THREE PROBLEMS IN INTERPRETATION

As Christians, the way we live flows from what we believe—and what we believe depends on how we understand God’s Word. Interpreting Scripture is a daily task for every believer because reading always involves understanding. If we are careless, we can easily misinterpret what we read. In Understanding and Applying the Scriptures (McCain & Keener, 2012), three common errors in interpretation are identified: misinterpretation, under-interpretation, and over-interpretation. All are forms of misunderstanding, but these categories help us see the differences.

MISINTERPRETATION

To misinterpret is “to read something in the Bible and think it says one thing when it actually says something else.” The most common cause is failure to grasp the context. Because the interpreter is unfamiliar with the flow of thought, a passage is given a meaning the author never intended.

For example, many take Isaiah 53:5 (and 1 Peter 2:24) “by His wounds we are healed” as a promise of physical healing through Christ’s death. But the context clearly speaks of sin as the sickness in view (Isa 53:5–6, 8, 10–12). The healing is spiritual, not merely physical.

UNDER-INTERPRETATION

To under-interpret is “to fail to get everything from the passage that is there.” In other words, the reader misses part of the meaning because key information is lacking. This is harder to spot and often happens when we ignore historical or cultural background, Hebrew or Greek nuances, or geographical details.

For example, when Jesus said, “the gates of hell shall not prevail against the church” (Matt 16:18), some think only of demonic forces attacking the church. While it’s true that evil cannot ultimately defeat Christ’s people, the phrase “gates of hell” had a specific setting. Jesus spoke these words near Caesarea Philippi (v.13), a site with a pagan shrine Jews called “the gates of hell,” and the expression could also mean “death.” Jesus was assuring His followers that no pagan religion or even death itself could stop His church—an encouraging promise for believers facing persecution.

OVER-INTERPRETATION

To over-interpret is “to see more in a passage than the original author intended.” This often happens when we fail to recognize the literary genre and read symbolic meaning into details that were never meant to carry it.

Parables are frequent victims of this error. In the Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37), some claim the man’s descent from Jerusalem to Jericho represents humanity’s fall, that the oil and wine signify the Holy Spirit and the new covenant, or that the donkey symbolizes the Spirit. These creative ideas miss the point. Jesus Himself explained the lesson: love your neighbor (vv.27, 37). The details simply make the story vivid; they are not secret symbols. Sound interpretation compares Scripture with Scripture and checks balanced commentaries to avoid going beyond what is written.

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“Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15).