Grasping God’s Word

Question

Using the 9 items to consider when reading sentences as listed in chapter 3 of Grasping God’s Word (i.e., repetition of words, contrasts, comparisons, lists, cause and effect, figures of speech, conjunctions, verbs, pronouns), list as many observations as you can find in Acts 1:8. You may list these by noting what category the item falls under (e.g., “contrasts”) and then offering an example of that item. For example, an observation would be to note that the sentence starts off with the conjunction “but,” which connects the sentence to the one above it in a contrasting matter. This item could be listed under both “conjunctions” and “contrasts.” We will follow the basic instructions for this assignment as given on page 64 of your text. Do not offer an interpretation or an application of the text. At this point I want you to list as many of the 9 items as you can find. How do you think this exercise helps you to understand the text better? What did you discover that you did not already notice about this passage?

Response

Reading carefully and critically may soon be a lost art in a postmodern, technology driven society. However, Duvall and Hays provide nine items to look for when reading Scripture to assist in discovering a sentence’s meaning, which include the repetition of words, contrasts, comparisons, lists, causes and effects, figures of speech, conjunctions, verbs, and pronouns.[1] A number of these items can be identified within a careful reading of Acts 1:8.

First, regarding the repetition of words, the word “you” is repeated three times and the word “in” is repeated twice with reference to different regions. Second, the word “but” that begins the verse appears to provide a contrast between what is not known, the time of the restoration of Israel, and what is known, that power will come with the Holy Spirit. Next, regarding comparisons, none appear to exist. Fourth, the verse includes a list of locations: Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the end of the earth. Fifth, a cause and effect appears to occur between the effect of power and the cause of the power, which is the Holy Spirit. Next are potential figures of speech, which occur with the language “to the end of the earth” in order to suggest an image that conveys the potential breadth of one’s witness. The seventh item is conjunctions, which include “but” and four instances of “and.” The eighth item is verbs. The first verb is “will receive,” which is in the future tense and active voice. The next verb is “has come,” which is in the present perfect tense and active voice. The final verb is “will be,” which is in the future tense and the passive voice. The final item is pronouns. The first three pronouns are “you” and the antecedents of each pronoun are the apostles that Jesus had chosen. The only other pronoun is “my,” which has Jesus as the antecedent.

The exercise helps the participant understand the text better by causing the reader to slow down, identify the purpose of each word, as well as note patterns and relationships between words within the sentence. Furthermore, the nine-step process also forces the reader to see the text without the cognitive interference of interpretation or application. In fact, Duvall and Hays suggest that, during the exercise, the reader should attempt to “refrain from interpreting or applying the text.”[2]

A number of discoveries occurred during the reading of the text that may have been hidden from a cursory reading. First, antecedents became clear once the time was taken to reference back to them in previous verses. Next, the contrast was noticeable between Jesus’s answer to the disciples’ question and the direction Jesus felt was more important – the power of the Holy Spirit. Finally, the cause and effect that occurs between the Holy Spirit and power also became discernible. Finally, the importance of the details should not be underestimated. Regarding the individual components of each sentence, Darrell Bock provides the analogy of watching a building under construction and states, “After the edifice has been constructed piece by piece, it eventually reveals a master plan.”[3]

Bibliography

Bock, Darrell L. Interpreting the New Testament Text: Introduction to the Art and Science of Exegesis. Edited by Darrell L. Bock and Buist M. Fanning. Wheaton: Crossway, 2006.

Duvall, J. Scott, and J. Daniel Hays. Grasping God’s Word: A Hands-On Approach to Reading, Interpreting, and Applying the Bible. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2012.

References

[1] J. Scott Duvall and J. Daniel Hays, Grasping God’s Word: A Hands-On Approach to Reading, Interpreting, and Applying the Bible (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2012), 54–61.

[2] Ibid., 53.

[3] Darrell L. Bock, Interpreting the New Testament Text: Introduction to the Art and Science of Exegesis, ed. Darrell L. Bock and Buist M. Fanning (Wheaton: Crossway, 2006), 135.