING. 

And that works for the most part. Until you run into something that doesn’t make sense… or seems to contradict something else you read… or makes you question everything you thought you knew about our Creator.

The more I understand and study this crazy, intense and intentionally designed book, the more I’m blown away. 

Here’s a couple of things that will set you up to be more interpretative of the text, rather than just taking it at face-value.

1- Start Fresh.

We don’t realize that when we sit down to read anything (even news articles or Facebook posts) we come PRELOADED with ideas, thoughts or past experiences that color the way we understand things. This is non-disputed science. In fact, our beliefs and how we perceive things are hardwired into our brains and are hard to change. If we cannot push aside these preconceived ideas, we will never see the text as it was intended to be read. 

Try to focus on reading with fresh eyes. If you’ve heard about a scripture that’s been used over and over, you may think you understand the meaning- but, hold that thought. You may be surprised to find out that what you thought it meant, may not mean what the author intended the text to be understood as. Be willing to have your perspective shift when you open your Bible; don’t try and read Scripture to prove your point. Decide now to read Scripture to learn more about who your God is.

2- Find a Translation You Understand

I remember the first time I read another translation other than the NIV (New International Version.) My parents bought me a Student Bible as a teenage, and it was the NLT (New Living Translation). It was a GAME-CHANGER for me. Where once I had thought of the Bible  as boring, was now talking to me in a slightly different way. Just enough to grab and hold my attention. Not only that, but it was full of notes in the margins and even sidenotes in the text filling in history, culture or parallel passages to help me fill in the blanks.

Okay… so, when you begin looking into different translations or versions of the Bible, you may become overwhelmed. (There are a TON out there…). Fret not!  I can give you a couple of options that will help you determine the route to go. 

Difference Between Translations and Versions

Here’s the first thing you must understand: the Bible was written in several languages (Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek). The first translation into English was by John Wycliff in 1382 (over 500 years before I was born!) Can you imagine that moment though? To read about the Savior in your own language? And this is still going on around the world today. (Check out Pioneer Bible Translators and Wycliff Bible Translators!)

When something is translated into another language, it can be generally translated “word for word” or “thought for thought”. On the arrow below… there are versions that are almost word for word what is in the original text… and translations that take what is the in the original text and try to match the thought, voice or emotion of the text. 

I honestly prefer having several different versions/translations open when I’m intently studying a passage. But when I’m just wanting to lean into the words and allow them to speak to me? I choose a translation that has emotion and tone built into the words. It seems to bring them to life for me. One amazing resource is the YouVersion Bible app. You can jump between translations with just a click. 

 A couple of translations/versions that I recommend? If you’re leaning toward the “word for word” versions, pick up the NASB (New American Standard Bible) or the ESV (English Standard Version.) For the middle of the road? Definitely, the NIV (New International Version.). If you’re wanting to aim towards finding a translation that tries to capture the original author’s thought? Then reach for the NLT, (New Living Translation.) When I’m helping someone determine which version they prefer, the NLT is usually the one that they land on. It’s a very clean and understandable translation and reads in contemporary English.   

Recently, a friend introduced me to a new translation that is still being written. It’s called The Passion Translation and according to their website,  “is a new, heart-level translation, using Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic manuscripts, that expresses God’s fiery heart of love to this generation, merging the emotion and life-changing truth of God’s Word.” Right now, the New Testament, as well as Psalm, Proverbs, Isaiah and Genesis, are finished and you can purchase some of them together or separately.     

What I love about this new translation is the fact that almost HALF of each page is FOOTNOTES. Being as I’m a huge nerd, the more notes, the better. Ha! The notes here are chock full of original language insight and cultural/historical insight. And it is full of emotion and poetry that I’ve never picked up in any other translation or version. Below is a graphic comparing several translations and versions of the same verse. Notice their differences and similarities!

Whatever version or translation you decide upon, get ready to have the lights come on in a way that you’ve never seen before. Imagery will come alive and stories will dance off the page.   

 

3- Start a Little Digging.   

Okay, now you’re thinking… wait- research?  It’s a lot simpler than it sounds. 

Before you begin reading, you need to understand what the author was trying to communicate. So, start by looking at the culture, time period, history of the area, and the people involved (author, audience and bystanders.) This kind of information is easily found sometimes in the Bible you’re holding (look in the footnotes or in the introduction section of each book of the Bible.) If your Bible doesn’t have these options, it may be wise to invest in one. I’ve bought several study Bibles from christianbook.com. Having these kinds of options can help you to immediately bring the story to life.  

When you finally sit down to actually read the passage, try to imagine yourself as one of the original people that it was written to. How would they have felt to read the passage for the first time? Would they have known the author? Would they have met Jesus? Putting yourself in their “sandals” will more than likely help you to determine what the author of the book was trying to communicate in these exact passages.

If you can nail down what the audience would have felt, you’re more likely to begin to understand where the author was coming from. Was the author describing a historical timeline? Were they trying to guide the audience into knowing how to share about the Kingdom?

 

And now? You’re ready to open your Bible…