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Writing Exegesis Papers

Biblical Text & Analysis

Choosing a Translation

Your professor may give instructions to use a particular translation. If not, use a more literal translation such as the New American Standard Bible (1995 Update) or the New Revised Standard Version. This should be your base text, although you may have reason to compare translations (generally this is only done if you have command of the biblical languages).

 

Translating Your Passage

If you have the ability, you should strongly consider doing an original translation of your passage. You will need to consult with your professor to obtain permission.

A separate guide is available to help you use biblical languages in your paper.

 

Writing Your Paper

The first section of your paper should be the entire biblical text you are using. Be sure to format it properly. If you copied the text from a website you may need to change the font and remove hyperlinks. If your passage is poetry you will need to make sure it is presented in versified form (see the example papers provided at the beginning of this guide).

Historical Context

Not only was the Bible given to us as literature, it is also the product of real people in real historical circumstances. You will need to understand these realities to do good exegesis. However, be careful you do not mistakenly turn your exegesis paper into a history paper. Try to always ask: "How does this help me understand my passage?" If it doesn't or is relatively insignificant, it probably doesn't belong in your paper.

Here are four areas to investigate:

  1. Political: Who held political power during the period of time that your text addresses? If necessary, sketch the political background for the international and domestic scenes.
  2. Economic: What was the economic climate like during the time of your passage? Was it a time of prosperity or famine?
  3. Social: What social groups are significant to your passage, and what were they like at the time? Was there social injustice at the time?
  4. Religious: What was the religious atmosphere? Was there influence from other religious worldviews at the time?

Literary Context

You will need to consider the overall context of the book you are using. Consider addressing some of the following questions:

  • What genre is the book where your passage is located? (Gospel, Epistle, Prophetic, Narrative, etc.)
  • What is the overall structure of the book?
  • How does your passage fit within the overall structure?
  • Do you need to address issues of authorship?

You will also need to pay close attention to the passages immediately surrounding your own. How does your passage relate?

The Bible is not a series of propositions (excepting some of Proverbs), but it is comprised of stories, letters, songs and more. A crucial part of exegesis is analyzing your text as the literature it is.

Your Commentary

This section should be roughly half of your total paper. In this section you will want to work verse-by-verse through your passage, analyzing every detail. In a sense, this section is where you "prove" your thesis statement. The work you do in this section should also lay the groundwork for the section on theology later. Consult the example papers at the beginning of this guide to see how other students have approached this section.

 

Word Studies

Word studies can be a helpful way to gain new insights into your passage. A good word study will consist of three separate steps:

  1. Discover the original Hebrew or Greek term used in your passage
  2. Look up other passages which use the same term and compare/contrast
  3. Consult some of the major theological dictionaries that discuss your term

A separate guide is available to explain how to conduct a word study.

 

Formal Analysis

In the section on literary analysis you should have discussed the genre of the book where your passage is found. Formal analysis is similar, but on a smaller scale. Here you are looking at the form of the particular passage, rather than the genre of the whole book.

For example, the genre of the book of Isaiah is prophetic, while your passage's form may be a judgment speech or woe oracle. Similarly, the genre of Matthew is Gospel, while your passage's form may be a parable. Be advised that there is not a consensus among scholars on how to refer to these issues.

Consult the recommended sources at the end of this guide for more information.

 

Biblical Poetry

Approximately 1/3 of the Bible is written in poetry, which presents its own special issues for interpretation.

A separate guide is available to help navigate the issues of biblical poetry.