Using New Testament Greek (David A. Black)-Part XII

This post deals with five steps for exegesis outlined by David Black. In the final post for this series, I will concern myself with five more steps. But to make this exercise more facile, I will pick one scripture to use as a model text for how exegesis might be done, and that scripture is Philippians 4:13. At the end of this post, sources for further reading on New Testament exegesis will be listed; for now, we're only focusing on the basics of exegesis (drawing meaning from the scriptural text). D.A. Black lists these five steps but I've added some of my own wording for them:

1. Survey the historical context (historical setting)
2. Observe the larger literary context (the macrostructure or entire book)
3. Resolve any significant textual issues
4. Determine the meaning of any crucial words (do a word study on important terms in the text)
5. Analyze the syntax. Ask which syntactical features directly contribute to the exegesis of your chosen text.

1) For Philippians 4:13, the historical context would involve identifying the writer of the verse (the Apostle Paul), the recipients of the letter/epistle (Christians in Philippi), the approximate time of writing, the relationship that Paul had with the Philippians and his purpose for writing. You might also find out what ancient Philippi was like; how did the city come into existence and what were its socioeconomic conditions like?

2) Black spurs exegetes to analyze texts above the sentence level: one should exegete at the paragraph level, but prior to doing this work, determine the GNT book's genre. In this case, Philippians is an epistle, so one finds expository and hortatory portions in Paul's correspondence to this ecclesia. Knowing a document's genre is crucial for the exegete, but this is only a start. Exegeting a passage like Philippians 4:13 equally requires that one read the entire book of Philippians to get an overview of the macrostructure; along the way, look for transitional words that indicate the start of new sections in the letter--words like therefore, finally, so, thus, hence, consequently, moreover, furthermore, for, and because of this. See Philippians 4:1, 8, 15 for examples.

3) Textual variants are often important when exegeting texts; at other times, they don't matter a great deal. The standard work to consult textual issues is Bruce Metzger's Textual Commentary although it's not the only place one can seek out information for variants. I would urge cation when it comes to textual criticism. Establishing the probable reading of a text is difficult and requires special training: do not simply look up what someone else says about a text and let matters rest there. You might find yourself in a figurative minefield.

As for Philippians 4:13, our model text for this entry, the NET Bible offers this commentary:

tc Although some excellent witnesses lack explicit reference to the one strengthening Paul (so א* A B D* I 33 1739 lat co Cl), the majority of witnesses (א² D² [F G] Ψ 075 1175 1241 1505 1881 2464 M al sy Hier) add Χριστῷ (Christō) here (thus, “through Christ who strengthens me”). But this kind of reading is patently secondary, and is a predictable variant. Further, the shorter reading is much harder, for it leaves the agent unspecified.

 4) What are the crucial words in Philippians 4:13? A few terms in the verse might deserve a word study: one question is the scope or application of πάντα. Whichever sources you use to do a word study, try to find out what the word means in a particular context. In the case of Philippians, we might ask how Paul employs terms in other writings. Additionally, what does the immediate literary context suggest about the meaning of key words in the text? Black warns that some fallacies to avoid are etymologizing and illegitimate totality transfer, an expression made famous by James Barr. Another good practice would be to consult the major Greek-English lexica (BDAG and Louw-Nida), check a good concordance, and use NIDNTTE.

5) Syntax refers to word order or to the grammatical and semantic relationships that words bear to one another. Black advises the exegete to analyze the syntax that impinges upon your exegesis. Questions that could be asked: Does the Greek article appear in the verse or paragraph I'm reading? What is the tense/aspect and form of the verbs I encounter? What about the nominal or pronominal cases? What is the word, phrase, and clause order of the text? I will list suggestions for works about syntax below, and the next post will discuss five more steps for GNT exegesis.

Works for Further Reading

Ferguson, Everett. Backgrounds of Early Christianity. Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans, 2003. Print.

Reed, Jeffrey T. A Discourse Analysis of Philippians: Method and Rhetoric in the Debate Over Literary Integrity. Sheffield, Eng: Sheffield Academic Press, 1997. Print.

Metzger, Bruce M. A Textual Commentary on the Greek New Testament. Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschsaft, 2016. Print.

Silva, Moisés (editor). New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology and Exegesis. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2014. Five Volumes. Print.

Brooks, James A, and Carlton L. Winbery. Syntax of New Testament Greek. Washington, D.C: University Press of America, 1988. Print.