Understanding How to Interpret the Bible

How to Interpret the Bible

A step-by-step guide to biblical hermeneutics — from presuppositions to prophetic interpretation

What does it mean to truly understand the Bible?

Most people read Scripture the same way they read anything else — assuming their instincts will carry them through. But the Bible is an ancient text, written in other languages, in other cultures, to other audiences. Without the right tools and methods, even well-meaning readers routinely miss what the text is actually saying.

This course gives you a systematic, accessible framework for biblical interpretation — what scholars call hermeneutics — so you can read Scripture with confidence, accuracy, and depth.

You'll begin with the foundations: what Christians believe about the Bible, why interpretation matters, and what the Scriptures themselves command about how we engage with them. From there, the course moves through every major layer of interpretation — the role of your own presuppositions, the tools scholars use, how literary genre shapes meaning, why the original Hebrew and Greek matter, and how first-century cultural context unlocks passages that seem obscure today.

One of the course's most distinctive sections covers the interpretive methods of the Apostles themselves — including Midrash, cyclical prophecy, and the relationship between plain meaning and deeper textual hints. This is the missing link in most Bible study: understanding not just what Scripture says, but how the New Testament authors themselves read and applied the Old.

By the final section, you'll have the tools to evaluate your own interpretations — and know how much confidence each conclusion actually warrants.

What You'll Learn

• What Christians historically believe about the nature and authority of the Bible

• Why biblical interpretation is a scriptural command, not an academic luxury

• How to identify and evaluate your own presuppositions when reading any text

• How to use reference books, context resources, and language study tools effectively

• How to read a passage in light of its literary genre and its place within the whole Bible

• The basics of biblical Hebrew and Greek and why they matter for interpretation

• How to read the Bible in its original cultural and historical life setting

• How to identify the original author's intent

• How to trace biblical themes and the overarching story of Scripture (biblical theology)

• How the Apostles interpreted the Old Testament — including Midrash and cyclical prophecy

• How to weigh competing interpretations and determine which holds more evidential support

Who This Course Is For

• Christians who want to move beyond surface-level Bible reading

• Pastors, ministry leaders, and teachers who want a more rigorous interpretive foundation

• Bible college and seminary students looking for a practical introduction to hermeneutics

• Anyone who has ever read a Bible passage and genuinely wondered: what does this actually mean?

Requirements

• No prior knowledge of theology or biblical languages required

• A Bible (any translation)

• An openness to reading Scripture as a text with historical, literary, and theological depth

What Students Will Learn

• Understand what Christians believe about Scripture and why interpretation is commanded

• Identify and assess their own presuppositions before reading any biblical text

• Use scholarly reference books, language tools, and context resources

• Interpret passages in light of literary genre and canonical placement

• Engage with the original Hebrew and Greek of the Bible

• Read Scripture in its historical and cultural life setting

• Identify the author's original intent

• Apply the interpretive methods used by the Apostles, including Midrash and cyclical prophecy

• Evaluate their own interpretations and weigh how much confidence each one deserves

Ready to take on the life long challenge of going deep into the Bible? Then this course is for you!