Dr. Couch, which is more difficult and why—OT exegesis or NT exegesis?
ANSWER: They are both equal. In other words, to do honest exegesis, in either
the OT or NT, one must work from the language. Hermeneutics is the
science that unlocks any language. There are principles that must be
used in order to get the message. Those principles are common to
translating and comprehending the Bible, whether OT or NT.
Exegesis is the art (and science) of pulling out the meaning of a given
text. The word means "to lead out." Since I translate weekly in both
languages I do much of this automatically. I force my students to look
hard at a passage and discover the keys that give the meaning. Before we
were through, they were able to pick up speed in finding the most
important points in the verses.
When we finished they were able to spot the blatant errors of
amillennialism, preterism, and progressive dispensationalism. More than
one student said it was the best class they ever had. I suggest several
books: Ramm’s Protestant Biblical Interpretation, and my Classical
Evangelical Hermeneutics.
Thanks for asking.
Dr. Mal Couch
