Grasping God's Word: A Hands-On Approach to Reading, Interpreting, and Applying the Bible [Deluxe Edition] [Hardcover]

J. Scott Duvall (Author), J. Daniel Hays (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 2, 2005

'...a wonderfully user-friendly book for serious readers who desire to journey into the world of the Bible in order to better understand it and to live faithfully in today's world.' ---From the foreword by Kevin J. Vanhoozer 'Excellent, practical, and accurate. It leads students from the most fundamental building blocks of interpretation (including skills that most beginning students lack) through all the essential processes.' ---Craig S. Keener, Professor of New Testament, Eastern Seminary Just as a rock climber's handhold enables him to master the mountain, a firm grasp on God's Word empowers us to traverse the challenging, risky slopes of life. Grasping God's Word helps college students, beginning seminary students, and other serious readers get a grip on the solid rock of Scripture---how to read it, how to interpret it, and how to apply it. Filling the gap between approaches that are too simple and others that are too technical, this book starts by equipping readers with general principles of interpretation, then moves on to apply those principles to specific genres and contexts. Features include: * Proven in classrooms across the country * Hands-on exercises to guide students through the interpretation process * Emphasis on real-life application * Supplemented by a website for professors providing extensive teaching materials * Accompanying workbook (sold separately) This second edition includes an appendix on 'Inspiration and Canon,' numerous updates throughout the rest of the book, new exercises, and updated bibliographies. Grasping God's Word progresses through the following five sections: 1. How to Read the Book---Basic Tools 2. Contexts---Now and Then 3. Meaning and Application 4. The Interpretive Journey---New Testament 5. The Interpretive Journey---Old Testament

Editorial Reviews

Review

''This textbook and workbook, along with the authors' syllabus and Powerpoint slides helped me immensely when I was first assigned to teach a Hermeneutics course. I was able to personalize and enhance an existing class structure rather than reinvent the wheel. I used the workbook for daily assignments, as suggested. These exercises reinforced the excellent course content and provided variety in assessing student progress. The textbook mentions a couple of video clips, easily available through YouTube, that served as powerful illustrations of difficult concepts. Also, I was asked to teach a survey of the material to the Bible study leaders at my local church and the content was well received.' Truett-McConnell College -- Adam Harwood

From the Back Cover

This hands-on approach to studying Scripture helps students and serious readers get a grip on how to read, interpret, and apply God’s Word. This book equips readers with principles of interpretation, then moves on to apply those principles to specific genres and contexts. This second edition now contains an updated bibliography, a new chapter on inspiration and canon, and new exercises.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 464 pages
• Publisher: Zondervan; 2 edition (August 2, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0310259665
• ISBN-13: 978-0310259664
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 1.5 x 9.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (58 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #45,947 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

84 of 84 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Finally! An intermediate level hermeneutics book. August 25, 2001

By William S Myrick

Format:Hardcover

For a long time the only books available for those interested in Bible study methodology have fallen into two general categories. There were those written more at the popular level (ie. Kay Arthur's Inductive method, Tim LaHaye's How to Study the Bible, etc...); or those that were more technical (Osborne's Hermeneutical Spiral, Vanhoozer's Is There a Meaning in this Text, etc...). However, there has been no real attempt to weave these two types together; an easily readable text that doesn't betray the Spiritual aspect of Bible Study, while at the same time teaching the standard methods of interpretation. Fee and Stuart took a huge step that way with How to Read the Bible for All it's Worth; I submit that their intentions were perfected by Duvall and Hays in this book. Here is a book that can teach college students, seminarians, and even laypeople the correct methods of hermeneutics for every genre in the Bible. At the same time, it remains light and sometimes even funny. I can't imagine there being a more perfect book for those that are interested in truly Grasping God's Word.

37 of 38 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A great textbook... September 11, 2006

By Chad Oberholtzer

Format:Hardcover

This book was assigned reading for an introductory hermeneutics class. I found that the authors were able to strike a solid balance between readability and intellectual depth. While I felt sufficiently challenged to think as I read the book, I never felt like they were talking above my ability to understand.

To their credit, Hays and Duvall selected their particular analogy to describe the process of interpreting the Bible, and they constantly referred back to that approach throughout the text. Though somewhat repetitive, this writing style allowed their technique to really resonate with the reader. By the end of the text, I certainly wasn't struggling to remember their approach to hermeneutics, as it had become clear to me.

Hays and Duvall write from an unashamedly evangelical perspective, and they are willing to suggest that the biblical texts do not and cannot mean whatever the reader wants them to mean. Though more liberal interpretative approaches would be alarmed by the certainty of their proposition, I found it to be refreshing. Without ever reaching a point of arrogance (a problem of which some evangelicals are rightfully accused), Duvall and Hays suggest that the human authors had a particular meaning intended when they wrote the Bible, and God has given us the necessary tools to get at that meaning.

The reason I'm only giving this book four stars is because many of my seminary classmates were less enthusiastic about it. I have never read a hermeneutics book before, so I had no point of comparison. However, many of my better informed classmates referred to other hermeneutics texts that they liked much better.

In any case, I found this book to be challenging and accessible.... I would recommend it for anyone interested in a thoughtful analysis of the process of interpreting the Bible. Read more ›

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars interpretive journey with Duvall and Hays March 16, 2007

By Modern Puritan

Format:Hardcover

Grasping God's Word has great structure with easy-to-follow, step-by-step outlines and repetitive themes to reinforce what is being taught, such as the four steps of interpretive journey (which become five steps to dealing with the Old Testament) referred to throughout the book. Grasping the text in their town, measuring the width of the river to cross, crossing the principlizing bridge and grasping the text in our town provide readers with excellent illustrations of steps for the interpretive journey. Numerous passages of Scripture are explored using these steps in various places in the book. The authors provide numerous Bible examples of these. The reader is given a review at the end of many of the chapters to further drive home the valuable concepts being taught.

Duvall and Hays offer good examples of how different episodes in the gospels connect with each other (p. 67-8) along with interpretive principles to determine what the smaller stories tell us about Jesus and what the authors of the individual gospels are saying by the way the shorter stories are put together (p. 239). Contrasting characters in the biblical text is another literary device that Duvall and Hays encourage readers to look for as they study the gospels. They illustrate this concept well with numerous biblical characters. Duvall and Hays give readers insight into how to make observations and pick up clues dropped by the writer of the biblical narrative (p. 302).

Duvall and Hays make the point that biblical interpretation needs to be approached within the framework of the Historical-Cultural context, because this is how God gave the Bible (p. 96). This is logical because if interpretation of a passage does not make sense in the context of the time of the writing, it is a misinterpretation....

Unfortunately, the authors' understanding of the Old Covenant is flawed. One of the ways this manifests itself is in their writing about the Old Covenant. Duvall and Hays believe the Old Testament saints main focus was the Law, whereas New Testament saints are saved by grace (p. 366). Scripture teaches, though, that God's people under the Old Covenant were saved by grace through faith (Gen. 15.6; Ex. 14.31; Jonah 3.5; Hab. 2.4), just like those under the New Covenant (Eph. 2.8).

Duvall and Hays have a flawed understanding of certain aspects of the New Covenant as well. They caution readers not to be Judaizers in the application of the Old Testament prophets. They believe that the message of judgment does not apply to Christians because they are under the New Covenant. They believe that when a Christian is unfaithful it hurts God emotionally, and it damages the relationship with Him, though judgment is only for unbelievers (p. 366). But according to the New Testament, judgment begins with believers (1 Peter 4.17), and God will chastise His people living in sin (1 Cor. 5.5, 11.29-31; Heb. 12.3-11).

Even though readers may disagree with Duvall & Hays' theological prospectives, particularly pertaining to the Old Covenant, Grasping God's Word is well written and provides a useful tool for interpreting Scripture. Readers might desire more information about certain topics but, for the most part, Grasping God's Word is quite extensive. Read more ›

37 of 43 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable Book on Hermeneutics April 17, 2005

By Thomas Luttrell

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

So far, this is the best book available on the subject of Biblical exegesis. We use this as a textbook in our hermeneutics class at Andrews Univ.

Unfortunately, we disagree with the theology of the old and new covenants being different. This theology is reflected throughout the book.

I happen to believe that people have always been saved by faith. The old covenant was anticipatory, a shadow of things to come. The new covenant is based on the historical reality of Christ, and writes God's laws on our hearts as a result.

Despite our theological differences, there is no better book that teaches proper exegesis in easy to understand language. My denomination has a "Handbook of Bible Study" but it is too technical for beginning students because it explores textual criticism and the original languages. "Grasping God's Word" is easy enough to be understood by lay people, though I wouldn't want to use it with new members who could be confused by different theology.