Exegetically Speaking

Dr. Adam E. Miglio, Associate Professor of Archaeology at Wheaton College, demonstrates that exegesis involves knowing more than grammar and vocabulary. Often biblical authors employ strategic ambiguity to cause us to slow down and ask what a word or phrase means.  He treats Genesis 4.7 and the phrase “you must/will rule over it,” which characterizes life ‘East of Eden’.

Dr. Nijay Gupta, Professor of New Testament at Northern Seminary, has authored several books and articles, including his recent, Paul and the Language of Faith (Eerdmans, 2020). In this conversation with Dr. Capes, he discusses the poetic language of one of the New Testament’s most important passages about Christ and his work. What in the Greek wording would have been striking to an original audience, and what have its lines revealed to all attentive readers?

Dr. Aubrey Buster, Assistant Professor of Old Testament at Wheaton College, discusses with David Capes the meaning of the Hebrew Name that God takes for himself during his first appearance to Moses. What its meaning was, why it was given, how it has been spelled and pronounced in the Hebrew and English traditions, and why these later forms were adopted.

Dr. Bill Mounce (https://www.billmounce.com/about), is the the founder and President of BiblicalTraining.org. He also serves on the Committee for Bible Translation (responsible for the NIV translation of the Bible), is author of Basics of Biblical Greek and other works, and was formerly a professor at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and Azusa Pacific University. In this episode, he joins David Capes to talk about his own pilgrimage as a student of Greek and the vision and work of BiblicalTraining.org.

Dr. John Walton, Professor of Old Testament at Wheaton College Graduate School, lays out the importance of knowing the context of a passage to understand it.  After discussing four kinds of context for exegesis, he focuses on the historical context.  As a test case, he takes us to Daniel 7:1 to understand what is happening historically at the time of Daniel’s fantastic vision. 

Dr. John Walton, Professor of Old Testament at Wheaton College Graduate School, lays out the importance of knowing the context of a passage to understand it. After discussing four kinds of context for exegesis, he focuses on the linguistic context. As a test case, he takes us to 1 Samuel 13:14: “the LORD sought out a man after his own heart [David].” What does that mean? Where does it come from? It might not mean what we always thought.

Dr. Robert Plummer, the Collin and Eveyln Aikman Professor of Biblical Studies at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and the host of the Daily Dose of Greek screencast (dailydoseofgreek.com), considers whether the Lord teaches us to pray for deliverance from evil in general, as many translations have it, or from "the evil one," the devil. Grammar and context favor taking it as a reference to the devil.

Dr. Danny Carroll Rodas, Scripture Press Ministries Professor of Biblical Studies and Pedagogy at Wheaton College, moves us beyond Hosea 1-3 to consider the various metaphors used by the prophet to communicate the nature of God and the serious afflictions of God’s people.

Dr. Jon Laansma, Gerald F. Hawthorne Professor of New Testament Greek and Exegesis at Wheaton College, uses Titus 2:13 to illustrate how the knowledge of Greek grammar doesn’t usually lead to one “correct” interpretive conclusion, but to a range of viable interpretations. The gains are knowing the boundaries of what is viable and the ability to converse authoritatively with other qualified interpreters.

Dr. Jon Laansma, Gerald F. Hawthorne Professor of New Testament Greek and Exegesis at Wheaton College, discusses what “syntax” is, why biblical scholars give it emphasis, some of the challenges to be faced in gaining mastery over this side of Greek grammar, and how to meet the challenges.