Lesson 7 | Avoiding the pitfalls
Eisegesis
In this step and the next, we will explore several hazards that you should be alert to and avoid in your paraphrase. The first set is of pitfalls related to your understanding of the text—that is, bringing error into your paraphrase based on a faulty reading of the text itself. The second set (in the next step) is related to your style and manner of expression.
Reading in (aka eisegesis, which is a technical term that means... “reading in”)
The method of Bible study outlined in this course has exactly the opposite aim from eisegesis—namely, exegesis. Exegesis means to draw out. And so the methods we have explored seek to dig in to the text of Scripture and draw out the meaning the author originally intended. To read into the text is to bring some meaning or concept from outside the text and shape our reading of the text around that external idea. This can certainly be intentional, even malicious, but it does not have to be. We can read elements into the text and be nearly unaware that we have done so. We simply have too many built-in assumptions, preconceived ideas, and predetermined categories that direct our thinking when we read. And so the call to heed this warning is not for “those other guys,” but for you and me.
There are three specific sources or categories of external ideas I would highlight.
1. Do not read in your ideas (or those of another).
Consider this well worn (and thoroughly debunked) example concerning Jesus’ shocking statement about camels squeezing through needles.
There are two key issues with this interpretation. First, it totally destroys the shock of Jesus’ statement! We see this shocking intent brought to light in the interaction that follows (“Who then can be saved? It’s impossible with man!”). Second, it requires information from outside Scripture. To be clear, there is great value in learning all we can about the historical and cultural setting of the Bible. Such work can enrich our study of the Bible immensely. The issue is when some cultural detail becomes a sort of key that unlocks the meaning of a passage—and leads to a meaning that could not be found in the text itself.
But this pitfall is not limited to external cultural details. Reading in your own (or someone else’s) ideas is the broadest and most generic category of eisegesis—and thus potentially the easiest hazard to fall into. Therefore, the warning is a call to always be alert to yourself, and to consistently examine your interpretations. (More on evaluating your paraphrase in step 6.)
2. Do not read in ideas from another passage (true as they may be).
We need to be very careful here, so let me state a clarification at the start. There is an important principle in reading the Bible that states: let Scripture interpret Scripture. At least two ideas flow from this. Negatively, Scripture will never contradict itself; therefore you cannot infer a meaning in one text that clearly contradicts another. And positively, we should read every portion of Scripture in the light of all the rest of Scripture.
That clarification being made, the danger here is reading into one passage an idea from another passage that is simply not there. My application of Jeremiah 29:11 in the video above is a classic example of this sort of eisegesis. This verse, snatched from its context, has been taken as God’s promise to every believer personally, reflecting a biblically sound truth, namely, that God has ordained all your days according to his purpose and so your life is secure in him. These truths are found in such passages as:
Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them. —Psalm 139:16 ESV
Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’ So we can confidently say, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?' —Hebrews 13:5-6 ESV
The issue is that these truths are not the point of Jeremiah 29:11. It is not a promise addressed to every believer individually, but to Israel as a nation in exile. That is not to say this text has no application to you as a believer this side of the cross. Russell Moore gives a helpful summary of a proper application of this verse with a consideration of its full context.
Jeremiah 29:11 must be read in the context of the whole Book of Jeremiah, and the Book of Jeremiah must be read in the context of Israel’s story. But then all of Jeremiah and all of Israel’s story must be read in the context of God’s purposes in Jesus Christ. All the promises of God "find their yes in him" (2 Cor. 1:20)... Through Jeremiah, God is telling the exiles that their scattering isn’t accidental. God has plans for them, plans that include even what seems chaotic and random. Moreover, these plans mean the exile isn’t permanent… God has a plan for you, in Christ. That plan is not for your destruction but for your wellbeing. You are being conformed into the image of Christ—by sharing in his suffering—and your ultimate end is not as a victim but as a victor, a joint-heir with the King. How can you know this? You can know it the way the exiles of old did: not by observing your present condition but by the Word of God, his oath and his covenant. That means your plans may evaporate. Your dreams may be crushed. Your life may be snuffed out. But the God who raised Jesus from the dead will raise you up with him.
You can read the whole article and see how Moore unpacks this text and draws this application here:
3. Do not read in a theological agenda.
You may never hear someone be so bold as to say, “This verse just doesn’t quite fit my theology. How can I adjust this to make it fit the way I think?” And yet, though someone may not come right out and say it, this kind of eisegesis happens all the time. For example, Mark records the following instruction from Jesus,
And he called the people to him again and said to them, 'Hear me, all of you, and understand: There is nothing outside a person that by going into him can defile him, but the things that come out of a person are what defile him.' And when he had entered the house and left the people, his disciples asked him about the parable. And he said to them, 'Then are you also without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile him, since it enters not his heart but his stomach, and is expelled?' (Thus he declared all foods clean.) And he said, 'What comes out of a person is what defiles him. For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.' —Mark 7:14-23 ESV
Mark points out that when Jesus said, “whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile him, since it enters not his heart but his stomach,” he declared all food clean. However, certain strands of messianic Judaism really don’t want this passage to teach this (since they think believers, or at least Jewish believers, are obligated to keep kosher still). So they argue something like, “Pork was not even thought of as food by Jews like Mark, and so clearly he just means that what was already thought of as food is clean, even if you do not wash your hands as the Pharisees demanded.” While such an explanation might seem sensible to a person desiring a certain meaning in the text, it holds no water when we let the text—with its stated principles and reasoning—speak for itself.
No one is exempt, we all have a theological framework from which we read and interpret Scripture. Moreover, this is not all bad, for sound theology should inform our reading. It can guard against all sorts of error. The concern, however, is in bearing our theological framework as an immovable grid that forces every passage into conformity. Quite the opposite needs to happen. Whatever your theological persuasion may be, you are going to encounter Scriptures that will rub against and challenge your thinking at certain points. The ongoing need is to let the Bible’s own categories, terms, and points of emphasis shape our theology and not vice-versa.
And then there is simply misreading the text
This pitfall does not really fit into the category of eisegesis, for it comes not by reading something into the text, but rather when your understanding of the text is simply not accurate. This, of course, happens to everyone, for no one gets the Bible right at every place, all the time. Moreover, we certainly do not begin the Christian life with a complete and accurate reading of every Scripture text. We all have a lot of learning yet ahead, and this often comes with the correction of erroneous thinking.
Of course, all the Bible study tools we have employed in this course are aimed at coming to a sound understanding of Scripture. And yet, none of them are a guarantee that we will arrive at a correct understanding. This is one reason why we need to be careful not to study in isolation. We need feedback from others, in part, so that we can verify the soundness of our interpretation. Paraphrasing is great tool toward this end. When you can fully state your understanding of a passage in your own words, then you (and others) now have something substantial to evaluate. And it is far more fruitful to struggle with substance than with only vague ideas! We will explore some specific ways to evaluate your paraphrase in step 6, but first, let’s look at a few more hazards to avoid.