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182nd out of 1,434 books
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1,222 voters
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How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth
Your Guide to Understanding the BibleUnderstanding the Bible isn't for the few, the gifted, the scholarly. The Bible is accessible. It's meant to be read and comprehended by everyone from armchair readers to seminary students. A few essential insights into the Bible can clear up a lot of misconceptions and help you grasp the meaning of Scripture and its application to your...more
Paperback, 287 pages
Published
November 1st 2003
by Zondervan Publishing Company
(first published 1981)
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I think this is the best and most important of all the books ABOUT the Bible. We are supposed to read and understand and love the word of God, but it is hard sometimes to do all of those things with a work of literature that was written thousands of years ago and half a world away. I think that most Christians tend to think that since the Bible is a book apart from all other books that it should not be read in the same way that we read other works of literature. While we should revere God's wo...more
On Sunday nights, our little group has started taking a book of the Bible each week and discussing it. Going through the the books in written order, we talk about the book’s history, intent and what its implications are for us today. We decided to do this because several in our group have a precarious relationship with Scripture. Some of of us have very little exposure to it previously. For others it’s intimidating. And some are simply deciding what their relationship to the Bible is.
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Peter Coleman
added it
Fee and Stuart did not seek to write a comprehensive hermeneutics textbook but a book for the lay reader of the Bible. While the criticisms fall on some of the finer points of the hermeneutical task, the common reader will find in this work an excellent introduction to how to do exegesis and how to perform hermeneutics. For those discussions of more involved hermeneutics that may be beyond the book’s audience, the appendix serves as an excellent guide to refer readers to commentaries that will c...more
Gordon Fee and Douglas Stuarts book builds on some of the basic skills of observation, interpretation and application, by looking in more detail at the various genre found within the Bible: epistles, Old Testament narratives, gospels, prophets, etc. They suggest various difficulties that can surface when reading each genre, techniques that can help along the way, and provide many examples of each of these things in practice. It doesnt demand quite the hands-on approach of earlier books, so mor...more
I recommend this book for any who need to learn how to read the Bible more precisely.* It was a great help for me, as it will be for you—particularly if you are accustomed to the all-too-common habit of "proof-texting"—i.e., lifting verses out of context and applying them according to one's own predetermined ideas.
*Note: The fact is, many Christians--even Christians who can quote verses all day long--do not know how to read the Bible well. Too many engage in "proof-tex...more
*Note: The fact is, many Christians--even Christians who can quote verses all day long--do not know how to read the Bible well. Too many engage in "proof-tex...more
I read this book through last year, but it is a book that should be reread and even used as a reference. Everyone has a need to interpret the Bible and this book helps with tools that will help as some read but will not understand everything they read. One thing that people forget while reading is they spent laborious days interpreting the Greek and Hebrew into what now is known as the Bible. Learning to think Contextually is an area most do not consider while reading the various genres. Hermene...more
I first read this book when my brother lent me his copy back in the 1980s. Being a rather new Christian then, I thought it was a very helpful book and taught me two new words - exegesis and hermeneutics. Having no idea how to read the Bible as I was raised in a multi-religious home ( a mixture of Roman Catholicism and Taoism, Islam, Hinduism...whatever was available!), Fee's book was a God-send and I devoured it like a box of Godivas.
Thirty years later, I was thrilled to find this bo...more
Thirty years later, I was thrilled to find this bo...more
A must for any Bible reader. Laymen should own this book as well as any serious scholar. Fee & Stuart are both very well respected NT & OT scholars. The book lays out some foundational truths that must be learned in order for interpretation to match what was originally intended by the biblical authors. Reading the text of Scripture is not the same as understanding the text of Scripture. This book will help guide you in your understanding of Scripture. Get the 3rd edition though, I just happened ...more
has an average rating of 4? i guess i should finish it - not fair to rant when i haven't finished it. but i have some problems ...
I picked this book up b/c I hoped it would address a long-standing trust issue I had. Have. Whatever. I – am I about to put this in writing?! I have real problems with translations. I feel like God’s word is Holy – until we get a hold of it and make KJVs and NKJVs and Messages and Amplifieds and TNIVs …! It doesn’t seem possible that they can ALL be right!...more
I picked this book up b/c I hoped it would address a long-standing trust issue I had. Have. Whatever. I – am I about to put this in writing?! I have real problems with translations. I feel like God’s word is Holy – until we get a hold of it and make KJVs and NKJVs and Messages and Amplifieds and TNIVs …! It doesn’t seem possible that they can ALL be right!...more
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This is an instructional guide on how to interpret the Bible according to the authors' philosophy. It has two main focuses:
(1) how to understand the books in two steps, first as originally written and then as applied to today, and (2) how the books of the Bible break into genres (epistles, prophets, gospels, law, etc) and distinctive features of those genres. The book is clear in stating its principals and says a lot of things that are worth thinking about. For me one of the best was th...more
(1) how to understand the books in two steps, first as originally written and then as applied to today, and (2) how the books of the Bible break into genres (epistles, prophets, gospels, law, etc) and distinctive features of those genres. The book is clear in stating its principals and says a lot of things that are worth thinking about. For me one of the best was th...more
Matt
added it
If you're a fan of the King James translation, then you WON'T like this book (which tosses out the KJV/NKJV, giving preference to the NIV/TNIV). However, the book gives a survey of the reasons why the KJV should be substituted for a newer translation. Also, as indicated by the title, the book does eventually discuss biblical interpretation (albeit, superficially). The best part of the book is the appendix, listing several sources for further, in-depth, study.
I would not usually say any non-fiction is amazing, but this one is really helpful. It is well written and clarifies so much. The authors give great advice, but more than that they help give you tools you can use to begin to understand and demystify the scriptures for yourself. I almost always try to refresh myself before doing a Bible study or preaching with this handy guide. Very useful and user friendly. Chapters are divided most intuitively.
Contribution: These two authors address the very need for solid interpretation by the Christian. They then explain general guidelines for evangelical biblical interpretation and provide questions to ask as one observes the guidelines. They survey all the Bible’s types of literature and specifically address the nature of that literature in their respective chapters. In doing so, the layman is able to learn the fundamentals of interpreting each by learning the aims of each type of literature. In ...more
Great book about how to read, interpret, and apply the different genres of the Bible. May seem a little technical at first for the average layperson, but well worth the effort. The authors teach both exegesis (understanding the author's original meaning to his original hearers/readers) as well as hermeneutics (applying the text to our present-day lives).
Most helpful chapters for me included a section on translation philosophies, interpreting/applying epistles, and understanding para...more
Most helpful chapters for me included a section on translation philosophies, interpreting/applying epistles, and understanding para...more
Incredible. I loooved this book because it was a perfect fit for me. It wasn't too theological to understand, but at the same time didn't treat me like an infant. I learned a lot of big words and I'm coming away from this title feeling a lot more confident about my biblical studying. Another thing I really love about this book is it gives lots of references to other books for more detailed reading. Also, did I mention I learned lots of big words which is always good :)
I love this book. In addition to the Bible itself, this is one book that every person should read, especially those who are believers. It helped me understand basic issues surrounding biblical interpretation and, in many ways, changed (for the better) the way I read the Bible.
Amelia
marked it as to-read
BUY ME ONE. AAARRRRGGGHH. I've been searching this book since 6 month ago but until now, I haven't found who sell this book in Indonesia. Only Amazon did sell this. But seems I can't trust Amazon anyway, and I got no credit card. Am not allowed too to use my parents'. Ugh.
Megan
is currently reading it
I am about halfway through the book. I have learned SO MUCH! From new words (exegesis & hermeneutics) to a complete overview of the major genres found in the Bible. I feel like I understand a lot of things better after reading this book.
Ady M
added it
I found this to be a very helpful book! I read it straight through and now plan to go back through it section by section while reading the portions of the Bible they're referring to when instructing on the various genres.
Pretty helpful, but a little fishy when discussing gender language issues, mainly because it doesn't do much to acknowledge the other position to inform new readers about the fact that quite the controversy exists.
Helpful resource of the various genres of Scripture. Offers clear examples of how to work through a particular text and interpret it in its context: immediate, chapter, book, genre, historical, canonical, etc.
This book was part of my Religion curriculum in college--I never bought it, so I never read it. Twenty plus years later, I found this title kept popping up in discussions with friends, especially when the conversation turned to "the most helpful book they'd read recently." When I found a copy at a used book sale for 50 cents, I knew it was time to buy it, and read it. Fee and Stuart do a great job in explaining the difference between exegesis and hermeneutics, and the reader's need to...more
I read this book more than once. It illuminated the different genres (history, poetry, etc) in the Bible to help understand the Bible the way the original writers intended it.
Michelle
marked it as to-read
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
christian-living,
recommended-other
Rec. by Scripture Union blog. "This is the best one-volume summary of the background and context of the Bible that you're ever going to find, written by one of my heroes."
Great overview by two scholars that are very respected in their fields yet are still able to write for larger audiences than academia. This is a book I wish I would have read early on in college as I think it would have helped speed up my interest in studying the Bible and wanting to learn more about the context. We are given broad brush strokes into the OT and the NT which allows us to get a better sense of the big picture and story of God and His relation to us. Fee and Stuart leave with much ...more
Traci
is currently reading it
Really enjoying the way the authors make this readily understandable. Some of the Old Testament reference books can be bogged down in language, this makes it very easy.
A very good book to learn how to read the Bible and get more of "its worth!" It is broken down into the epistles, OT narratives, Acts, the Gospels, parables, laws, prophets, psalms, wisdom, and revelation. I learned a lot of great insight into reading the Bible. I especially liked the chapters about the Gospels, parables, and wisdom. It is not that easy to read and understand, which is why I gave it 3 stars. However, if you are serious about studying the Bible, this is a great book to ...more
Look past the cheesy cover and you'll find a very handy, thoughtful, intelligent, coherent and relatively short guide to Biblical hermeneutics.
I am about halfway through. A really good book to give some context for reading scripture. A dense read so I have been a little slow.
highly essential reading. separates books into genres, offers context, common misreadings, & background/advice for exegesis/hermeneutics.
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