Hermeneutics is the science and art of interpretation. It should be distinguished from Bible study methods. Hermeneutics uses involved processes in interpretation, but it also includes historical and theoretical issues and problems.
When it comes to historical and theoretical issues, a hermeneutics book or course will typically discuss things like the following:
• The history of biblical interpretation. The Bible has not always been interpreted with the methods we use today. For example, the ancient Jewish community and the early church fathers employed techniques that we would consider strange or even inadvisable today. The same can be said for other periods of church history.
• Historical and cultural analysis. A hermeneutics course would introduce students to tools for learning about the civilizations and worldviews that surrounded the ancient Israelites. These resources include primary sources—literature produced by ancient Egyptians or Romans, for example. Serious Bible students need to know where to find primary sources and which literary works contribute to understanding what’s written in the Bible.
• Applying the Bible across modern cultures. This area deals with theoretical and practical approaches for communicating the Bible to the world’s cultures. Even in our own day we know that cultural differences interfere with accurate communication. This is even more true in regard to a book as ancient as the Bible.
In terms of methods of analyzing the biblical text, a hermeneutics book or course will introduce students to a range of procedures, including:
• Proper methods of word study. The student needs to consider issues like word usage in context and how synonyms relate to each other.
• Literary genre. Genre refers to a type of literature, and genre influences meaning (you wouldn’t interpret the word “court” the same way in a legal document, a sports column, and a building permit).
• Greek and Hebrew grammar. Students need to understand grammatical terms that commentaries use when they interact with the original text. For instance, it matters what a Greek “aorist tense” is and how it affects meaning.
There’s a lot to consider when you’re studying Scripture, and one of the major goals is proper interpretation. For that, exposure to a hermeneutics textbook or course is indispensable.