THIRD EDITION

Grasping God’s Word

A Hands-On Approach to Reading, Interpreting, and Applying the Bible

J. Scott Duvall

J. Daniel Hays

Forewords by Mark L. Strauss and Kevin J. Vanhoozer

ZONDERVAN

Grasping God’s Word

Copyright © 2001, 2005, 2012 by J. Scott Duvall and J. Daniel Hays

This title is also available as a Zondervan ebook. Visit www.zondervan.com/ebooks.

Requests for information should be addressed to:

Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49530

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Duvall, J. Scott.

Grasping God’s word: a hands-on approach to reading, interpreting, and applying the Bible / J. Scott Duvall, J. Daniel Hays; foreword by Kevin Vanhoozer.—3rd ed.

p. cm.

Includes indexes.

ISBN 978-0-310-49257-3 (hardcover)

1. Bible—​Hermeneutics—Textbooks. I. Hays, J. Daniel, 1953– II. Title.

BS476.D88 2012

220.601—​dc23

2011044315

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Any Internet addresses (websites, blogs, etc.) and telephone numbers in this book are offered as a resource. They are not intended in any way to be or imply an endorsement by Zondervan, nor does Zondervan vouch for the content of these sites and numbers for the life of this book.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other— except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher, and except for notation on page 19.

Cover design: Rob Monacelli

Cover photography: Getty Images

Interior design: Sherri L. Hoffman

To our wives, Judy Duvall and Donna Hays—​

Our discussion of Song of Songs (chapter 22) summarizes our love for you

CONTENTS

Forewords

Preface to the Third Edition

Preface to the Second Edition

Preface to the First Edition

Acknowledgments

Part 1: How to Read the Book—Basic Tools

1. Bible Translations

2. The Interpretive Journey

3. How to Read the Book—Sentences

4. How to Read the Book—Paragraphs

5. How to Read the Book—Discourses

Part 2: Contexts—Now and Then

6. The Historical-Cultural Context

7. What Do We Bring to the Text?

8. The Literary Context

9. Word Studies

Part 3: Meaning and Application

10. Who Controls the Meaning?

11. Levels of Meaning

12. The Role of the Holy Spirit

13. Application

Part 4: The Interpretive Journey—New Testament

14. New Testament—​Letters

15. New Testament—​Gospels

16. New Testament—​Acts

17. New Testament—​Revelation

Part 5: The Interpretive Journey—​Old Testament

18. Old Testament—​Narrative

19. Old Testament—​Law

20. Old Testament—​Poetry

21. Old Testament—​Prophets

22. Old Testament—​Wisdom

Appendix 1: Inspiration and Canon

Appendix 2: Writing an Exegetical Paper

Appendix 3: Building ...