Lexical Pragmatics And Biblical Interpretation -- By: Gene L. Green

Journal: Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society
Volume: JETS 50:4 (Dec 2007)
Article: Lexical Pragmatics And Biblical Interpretation
Author: Gene L. Green


Lexical Pragmatics And Biblical Interpretation

Gene L. Green*

Gene Green is professor of New Testament at Wheaton College, 501 College Ave., Wheaton, IL 60187.

I. Lexical Studies In Biblical Interpretation

The literature on lexical studies in biblical interpretation suggests that words have a range of meaning and the interpreter’s task is one of selecting the appropriate sense of the word from among the various available options. The standard NT Greek-English lexicon, BDAG, conveniently numbers these interpretive options, with categories and subcategories clearly outlined. In their text on biblical interpretation, Kline, Blomberg, and Hubbard suggest that “[o]nce students have a good feel for the possible meanings of a word, they must select the one that fits best in the passage under study.”1 They go on to affirm that, “The use of a word in a specific context constitutes the single most crucial criterion for the meaning of a word”2 (emphasis theirs). Likewise, Silva reacts vigorously against the notion that “[c]ontext remains an untrustworthy guide” (quoting Peter Ackroyd),3 preferring to stand with those linguists “who would assign a determinative function to context; that is, the context does not merely help us understand meaning—it virtually makes meaning.”4 He recognizes various levels of context (literary and situational) and argues that the smaller contextual circles should be given priority since these will more likely “affect the disputed passage.”5 Black further observes that “semantic change” occurs when a word appears in a new context and even

suggests that “expansion or restriction of meaning” takes place. But how does this “expansion or restriction of meaning” occur? And to what extent do contextual and pragmatic (language-in-use) considerations become determinative for word meaning?

The problem of biblical lexicography is not simply that “New Testament lexicons are built upon an incredibly small database of comparative evidence of how biblical words are used in other ancient sources.”6 Rather, the contextual influences upon the meaning of words are substantially more significant than the standard lexicons would suggest. The present essay forwards Relevance Theory (RT) as a framework within which we may understand the way words mean in contex...

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