God, Language and Scripture

Foundations of Contemporary Interpretation #4

by Moisés Silva

The primary aim of God, Language and Scripture is to provide guidance in the use of biblical languages. Secondarily this volume initiates the reader to the wonders and workings of language and points out how language is often misused, especially in regard to the Bible. This volume, however, in no way anticipates all the ways of mishandling language. Silva's emphasis is on "global" rather than detailed concerns (though selected specific examples are used) of how language is misused. The book includes an account of the birth and growth of modern linguistics, an appreciation of its interdisciplinary character, particularly its ties with literary criticism, sociology, anthropology, psychology, and science. It surveys all levels of language description, but emphasizes the semantic and stylistic aspects of grammar and syntax, vocabulary, and discourse. In addition, it considers the transmission of the Bible (textual criticism and translation) as a mode of linguistic communication and interpretive process.

Genres: Linguistics, Theology, Biblical Studies, Religion, Language, Textbooks

160 pages, Paperback

First published February 11, 1991

About the author

Moisés Silva (PhD, University of Manchester) has taught biblical studies at Westmont College, Westminster Theological Seminary, and Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. He lives in Litchfield, Michigan.

Reviews

[Michael Chen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Silva helps keep smart people from overreading/misreading texts, making dumb mistakes that only smart people can make.

This book is fun (Silva's not afraid to joke around or share his true opinions) and fascinating (he includes little bits of history here/there, helpful insights on formal vs. dynamic translations, etc.).

And the introduction alone is worth the price of the book! It's a powerful parable against the excesses of some preachers, and it starts as a sci-fi tale: "It is approximately the year 2790. The most powerful nation on earth occupies a large territory in Central Africa, and its citizens speak Swahili..."

This book is most helpful for those who've taken Greek/Hebrew, but it's still accessible to interested laypeople.

—

Key takeaway: Interpret the text by its context. Don't overread/misinterpret the text (in dumb ways that only smart people can).

1. Don't go overboard with etymology.

Example mistake:
"'Gossip' comes from 'christening.' So when she asks if you heard the gossip, she's truly asking if you heard about the christening."

Instead, define words by their context. (E.g., when you hear, "Did you hear the gossip about Sally? I heard that she's going to leave him!" you know that we're not talking about christening babies.)

2. Don't go overboard with case endings.

Example mistakes:
"The genitive case means 'of,' so ἔχετε πίστιν θεοῦ must mean 'Have the faith of God' instead of 'Have faith in God.'"
"The genitive case means 'of,' so πίστεως Ἰησοῦ Χριστο must mean that we're saved by 'the faithfulness of Jesus Christ,' not by 'faith in Jesus Christ.'"

Instead, define case endings by context (e.g., the NT never talks about having a faith belonging to God, but it does talk about having faith in God).

3. Don't go overboard with tenses and aspects. (Don't make major exegetical points based off of the aorist vs. imperfect tense.)

Example mistake:
"The aorist means it's once-for-all. And that's how we know that Jesus' death was a once-for-all sacrifice!"

Instead, go by context. (The context makes it clear that Jesus' death was a once-for-all sacrifice, and that's why you should believe it, not primarily because of the aorist. The aorist can be supporting evidence, but tenses don't always follow your simplistic rules.)

[Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well-researched. Good stuff.

[Christopher Hughes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Moisés Silva’s book, God, Language and Scripture: Reading the Bible in Light of General Linguistics was an interesting read. Rarely was there any part that the writer of this review found boring. What was expected to be a book on Hebrew and Greek ended up being a book on how to understand the writers of Scripture better. That is not to say there wasn’t any Hebrew or Greek (or Aramaic) within the pages; there certainly were. However, most of these were illustrations from Silva that proved his points, the main one being that the translator or interpreter of Scripture must keep linguistics in mind. “Every facet of interpretation must be kept in proper perspective, and the more we know about the nature of language, the more likely we are to ‘handle correctly the word of God’ (2 Tim. 2:15).” (P. 15)
In order to bring about this objective, Silva wrote seven chapters, consisting of 145 pages. The first was simply an introduction, helping the reader get acquainted with what was to come. In his second chapter, one will read the author’s perspective on language from the way the Bible presents it. From the very beginning of the Bible there is language. God speaks the world into existence and so communicated with Adam and Eve. He created them in his own image thus making them people of communication. By the third chapter, the one is reading about the scientific study of language. This chapter involves the evolution of language as well as the various humanity, natural and social science studies.
Once one gets to the fourth chapter, he reads of the history of the biblical languages in more depth. Silva describes how Hebrew and Aramaic are similar—linguistic cousins and why those who read Hebrew do not need vowels. Greek also had its history and much of that history impacted the New Testament writers. The fifth and sixth chapters delve into describing the biblical languages. One aspect that was interesting in this chapter was that of languages’ etymology. This has been discussed somewhat in previous sections, but a greater impact can be read in chapter 5. Silva gives an example that the word gossip comes from the same root as godparent. It was the talk that happened during christenings. Yet, no one brings this up except as a piece of trivia.
[T]here are occasions (as in some poetic passages of the Old Testament) when we come across rare words whose meaning is unclear and for which etymological analysis can provide some help. Most words, however, are widely attested and their meaning can be clearly established from the numerous contexts in which they appear. (P. 88)
Another striking point was that rarely do biblical authors seek to be ambiguous, but at times there seems to be some intentionality in doing just that. Silva explained that if the writer was clearer, it would lead the readers down the wrong path, or as found especially in poetry “the purpose was not to confuse but to impress on our hearts the force of the divine message.” (P. 97). Most ambiguity arises from a distance in time and culture, not in the text itself.
What most grammars do not do, that the author sought to make amends for, is show how words work within sentences and paragraphs. That was the focus of chapter six. In this chapter, Silva gave a handy guide to diagraming clauses (not sentences!) so that the reader could make sense of what was being written. This is helpful with many of Paul’s sentences that seem to be endless clauses rolled into one run-on sentence.
The final chapter was an epilogue. The focus was on continuing to pass the Bible on through textual transmission, translation, and teaching. Surprisingly to this writer, Silva believes that linguistically speaking, dynamic translations are the way to go when it comes to understanding the text better. Literal translations are too rigid and often miss the point of what the biblical writer was saying.
Overall, this book deserves to be read by young and old pastors alike, if for no other reason than the fact that there is an overuse of etymology that is pervasive within churches. To use etymology makes the preacher look smart, but it rarely helps the congregation understand the Word better. That being said, the member who has a proclivity for original languages could benefit from this book as well. The lay-member would benefit from reading the epilogue as they may feel shamed by “more studious” members for having a dynamic translation rather than a more literal one. Having read the book, it helps one to understand the overall use of language within Scripture. However, it does very little with helping one understand vocabulary.


[Andrew (Drew) Lewis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read to decide to use this as a textbook for an introduction to biblical languages class. This is, indeed, what the book is. Silva's final few pages lay out what I've felt all along about teaching biblical languages: that the first few semesters of Greek or Hebrew is really about mitigating exegetical disasters. The book as a whole is really about being careful to not overthink things and it is full of examples to show how such a task is not as easy as it sounds. I was hesitant to use this book in a class because it is quite old at this point. However, it does not seem at all dated to me and there aren't a ton of books that do any better at his goal. I wish there were a few more definitions for those who will jump into critical commentaries without 3 or 4 semesters of Greek or Hebrew. I'm also not too sure how much of the lessons will stick with anyone who doesn't spend 3 or 4 semesters studying a language. There is a sense that he knows all this and that is why I like this book. It recognizes that no matter how you put it, you really must spend the time to reap the rewards.

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good introduction to both the basic principles of modern linguistics and how they relate to the Bible. If you look up "Non-reactive" in the dictionary, you'll find Silva's picture. He points out that, basically, Hebrew and Greek are not all-important, neither clearing up otherwise inevitable heresies derived from translations, nor providing earthshaking nuances into the text. His appendix alone is worth the price of admission, and this book also has a nice description of the basics of Greek and Hebrew and how it affects interpretation. Highly recommended.

[Nicole · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book, but much to my detriment I know nothing about the structure of Ancient Greek and Hebrew, which would have been very helpful in understanding many of the points made. Some chapters and sections were very interesting, but it was often difficult to follow the points and sometimes boring with my level of knowledge of Greek and Hebrew.

[Paul Willweber · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every pastor should read this book. We need to know not only Hebrew & Greek but also how language works. I should also say that Silva has engaging style.

[Samuel Rivera · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was helpful to understand how to apply linguistics to the Bible

[John Kerr · Rating 4 out of 5]

A helpful, little book that provides a useful introduction to the world of linguistics. All serious bible students and teachers should read both this and Don Carson's "Exegetical Fallacies". Approximately half of the book is devoted to introducing the reader to the field of linguistics: its history, parameters for study and connections with other disciplines (from science to psychology). The remainder is a helpful introduction to some of the specific idiosyncrasies of the three biblical languages (Aramaic, Hebrew and Greek), outlining some of the commonly made mistakes that preachers/theologians can make. The book is doused in the author's wonderful sense of humour and should cause the preacher to take an extra moment to reconsider before confidently preaching a doctrine from the etymology of a word. If you want to teach the Bible and make any reference to the languages then read this book!

[Robert Murphy · Rating 4 out of 5]

On the one hand, this book is too technical to give to just anyone. On the other hand, it's not technical enough for someone serious about studying linguistics and the Bible. I take that back: the Bible side is technical enough, the linguistics side is not.

Moises Silva is a brilliant man. I highly recommend pastors and scholars read everything by him they can get their hands on. He is very insightful and weaves fantastic exegesis throughout this book. I imagine using chapters of this book someday if I ever get to teach a Biblical Linguistics class.

[E · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nothing to object to here, although only 3 stars because a little airy. Good overview of how language is an integral part of the creation-fall-redemption-consummation storyline. Also some interesting nuggets of information concerning the historical development of Hebrew/Aramaic and Greek. Good caution about using word studies and the like to prove way too much. Very brief overview of some issues involving exegesis and grammar.

Really, each chapter could be its own book. But Silva is a genius, and everything he writes is worth reading. I'll be tackling some more later.

[Vincent Ng · Rating 3 out of 5]

Excellent contribution from Moises Silva in the Foundations of Contemporary Interpretation. The book serves as a helpful introduction into language studies touching upon a biblical perspective, the science, history, usage, and purpose to enhance biblical studies. The book has excellent readability for those who are two to the topic. Recommended for those serious in having a greater understanding of language in their biblical studies.

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

Basic introduction to linguistics for theology students. Basic. Good section in the introduction on overinterpretation.

[Brandibelk · Rating 2 out of 5]

Helpful book but so hard to get through because of the technical content.

[J. Machen · Rating 3 out of 5]

A competent and helpful, though very brief, examination of linguistics and how it relates to biblical interpretation, written by an knowledgeable interpreter.

[J. Rutherford · Rating 3 out of 5]

A competent and helpful, though very brief, examination of linguistics and how it relates to biblical interpretation, written by an knowledgeable interpreter.

[Радостин Марчев · Rating 3 out of 5]

Давам сравнително ниска оценка не защото книгата е лоша, а понеже в нея има твърде малко, което мога да взема. Вероятно очакванията ми са били твърде големи.