English translations represent a lot of hard work and expertise on the part of the translation teams, but no English translation is perfect. Hence it is imperative that we first consider proper translation before making an interpretation and application.

Jesus told his followers that they do not live on bread alone, but “on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God” (Matt 4:4). God’s “word” is the objective truth he reveals to man through special revelation. Some of that special, heavenly revelation was written down and ended up as Scripture, the Bible. The Bible is God’s supernatural, spiritual food which feeds our soul (Jer 15:16), informs our mind, and guides our actions and words (Ps 119:105). To live right, in a way that pleases God, is to live according to the Bible’s teaching. Therefore, it is a priority for Christians to know what the Bible says so we can obey it. And therefore, we need to read it properly, which means we need to interpret it properly.

The Danger of Interpreting the Bible Incorrectly

Interpreting the Bible properly falls into the category of what is called “hermeneutics.” Hermeneutics is the science of interpreting literature. Applied to Scripture, hermeneutics is best defined as “the rules of interpretation.” There are rules to be followed when it comes to reading the Bible. And they are fixed, universal, they transcend time and culture, and they were established by God. The Bible is not to be read willy-nilly, superficially, sporadically, or subjectively. Unfortunately, people do that all the time. Doing so is dangerous. Peter reminded fellow Christians of how dangerous it is to read and interpret the Bible incorrectly, apart from the established rules:

And count the forbearance of our Lord as salvation. So also our beloved brother Paul wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, speaking of this as he does in all his letters. There are some things in them hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other scriptures (2 Pet 3:15-16).

Peter says in verse 16 that Scripture can be hard to understand and those who are not properly taught, those who do not follow the proper rules of hermeneutics, “twist” (or “manipulate, distort and mangle”) Scripture in a destructive manner. Peter knew what he was talking about. He was an author of divine Scripture, being led by the Holy Spirit as he wrote (2 Pet 1:18-21).

Rule #1: Getting the Translation Right

So, what are the established rules of hermeneutics? There are many helpful books on hermeneutics and Bible interpretation, such as Evangelical Hermeneutics, by Robert L. Thomas and Basic Bible Interpretation by Roy B. Zuck. These books are thorough, but for the sake of this article I just want to talk about the first rule, which is often neglected or forgotten. The first rule of hermeneutics is translation, or getting the translation right.

It is common for us, the English readers, to just read our Bible as is and then run head-long into an interpretation and application without even stopping to pause and ask, “I wonder what this actually says in the original language?” The Old Testament was written in Hebrew and the New Testament was written in Greek. So, our English Bibles are translations; and if you know anything about doing translation from one language into another, there is the inescapable fact that something always gets lost in translation, whether it’s a cultural idiom, a literary device, unique vocabulary, as well as other important nuances that provide precision.

English translations represent a lot of hard work and expertise on the part of the translation teams, but no English translation is perfect. Hence it is imperative that we first consider proper translation before making an interpretation and application.

Case Study: Proverbs 22:6

Many verses in our English Bibles were not translated properly, and as a result they mislead the average English reader. Numerous examples could be given for illustration, but let’s just look at one from the Old Testament. Consider the famous parenting verse of Proverbs 22:6, which is rendered by the King James Version (KJV) as follows:

Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

There were about 50 men on the KJV committee of translation back in 1611, doing their work at Cambridge, Oxford, and Westminster. Their rendering of Proverbs 22:6 has stood the test of time, for many modern popular translations followed suit in their renderings of this Hebrew maxim, including the NASB, NKJV, ESV, NET, and the most recent LSB.

Following this translation, many Christians have understood this verse to be foundational to their parenting philosophy. The common interpretation of the verse as stated is that if parents teach their children biblical truth while they are young and impressionable, then when the children grow up and become adults, they will cling to the Christian education their parents imparted to them in their formative years…even if they have a season of doubt or straying, like in the college years.

This popular view understands this verse as primarily pedagogical and even programmatic, meaning, just teach the right doctrine systematically to your young children and they will be programmed to live right forever. The priority in parenting with this view then becomes a matter of just dispensing right information and spiritual data. Memorizing Bible verses in Sunday school, AWANA, homeschool, and in other contexts becomes a foolproof safeguard against unbelief. Rigorous, ongoing recitations of religious catechisms become a panacea for spiritual maturity in later life.

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