What do you think?
Rate this book
Basic Guide to Interpreting the Bible, A: Playing by the Rules
A readable guide to interpreting the various kinds of literature presented in the Bible, including poetry, narrative, prophecy, proverb, and epistle.
224 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1994
73 people are currently reading
197 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
July 11, 2023
A great introduction to biblical hermeneutics! The first few chapters are a bit wordy and can sometimes feel dry, but they still contribute enormously to how the reader will understand the rest of the book.
And the latter chapters that focus on specific genres of literature within the Bible are especially helpful. Even as I was reading them I was already noticing ways that they were illuminating biblical passages which had given me trouble in the past.
And the latter chapters that focus on specific genres of literature within the Bible are especially helpful. Even as I was reading them I was already noticing ways that they were illuminating biblical passages which had given me trouble in the past.
May 14, 2022
Super helpful - I learned a lot. Definitely going to keep this one around as a reference.
September 6, 2015
I really enjoyed this book. There were careful definitions given, in the early chapters, explaining the terminology used in Biblical interpretation, which was refreshingly jargon free. I loved the use of review questions at the end of each chapter, but also the habit of the author to preview upcoming content. The book builds well, chapter by chapter, moving through different concepts, whilst continually reminding readers of what they have previously learned.
I think that this is good introductory text, which has stirred my interest to read more on the subject. I feel as though I have already learned some simple introductory lessons, which have been useful in aiding my understanding. What I have been reading is already making me read the Bible differently. I think that this book will serve as a useful textbook, for reference, when studying books and passages of scripture.
I think that this is good introductory text, which has stirred my interest to read more on the subject. I feel as though I have already learned some simple introductory lessons, which have been useful in aiding my understanding. What I have been reading is already making me read the Bible differently. I think that this book will serve as a useful textbook, for reference, when studying books and passages of scripture.
October 26, 2021
I just finished "A Basic Guide to Interpreting the Bible: Playing by the Rules (Second edition)," by Robert H. Stein.
Stein is a wonderful scholar. His "The Synoptic Problem" was a phenomenal book. I'll try to give a taste of this work as I go, though theology is more my thing.
His coverage of text and meaning was good. Text is nothing more than characters applied to a medium in an order. Meaning includes the reader and includes the need of reason. The text doesn't do anything more than lead the reader to comprehend a meaning. There has been a move to read the text to however one reads it (reader response). This is postmodernity in biblical scholarship which gained traction in the 60s and has helped, for instance, the constitution to mean whatever one wants it to mean when they read it independent of the writers intent. This book isn't reader response. And the goal, regardless of literary style, is always "what did the writer mean?" Great opening chapter which slaps us around and grounds us in revelant literary questions about the inspired text.
The next half of the book deals with genre: Narrative, covenants and laws, poetry, psalm, proverb, prophecy, idioms, parables, overstatement and hyperbole, and finally epistles and letters.
As an aside, since I'm not fully fleshing out the above genres, the one on prophecy is good and important since it gives rules to read by and the rules for prophecy are scriptural. For instance taking a prophecy literally or literalistically: the pentecost fulfillment of the prophecy of Joel was literally not literalistically fulfilled. Or that much prophecy isn't prophetic in the way many would have others see it. Much ends up being speaking the heart of God to God's people and the heart of God is a present state.
Those who really dig prophecy should buy this if only for the above chapter.
Also, his coverage of idioms is quite good. This also informed me that he's not a Calvinist or if he is he's a backslid one because God doesn't go around hating Esau.
This is a good intro book though I was looking for more of a book on higher criticism. Stein is a great scholar and writer.
#BiblicalScholarship #BiblicalCriticism #BiblicalInterpretation #RobertHStein #RobertStein #Hermeneutics #Exegesis #PoplarSpringsLifeGroup
Stein is a wonderful scholar. His "The Synoptic Problem" was a phenomenal book. I'll try to give a taste of this work as I go, though theology is more my thing.
His coverage of text and meaning was good. Text is nothing more than characters applied to a medium in an order. Meaning includes the reader and includes the need of reason. The text doesn't do anything more than lead the reader to comprehend a meaning. There has been a move to read the text to however one reads it (reader response). This is postmodernity in biblical scholarship which gained traction in the 60s and has helped, for instance, the constitution to mean whatever one wants it to mean when they read it independent of the writers intent. This book isn't reader response. And the goal, regardless of literary style, is always "what did the writer mean?" Great opening chapter which slaps us around and grounds us in revelant literary questions about the inspired text.
The next half of the book deals with genre: Narrative, covenants and laws, poetry, psalm, proverb, prophecy, idioms, parables, overstatement and hyperbole, and finally epistles and letters.
As an aside, since I'm not fully fleshing out the above genres, the one on prophecy is good and important since it gives rules to read by and the rules for prophecy are scriptural. For instance taking a prophecy literally or literalistically: the pentecost fulfillment of the prophecy of Joel was literally not literalistically fulfilled. Or that much prophecy isn't prophetic in the way many would have others see it. Much ends up being speaking the heart of God to God's people and the heart of God is a present state.
Those who really dig prophecy should buy this if only for the above chapter.
Also, his coverage of idioms is quite good. This also informed me that he's not a Calvinist or if he is he's a backslid one because God doesn't go around hating Esau.
This is a good intro book though I was looking for more of a book on higher criticism. Stein is a great scholar and writer.
#BiblicalScholarship #BiblicalCriticism #BiblicalInterpretation #RobertHStein #RobertStein #Hermeneutics #Exegesis #PoplarSpringsLifeGroup
July 10, 2023
Kind of overly straightforward in much and overly idiosyncratic in its definitions. That is, you might not learn much, but if you do learn, you will have to translate your new knowledge in order to be able to talk to anyone about it. What's interesting is that I've heard some people dismissive of Stein because he's theologically suspect because he's from Princeton. Yet this book is almost boringly theologically conservative. Ah well.
Here's a quote.
"The interpretation that Paul gave to the death and resurrection of Jesus will always remain the same, regardless of whether Jesus rose from the dead or not. But if Christ did not rise from the dead, the interpretation Paul gave to it is foolish. It is a falsehood, and faith in this fictional story is futile (1 Cor. 15:12-19). Christianity stands or falls on the facticity of the biblical narratives."
Here's a quote.
"The interpretation that Paul gave to the death and resurrection of Jesus will always remain the same, regardless of whether Jesus rose from the dead or not. But if Christ did not rise from the dead, the interpretation Paul gave to it is foolish. It is a falsehood, and faith in this fictional story is futile (1 Cor. 15:12-19). Christianity stands or falls on the facticity of the biblical narratives."
March 5, 2019
Having read this over a decade ago when it was assigned to me in college, there was a lot of experience that could now speak into my understanding at this go around. The author does an excellent job of simplifying the concepts he's communicating and helping the reader quickly see their valuable application. To look at biblical interpretation through the lens of a game, for instance, is very helpful.
As a basic guide to interpreting the Bible, this book executes excellently and is worth recommending to others!
As a basic guide to interpreting the Bible, this book executes excellently and is worth recommending to others!
April 1, 2024
I actually found this book to be really helpful in explaining how we interpret the Bible. Stein offers numerous tactics for understanding the Bible, and he provides an expansive vocabulary that helps categorize biblical interpretation.
June 26, 2025
If you're looking for a comprehensive guide on understanding the Bible, this is a great choice. A lot of it is technical, but any Christian will benefit from reading this book regardless of their level of Biblical understanding.
August 5, 2025
Starts slow but serves as a very helpful introduction to literary genres in the Bible and some basic rules to interpreting them. Especially helpful when discussing parallelism in poetry, hyperbole and overstatement in prophecy, correspondence in the epistles, and comparison in parables.
Read
July 2, 2019great read, I really enjoyed chapter 1.
March 17, 2020
A fine introduction to hermeneutical principles with helpful insights into many genres and difficult passages to be used as examples.
July 2, 2022
A good intro on the subject
November 14, 2022
Difficult yet rewarding read. Used in my Bible study
June 30, 2023
The book was ok, but there were a number of presuppositions and inconsistencies I had problems with, not to mention the political overtones in a number of places.
Read
October 1, 2016Стейн е написал доста добро въведение в херменевтиката. Изборът му на материал, който да включи (и по този начин да каже нещо различно от множеството други подобни книги) е интересен и полезен, а анализите му балансирани. Една от най-хубавите черти на книгата е нейната достъпност и яснота, което я прави много лесно разбираема - вкл. по въпроси, които често са обяснявани ненужно сложно (напр. някои елементи на езиковите игри).
Като цяло може би донякъде непълна като съдържание, но все пак широка по обхват и полезна книга.
Като цяло може би донякъде непълна като съдържание, но все пак широка по обхват и полезна книга.
May 16, 2024
The first hermeneutics text I ever read, revisiting it almost 14 years later was fun. "Oh, that's where I learned that" was a common thought.
This edition has better organization than the original. It still feels a little like certain ideas are shoved in because they were important but didn't fit naturally in any of the chapters. I also thought the exercises early in the book were a good idea, though sometimes poorly set up.
Overall, though, this is a very clear and helpful introduction to studying the Bible. Short enough to be approachable (better than, say, "Grasping God's Word"), but long enough to give substantial help (a place where "Knowing Scripture" and "Women of the Word" sometimes struggle).
This edition has better organization than the original. It still feels a little like certain ideas are shoved in because they were important but didn't fit naturally in any of the chapters. I also thought the exercises early in the book were a good idea, though sometimes poorly set up.
Overall, though, this is a very clear and helpful introduction to studying the Bible. Short enough to be approachable (better than, say, "Grasping God's Word"), but long enough to give substantial help (a place where "Knowing Scripture" and "Women of the Word" sometimes struggle).
December 24, 2010
The strength of Stein's book on hermeneutics is his careful definition of words for the study of the Bible. Students of the Bible often use words like "implication" "interpretation" and "understanding" with less precision than they should. This guide is very helpful in that regard. He also includes chapters on each of the major biblical genres. There are many outstanding books on hermeneutics that are now published, but Stein's Basic Guide will be in that list for many years to come. My one concern with this book is his denial of the illumination of the Spirit in interpretation.
March 21, 2011
The prof for my recent Intro to Biblical Interpretation class assigned most of this book for reading - I'll have to go back and read the chapter or two that he didn't assign, but for purposes here, I've put it in the "read" category. It was ok. Right now, not having read anything else on the subject, I'm not sure I would stop here, or even recommend that someone start here if they wanted material on interpretation. Two books that have been recommended to me for further study are Robert Plummer's book in the 40 Questions series, and How to Read the Bible for All it's Worth by Fee.
June 7, 2024
Read and Keep as Resource. Stein sets the need for instruction about interpreting the Bible well at the beginning of the book. He then helpfully creates a standard set of vocal so that we are all talking about the same thing. The rest of the book looks at individual genres and teaches what must be considered in each kind to understand the author's meaning. Application comes from the implications of the author's meaning once found.
August 17, 2016
A very good explanation of many of the genres found in the Bible and the rules for interpreting passages of Scripture in accordance with their respective genres. The first chapter has an excellent overview of philosophies of literary interpretation in general.
June 2, 2023
This was a re-read in conjunction with Stein's course on hermeneutics found at biblicaltraining.org (which I highly recommend). Stein's writing is accessible. I do disagree with the author on some points, but overall, this book is a good place to learn how to "rightly divide the Word of Truth."
Read
November 26, 2011A solid mid-level introduction to the difficult but do-able work of understanding what the Bible means and how it applies today
Read
August 30, 2013I read chapter 1-3, 8-9, 11 and 13 for a class on OT interpretation. This was an easily understandable, easy to read, thorough (perhaps a little too lengthy in the early chapters).
May 17, 2014
Stein lays out an easy to read and understandable book on the oft-confused and misunderstood topic of hermeneutics.
April 27, 2015
Too exhaustive. Opinions given but not supported. Boring. I really didn't like it.
June 13, 2016
Easy to read, thorough, and understandable resource on hermeneutics. Stein carefully defines many key terms in order to ensure the reader has a clear understanding.
February 22, 2019
Among the most readable of the hermeneutics books I've read recently, but not the most helpful.
Notes:
(1) Nook
(2) The terms “infallible” and, more recently, “inerrant” are often used to describe the reliability of the Bible. The former term focuses on the doctrinal reliability of the Bible, the latter on its factual reliability. (“Plenary” is often used to indicate that this divine inspiration extends to the very words chosen by the biblical authors to express their meaning.) (62)
(3) Thus, the Christian claim that the Bible is infallible or inerrant means in essence that what the authors of Scripture willed to convey by their words (their proposition or pattern of meaning) is true. The term “infallibility” means that what the authors willed to convey with regard to matters of faith (doctrine) and practice (ethics) are true and will never lead us astray. The term “inerrant” means that what the authors willed to convey with regard to matters of fact (history, geography, science, etc.) is also true and will never lead us astray. What is determinative at all times, however, involves what the author, led by the Spirit, sought to convey by his text (62)
(4) Paul is not saying that unbelievers cannot arrive at a correct mental grasp of the things of the Spirit. They can and do, but they attribute to this understanding of the author’s meaning a negative significance. They reject it as folly. (66)
(4) If one believes that the brighter tones of the restoration of the Sistine Chapel do not represent Michelangelo’s original colors and that the restorers should not have changed them, it should be noted that we are then in fact attributing to the interpretation of art a more author-oriented interpretive approach than most reader-centered interpretations apply to the interpretation of literature. We would be condemning the unintentional (but mistaken) act of the restorers of the Sistine Chapel for changing the author’s willed intention. Yet a reader-response approach discourages the pursuit of an author’s consciously willed meaning, assuming that this is beyond our reach and of lesser importance. Instead, it favors rewriting (repainting?) the work of the author. (27)
(5) Hebrew poetry: Parallelism. "The original term used to describe this parallelism was parallelismus membrorum" (119)
(6) It is apparent when reading proverbs that many of them seem to be less than absolute in their applicability (134)
(7) Proverbs are not laws. They are not even promises. They are generalizations learned from careful observation and a wise analysis of life. (136)
(8) A proverb is a short, pithy saying that expresses a wise, general truth concerning life. (136)
(9) The etymology of a word is of little value in biblical interpretation (192)
(10) It is only useful in two instances. One is in those instances when we have little or no idea of what a biblical word means because it is found very seldom, or not at all, elsewhere....The second instance in which a word’s etymology is useful involves biblical names (192)
Notes:
(1) Nook
(2) The terms “infallible” and, more recently, “inerrant” are often used to describe the reliability of the Bible. The former term focuses on the doctrinal reliability of the Bible, the latter on its factual reliability. (“Plenary” is often used to indicate that this divine inspiration extends to the very words chosen by the biblical authors to express their meaning.) (62)
(3) Thus, the Christian claim that the Bible is infallible or inerrant means in essence that what the authors of Scripture willed to convey by their words (their proposition or pattern of meaning) is true. The term “infallibility” means that what the authors willed to convey with regard to matters of faith (doctrine) and practice (ethics) are true and will never lead us astray. The term “inerrant” means that what the authors willed to convey with regard to matters of fact (history, geography, science, etc.) is also true and will never lead us astray. What is determinative at all times, however, involves what the author, led by the Spirit, sought to convey by his text (62)
(4) Paul is not saying that unbelievers cannot arrive at a correct mental grasp of the things of the Spirit. They can and do, but they attribute to this understanding of the author’s meaning a negative significance. They reject it as folly. (66)
(4) If one believes that the brighter tones of the restoration of the Sistine Chapel do not represent Michelangelo’s original colors and that the restorers should not have changed them, it should be noted that we are then in fact attributing to the interpretation of art a more author-oriented interpretive approach than most reader-centered interpretations apply to the interpretation of literature. We would be condemning the unintentional (but mistaken) act of the restorers of the Sistine Chapel for changing the author’s willed intention. Yet a reader-response approach discourages the pursuit of an author’s consciously willed meaning, assuming that this is beyond our reach and of lesser importance. Instead, it favors rewriting (repainting?) the work of the author. (27)
(5) Hebrew poetry: Parallelism. "The original term used to describe this parallelism was parallelismus membrorum" (119)
(6) It is apparent when reading proverbs that many of them seem to be less than absolute in their applicability (134)
(7) Proverbs are not laws. They are not even promises. They are generalizations learned from careful observation and a wise analysis of life. (136)
(8) A proverb is a short, pithy saying that expresses a wise, general truth concerning life. (136)
(9) The etymology of a word is of little value in biblical interpretation (192)
(10) It is only useful in two instances. One is in those instances when we have little or no idea of what a biblical word means because it is found very seldom, or not at all, elsewhere....The second instance in which a word’s etymology is useful involves biblical names (192)
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews