Lexical syntactical analysis

Lexical-Syntactical Analysis


• Meaning of lexical-syntactical analysis• A. The study of the meaning of individual words (lexicology) and the way those

words are combined (syntax) in order to determine more accurately the author’s intended meaning. Meaning is conveyed through words arranged in a particular way. These are what it recognizes:

• 1. Whether the author intends his words to be understood literally, or figuratively, or symbolically.

• 2. It then interprets them accordingly.• a. Metaphoric teaching: “I am the door.” I am the vine, I am the bread of life =

metaphors• b. Symbolic teaching: be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees (Matt 16:5-

12)• c. Literal teaching: “Get up, take your mat and go home.” (Matt 9:6-7).

Lexical-Syntactical Analysis• Assumption of the lexical-syntactical analysis: Although words may take

on a variety of meanings in different contexts, they generally have but one intended meaning in any given context.• A. Example1: “She had a ball.” The three possible meanings

(lexicons) of the word “ball.” (.7/98). Therefore, to determine the meaning, one needs to first of all determine the context.• B. Example 2: She had a ball and she kicked it to the

teammate,” will again give a different meaning. • Necessity of lexical-syntactical analysis• A. To ascertain the meaning God intended to convey through

the words of the biblical author.6/99• B. To provide grounds for claiming validity/correctness of one’s

interpretation.

Lexical-Syntactical AnalysisSteps in lexical-syntactical analysis (seven of them; see pp. 99-100)

A. The general literary form1. A writer composing poetry does not use words in the same way that

he does when writing prose. Ps 51:72. One-third of the OT is poetry (the Hebrew type)3. To interpret such poetry passages as if they were prose is to

misinterpret their meaning4. Three general literary forms: prose, poetry and apocalyptic literature.a. Apocalyptic: in Daniel and Revelation: words are generally used

symbolically. b. Prose and poetry both use words in literal and figurative waysc. Prose: the literal usage predominatesd. Poetry: the figurative usage predominates


5. Discriminating between Hebrew poetry and prose is difficult for the English reader:

a. Hebrew poetry is characterized by rhythm of ideas rather than rhythm of sound

b. New biblical translations make this distinction, which the older ones did not. This offers an important interpretive advantage.

c. Compare Rev 21:1-4 between KJV and RSV.


Steps in lexical-syntactical analysis B. Development of the author’s theme

1. Determine its context2. Put the text/passage in perspective of its context. This

placement helps see the primary meaning and/or idea of words that can at times be overshadowed by the technicalities of grammatical analysis of such words.

Lexical-Syntactical AnalysisSteps in lexical-syntactical analysis C. The natural divisions of the text.

1. The chapter-and-verse divisions were not an original part of Scripture.

2. These divisions were added many centuries after the Bible was written as an aid in locating passages for easy reference.

a. Stephen Langton did the chapter divisions in the 13th century; and the verses were done by:

b. Rabbi Nathan (15th century) for the OT; and c. Stephanus (Robert Estinne) for the NT (16th century)

3. The disadvantage: it divides the author’s thought unnaturally

Lexical-Syntactical AnalysisSteps in lexical-syntactical analysis C. The natural divisions of the text

4. Our modern writing: divided into sentences and paragraphsa. The first sentence in a paragraph serves either as a transition from one concept to the

next orb. Serves as a thesis that is elaborated in subsequent sentencesc. The newer versions while retaining the verse numbering, yet place the ideas in

sentence and paragraph structure in order to make it easier for the reader to follow the flow of the author’s conceptual process. (Use illustration from newer versions like NIV, NLT, ESV). Jn. 14:16,17

d. Many newer translations also add topical headings to the text for the same reason. The KJV in its original format did not have this feature. The newer one might have but still limited. However, the NKJV does have them

e. These paragraph breaks and headings provide helpful clues for interpretation.f. These, however, are not part of inspiration, but reflect interpretive decisions that

editors have made.g. Accordingly, these breaks may differ from one translation to another. (See Gen 17—NIV

identifies 7 paragraphs; NLT 8; ESV—5 paragraphs ,ASV -4 ).

Lexical-Syntactical AnalysisSteps in lexical-syntactical analysis D. Connecting words within paragraphs and sentences.

1. The connectors are: conjunctions, prepositions, relative pronouns, and so on.2. These aid the author’s progression of thought.a. When a pronoun is used, ask: What is its noun?b. The word “therefore” often provides the connecting link between a

theoretical argument and the practical application of that argument. (Rom5:1; 4:16; 4:1[what then shall we say]; 3:27; 3:21; 3:20;)

c. The word “if” may indicate that one portion of a sentence is conditional on another.

d. “Because” suggests that one element of the argument is the grounds on which a conclusion stands.

e. See an example/illustration taken from Gal 5:1, and how the word “then” helps us to identify which slavery. Gal 3:1-4:31 clarify the meaning of the potentially ambiguous 5:1. (Slavery to legalism)

Lexical-Syntactical AnalysisSteps in lexical-syntactical analysis E. Word meanings

1. Words that survive long in a language can have more than one meaning (both denotation [dictionary meaning] and connotation [emotional meaning; that is, emotions associated with the meaning of those words].

2. Words may have both technical and popular denotations. (A layperson using the word “obsessive” means differently than when used by a psychologist as in “obsessive compulsive disorder.”

3. Consider the different meanings of the word “done.” I am done, done in and cake is done

4. Denotation and metaphoric, e.g. “green.”

Lexical-Syntactical Analysis• Methods of discovering the denotations of ancient words: three methods1. Study synonyms: words with similar meanings, e.g. agapaō (divine, hence, perfect love)

and phileō (human love). See their use in Jesus’ question to Peter, “Peter, do you love me?”

2. Etymology: the historical roots of the word. It has its limitations;a. Words change their meaning with time; e.g. nice is from the Latin nescius which

means ignorantb. The author himself may not be aware of the previous meaning of the word—200

years ago. You or Thouc. Words that do not occur frequently in ancient literature may probably be unchanged

in meaning throughout the centuries, and so an etymological study may be helpful.d. The most valid method of determining word meanings is to discover the various

denotations a word possessed at the time it was used by the writer.e. The most common and effective word-study method is an analysis of the ways a

word was used in other ancient literature.

Lexical-Syntactical Analysis• 3. Steps in word study:a. Identify a word or words needing further study:

i. Is there a word that is translated in significantly different ways in various English translations?

ii. Is there a word that is repeated or that is clearly central to the passage?iii. Is there a word that simply needs to be clarified?

b. Determine the original Hebrew (if OT) or Greek (if NT) worda. Is it the word in the original language, rather than its English translation?

Reason: the English word may have various nuances which the original did not. See the illustration for this taken from Luke 13 “be made straight.”

c. Consult a lexicon. A lexicon is a dictionary of Hebrew or Greek words. See more what a lexicon does.

d. The most valid method of determining word meanings is to discover the various denotations a word possessed at the time it was used by the writer.

e. The most common and effective word-study method is an analysis of the ways a word was used in other ancient literature.

Lexical-Syntactical AnalysisD. Lexical tools:1. Concordances: what it does—contains a listing of all the occurrences of a given word in Scripture.

a. There are Hebrew, Greek, and English concordancesb. When using an English concordance, make sure you use the same Bible version the concordance

uses.c. See how Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance is organized; Cruden’s Complete Concordance (Wm

Miller). 2. See a listing of some of the lexicons3. Then there are also other forms of lexical tools like William Mounce’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words. The words are in English but the original Heb or Gk is also given, followed by a short definition of its meaning.4. Theological Wordbooks. These books give more extensive definitions of words than are found in lexicons or books of synonyms. Best known is the ten-volume Theological Dictionary of the New Testament (TDNT) ed. by Gerhard Kittel and Gerhard Friedrich.

a. See how this work handles the words. b. See also the disadvantages of this work for a pastor.

5. New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology, ed. Colin Browna. It is available as multi-volumes and single, abridged volume. b. See comments on this

Lexical-Syntactical AnalysisE. Other tools:

6. Interlinear Bibles: They contain the Hebrew or Greek text with the English translation printed between the lines, hence—interlinear. Explain its use. E.g.,

The New Greek English Interlinear New Testament, based on NRSV, published by United Bible Societies, third edition.

7. Analytical Lexicons: shows the classification of the word into parts of speech.

E.g., Analytical Greek New Testament, ed. Timothy Friberg, Barbara Friberg.

8. Dictionary of the Christian church (Oxford)9. Lexicons (Heb and Gk)10. Some English versions of the Bible (RSV, NRSV, NIV, TNIV, NASB,

NLT)

Lexical-Syntactical AnalysisV. Methods of discovering the denotation intended in a specific context

A. The transition is from knowing the meaning a word possesses in its contemporary culture to

B. Ascertaining the denotation the author intended in a given passage and context

C. See an example of what happens when we do not take the context into consideration, e.g. sarx (flesh). In the NT it is used in at least four ways: the solid part of the body except bones (1 Cor 15:39); The whole substance of the body (Acts 2:26); the sensuous nature of human(Col 2:18);human nature as dominated by sinful desire(Rom 7:18).

D. But some of these meanings cannot be pressed into service when interpreting, John 6:53 where Jesus talks about eating his flesh. Therefore we need to see which of these meanings (denotations) fits a particular passage, informed by its context, of course.

Lexical-Syntactical AnalysisV. Methods of discovering the denotation intended in a specific context, cont . . . . • E. Note also that there are instances where the author himself has

taken the task of explaining the meaning. For example, 2 Tim 3:16-17 states that the Word of God was given so that “the man of God may be perfect.” (KJV). • What does perfect mean?—sinless? Incapable of error or sin? The

author explains by the next phrase “that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.” See the explanation.

Sometimes the subject and the predicate of a sentence may explain each other. See example of Matt 5:13

Lexical-Syntactical AnalysisV. Methods of discovering the denotation intended in a specific context, cont . . . . F. Syntax: it deals with the way thoughts are expressed through grammatical forms.

1. Hebrew is an analytical language: word order is a key to meaning

2. Greek is a synthetic language: Meaning is understood only partially by word order and much more by word ending and case ending.

Lexical-Syntactical AnalysisV. Methods of discovering the denotation intended in a specific context, cont . . .• G. Watch for parallelisms, especially in Hebrew poetry—which is one of its

common characteristics. 1. Note: one-third of the OT and some in the NT is poetry.2. What is Hebrew parallelism? It refers to the way lines are elegantly

crafted showing how one thought or idea is related to another. This poetic form is called parallelism. "Either by repetition or by antithesis [the opposite thought] or by some other device, thought is set over against thought, form balances form, in such wise as to bring the meaning home to one strikingly and agreeably."Three different types of Hebrew parallelism Synonymous parallelism: Repetition of the content; a) Antithetic parallelism: b) Contrast of the thought; c) Synthetic parallelism: second line or the following section expands the idea of the previous section.

3. By observing their parallelisms you can determine their meaning of the word in question.

Lexical-Syntactical AnalysisV. Methods of discovering the denotation intended in a specific context, cont . . .H. Determine if the word is being used as part of a figure of speech.

1. Figures of speech have a meaning different from the literal. 2. But they do convey a definite meaning as does a regular sentence.3. But to interpret a figure of speech by using the normal denotations of

a word will usually result in a radical misunderstanding of the author’s intended meaning.

4. Idioms are a good example of figures of speech.5. The Bible writers employ figures of speech, see Bullinger’s Figures of

Speech Used in the Bible.6. Two kinds of parallel passages—verbal : Similar words but refer to

different concepts, Heb 4 & Eph 6 Word as sword. Real parallels. Speak of the same concept

Spiritual

Lexical syntactical analysis