Scriptures and its Interpretation Challenges with hassan Jacob

with Hassan Jacob, Student.

The Bible remains a mysterious book. Even after 2,000 years of Church history, some verses and biblical passages continue to challenge even the most brilliant scholars. Sometimes difficult passages have led to misinterpretations. Why is it so difficult to understand the Bible? Why is so much effort required to understand it fully and correctly?

There are several reasons why the Bible can be difficult to understand.

The first reason why it is sometimes difficult to understand the Bible is that we are fallen beings, whose sin hinders understanding and pushes us to twist its message according to our personal preferences. Humanity will not be able to fully understand the Bible because he is a finite being. And the Bible was revealed by an infinite spirit.

Bible is often difficult to understand because of differences in language. It was originally written in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek. Though many wonderful translations exist, there are always some nuances that are challenging to communicate from one language to another. These nuances sometimes make the Bible harder to understand.

The Bible is difficult to understand due to differences related to time and culture or to the historical-cultural discrepancy. Moses, for example, wrote to the Jewish people who came out of Egypt almost 3,500 years ago. Its original audience would have understood its words, expressions, measurement system, word images and literary forms in a way that we do not understand naturally. As a result, many studies are often necessary to understand the biblical text in its original setting and it is very important to take into account the culture in which it was written.

Then, the Bible contains very diverse literary styles: historical books, texts of laws, poetry, songs, sapiential literature, prophecies, personal letters and apocalyptic literature. Historical books should be interpreted differently from books of wisdom. Poetry cannot be understood in the same way as apocalyptic writings. A personal letter, while having meaning for us today, may have a different application than that which it had for its first recipients. Taking these differences into account is important to avoid confusion and misunderstandings.

Our own lives too can make the Bible difficult to understand. For example, we may be limited in our knowledge of language, history, theology or other areas of study that influence our level of biblical understanding. In addition, our human limits sometimes make us misunderstand or not understand certain parts of Scripture. In addition, sin in our own lives can prevent us from better understanding God's will or parts of His Word.

Some difficulties are linked to our different presuppositions. Despite our best efforts not to apply our preconceived ideas to the Bible, we inevitably do so sometimes. Unfortunately, all of us can misinterpret a passage by assuming its meaning. When we study the Bible, we need to ask God to take away our prejudices and help us interpret His Word without letting them influence us. It is often difficult, because admitting their existence requires humility and being ready to admit mistakes.

All of these points are not enough to understand why some biblical passages are difficult to interpret. But to read the Bible without difficulty, entire books have been written on hermeneutics, the science of biblical interpretation. It will be necessary to refer to these fundamental principles for a good study. Already it must be stressed that we must take into account the cultural differences between us and the men of biblical times, of different literary genres, and be attentive to the Bible without letting our presuppositions influence our interpretation. This will be an excellent starting point.

While understanding the Bible can be difficult, it is not impossible. Through diligent study, the abundance of study tools available today, gifted teachers and preachers, as well as the Holy Spirit's illuminating work in our lives as believers, we are able to learn God's will for our lives through His perfect, inspired Word (2 Timothy 3:16-17. 

Every serious Bible student must have encountered scriptures that are difficult to understand. This difficulty should not surprise us. All those who one day are confronted with another culture and another vision of the world know that there are inevitably things that we will not understand immediately. This is the same way as the Bible. So we must approach these difficult passages with logic, honesty, humility, perseverance and prayer while relying on the fundamental principles of biblical exegesis.

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