NB:Textual Analysis on Numbers 15:22-41
Please use numbered items as below
1. Literary and historical context (one paragraph)
In one paragraph, identify the type (genre) of Biblical book that you are studying, situate your passage in its literary context in the book, briefly describe the historical setting of the passage and, if possible, identify the author of the Biblical book and the date of writing.
• Discuss the mixture of law and narrative in this passage. Are these sections unrelated to each other, or is there any connection between the two?
2. Analysis of the text (few paragraphs)
In this section you analyze the text to answer the question: “What is this passage about?” To answer this, you may find it helpful to make a paragraph-by-paragraph outline of the passage, and you will want to take note of a variety of issues such as:
• Any repeated words or themes in the passage.
• How this passage follows from what comes before and how it affects what comes after it (refer to literary context, #1 above). What role does this passage play in the book?
• Identify any characters involved. Do they have any special God-given role as mediators, rulers, etc.? How does the author present these characters (e.g. as faithful, unfaithful, etc.)?
• Clarify any obscure, troubling or problematic matters in the text (e.g. exterminating women and children during holy war).
• A particular issue in this text requiring explanation is what is meant by “sinning unintentionally” (ESV translation). Consult some resources (commentaries, etc.) in order to get a better idea of what this means.
3. Connect the passage with the rest of the Bible (one paragraph)
Identify ways in which the message of this passage connects with the rest of the Bible (both Old and New Testaments). Take note of any other places in the Bible that quote or allude to this passage. Identify other passages which discuss similar or overlapping themes. Can you observe a development in the theme or themes found in this passage over the course of Scripture from beginning to end?
4. Hermeneutical reflections (few paragraphs)
Below are 7 Hermeneutical Perspectives. Discuss
this passage in relation to them. Which of the 7
hermeneutical perspectives seem to apply best in the
above tex?
Hermeneutical Perspective #1: Reading the OT as Ancient Near Eastern Literature
• An extension of the “grammatical-
historical” method
• Examples:
– “My sister, my bride” (Song of Songs 4:9) and ancient Egyptian love poetry
-“Non-linear” historical narratives (e.g. the book of Judges)
Read/appreciate the OT in its ancient Near Eastern context
Hermeneutical Perspective #2: OT Promise/Prophecy & NT Fulfillment Pattern
Prophecy (Promise): Is 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
Fulfillment: Mat 1:21-23 …All this took place
J51 the
to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: ‘Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel’ (which means, God with us).
Consider whether a text establishes a promise, makes a prophecy, or creates some kind of expectation regarding the future.
Hermeneutical Perspective #3: The Use of the OT in the NT
• The issue of “Scripture interprets
Scripture”
• In many cases this seems peculiar: 2
examples of how “odd” this can be:
-Hos11:1 & Matt 2:13-15
-Deut30:11-14&Rom10:6-9
Consider whether a verse/passage you are studying is quoted/referred to in the NT and see how the NT “interprets” the text.
Hermeneutical Perspective #4: Clarification & Identification of OT Realities
Examples:
• Jesus is Yahweh: Exod 3:13-14 & the “I am”
statements in John’s Gospel (6:20; 8:58; 13:19;
18:5-6)
• Jesus saved the Israelites: Jude 5; 1 Cor 10
In reading OT texts, consider whether this perspective can shed light on a passage.
• Who is “the commander of the Lord’s army”
(Josh 5)?
Hermeneutical Perspective #5: God’s Covenant with His People
Covenant: “A solemn commitment between two parties, involving promises and obligations, sealed by an oath”.
Various OT covenants:
Noah -* Abram -> Moses —» David —» New Covenant
Try to situate the passage in relation to the history of the covenant and its accompanying promises & obligations.
Hermeneutical Perspective #6: “Theocentric” Reading of theOT
• “Theocentric” (God-centered) vs.
“anthropocentric” (man-centered)
• “What is God doing to redeem His People?” vs.
“What is this human character doing in this
scene?”
– What is Ruth 1 really about?
– Remember that God isn’t always “visible” in a text!
(e.g. Elisha narratives)
• “What does this passage teach about God’s
being or His character?”
Hermeneutical Perspective #7: The Appropriate Use of Typological Interpretation
Definitions of “type/typology”:
– “a symbol of something future and distant, or
an example prepared and evidently designed
by God to prefigure that future thing. What is
thus prefigured is called the antitype.”
– “the preordained representative relation which
certain persons, events, and institutions of the
Old Testament bear to corresponding
persons, events, and institutions in the New”.
Hermeneutical Perspective #7: The Appropriate Use of Typological Interpretation
New Testament terms:
• typos – “type/figure” (Rom 5.14 Adam as a
“type” of the one to come)
• s/c/a – “shadow” (Col 2.17)
• hypodeigma – “copy” (Heb 8.5 earthly temple a
“copy and shadow” of the heavenly)
• parabole – “figure/parable” (Heb 9.9)
• antitypon – “the true pattern/figure, i.e. the thing
which the ‘type’ corresponds to” (Heb 9.24)
5. Application ideas
Identify 1-3 ways in which the passage should be applied today.