2.3 - Primary Meaning of Words
December 19, 2004 | Comments: 3Biblical Hermeneutics Part Second Chapter 3
The author herein discusses the importance of ascertaining the primary meaning of words in our lexical analysis of a text. The first step in understanding the author’s intended communication to his readers is to comprehend the meanings of the words he employs. There are often significant differences between the primitive meaning of a word and its usus loquendi, i.e. the current usage of the speaker / writer. The word ἐκκλησία in the New Testament is an example of this.
In this endeavor there are several important methods to assist us. We can be aided by comparative philology, i.e. the comparison of the meanings of cognate words across several languages. This is particularly helpful in cases where the origin of a word has been completely lost. For hapax legomena we must be guided by context, analogy of any kindred roots, and whatever cognate words may be found in other tongues. In the case of hapax legomena which are compound words, we may often rely on the lexical meaning of the words compounded, e.g. ??? (peacemakers).
Comments
Of course, you have described one part of the whole process of determining meaning. If this is all that one does, the meaning may be skewed or missed completely. I’m not sure if this need be the first step in the process. Does Terry outline, step by step the process, placing lexical analysis in relationship to other necessary steps? Terry’s point about historic range of meaning is excellent and must be remembered by the student of the Bible. nathan.
Nathan on January 30, 2007 at 07:35 AM
Yes, Terry spends a fair bit of the first part of his work doing just that. But he is not wooden about it—he stresses that hermeneutics is an art as well as a science, and that the application of particular hermeneutical principles is somewhat fluid.
In practical exegesis, I doubt that anyone does strict lexical analysis on every word in their text. Part of this is because we have developed some facility in the vocabulary of Scripture. And when we do apply ourselves to it, we are blessed with such excellent tools. On that note, since you now have a mac, you should seriously look into acquiring Accordance, if you have not already.
Andrew on January 30, 2007 at 09:10 AM
thanks, for the tip on Accordance, Andrew. I will check it out! As we have remarked to each other in the past – Terry is a superb choice for this course. nathan.
Nathan on January 30, 2007 at 04:08 PM
