Reading Scripture Rightly — Exegesis vs. Eisegesis

[LightBearer316]

When we approach God’s Word, how we read it matters just as much as what we read.

Exegesis means drawing out the meaning that’s already in the text — letting Scripture speak for itself.
Eisegesis, on the other hand, means reading into the text — forcing our own ideas or assumptions onto it.

That’s why context is everything.
We must always read:

• The verse within the chapter,
• The chapter within the book,
• The book within the whole counsel of God’s Word.

When we pull a single verse out of context, we can make the Bible “say” almost anything — and that’s exactly how false doctrines are born. But when we study the Scriptures in their full setting, guided by the Holy Spirit, the message becomes clear and consistent.

“Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.”​

— 2 Peter 1:20 (KJV)​

Let’s be believers who handle the Word faithfully — not twisting verses to fit our views, but aligning our views with God’s revealed truth.

Question for discussion:
How do you personally guard against reading your own ideas into the Bible instead of letting the Bible interpret itself?

Grace and Peace

 

[GWH]

When we approach God’s Word, how we read it matters just as much as what we read.

Exegesis means drawing out the meaning that’s already in the text — letting Scripture speak for itself.
Eisegesis, on the other hand, means reading into the text — forcing our own ideas or assumptions onto it.

That’s why context is everything.
We must always read:

• The verse within the chapter,
• The chapter within the book,
• The book within the whole counsel of God’s Word.

When we pull a single verse out of context, we can make the Bible “say” almost anything — and that’s exactly how false doctrines are born. But when we study the Scriptures in their full setting, guided by the Holy Spirit, the message becomes clear and consistent.

“Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.”​

— 2 Peter 1:20 (KJV)​

Let’s be believers who handle the Word faithfully — not twisting verses to fit our views, but aligning our views with God’s revealed truth.

Question for discussion:
How do you personally guard against reading your own ideas into the Bible instead of letting the Bible interpret itself?

Grace and Peace

Amen!

I guard against eisegesis by admitting my fallibility and harmonizing as much Scripture as possible.

My method for discerning God's truth employs subjective logic that is made as objective as possible by learning from Scripture
and other truthseekers. As a result of seeking ultimate truth, I have come to value two NT teachings as key points from which to triangulate or use to guide an interpretation of the Bible, especially problematic statements.

First, God loves and wants to save everyone. Seven Scriptures teaching divine omnilove include: 1John 4:7-12, Rom. 5:8, Matt. 5:44&48, Gal. 5:6&14, Eph. 3:17b-19, Eph. 5:2 and 1Tim. 2:3-4, which might be deemed the “7 pearls”. Christ died to show God’s love and the possible salvation of all (Rom. 5:6-8) including His enemies: those who are ungodly, atheist, anti-Christ, pseudo-Christian (Matt. 7:21, John 8:42-44).

Second, God is just and does not show favoritism. (2Thes. 1:6a, cf. Rom. 3:25-26 & 9:14, Deut. 32:4, Psa. 36:6, Luke 11:42, Rev. 15:3). Explanations of God’s Word should not impugn God’s justice and love for all people (Joel 2:13, John 3:16). This parameter is affirmed
in the OT (Psa. 145:17): “The Lord is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works.”

Another important elements in this Bible-based hermeneutic is that everyone lives by fallible faith/belief/opinion and sufficient knowledge of evidence rather than by absolute certainty or proof or coercion (2Cor. 5:7), so humility is needed. A logical train of thought leads an unbiased truthseeker to have a propensity to believe in an all-loving God, who is not tricky and does not hide the way to heaven (Heb. 11:6, Acts 13:10).

Also, humanity’s understanding of God evolved or progressed through the millenniums, so that the OT was superseded by the NT, which is the apex of divine revelation (Heb. 7:18, 8:13, 9:15).

This hermeneutic seeks to harmonize disparate Scriptures as taught by Paul (in 1Thes. 5:21), exemplified by Jesus (in Matt. 4:6-7) and illustrated by the transparent overlays of bodily systems found in some books on anatomy. Considering all sides of an issue or doctrine is called dialectical theology. An interpreter should want to include all true assertions in the picture of reality without making a “Procrustean Body” by cutting off or ignoring parts that do not seem to fit, because the correct understanding of the whole truth must be self-consistent or else God would be tricky.

 

[ChristRoseFromTheDead]

Eisegesis vs. exegesis. eis = into, ex = out of.

Eisegesis means reading one's interpretation into the text and exegesis means deriving an interpretation out of the text.

So in sum, eisegesis leads to exeJesus and exegesis leads to eiseJesus

 

[LightBearer316]

Eisegesis vs. exegesis. eis = into, ex = out of.

Eisegesis means reading one's interpretation into the text and exegesis means deriving an interpretation out of the text.

So in sum, eisegesis leads to exeJesus and exegesis leads to eiseJesus

About Your Wordplay:

“Eisegesis leads to exeJesus and exegesis leads to eiseJesus.”​

It’s a fun pun, but the roles are reversed in what you’re trying to say.
You probably meant something like this:

Eisegesis leads to “I–say–Jesus” — you decide what Jesus means.​

Exegesis leads to “He–says–Jesus” — you let Scripture tell you what He means.​

That keeps the pun clear and the theology solid — eisegesis puts you in charge of the text, exegesis puts Christ in charge of the interpretation.

Bottom Line:

Eisegesis = forcing your meaning into Scripture.
Exegesis = following Scripture’s meaning out of the text.

Or simply put:

Eisegesis says what you want.​

Exegesis says what God meant.​

Grace and Peace

 

[ChristRoseFromTheDead]

About Your Wordplay:

“Eisegesis leads to exeJesus and exegesis leads to eiseJesus.”​

It’s a fun pun, but the roles are reversed in what you’re trying to say.
You probably meant something like this:

Eisegesis leads to “I–say–Jesus” — you decide what Jesus means.​

Exegesis leads to “He–says–Jesus” — you let Scripture tell you what He means.​

That keeps the pun clear and the theology solid — eisegesis puts you in charge of the text, exegesis puts Christ in charge of the interpretation.

Bottom Line:

Eisegesis = forcing your meaning into Scripture.
Exegesis = following Scripture’s meaning out of the text.

Or simply put:

Eisegesis says what you want.​

Exegesis says what God meant.​

Grace and Peace

Actually what I meant was eisegesis leads one out of Christ and exegesis leads one into Christ.

 

[Dino246]

When we approach God’s Word, how we read it matters just as much as what we read.

“Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.”​

— 2 Peter 1:20 (KJV)​

Given your message, your choice of verse raises an eyebrow.

Most people I have encountered who have an interpretation of this verse have the wrong interpretation. What is yours? How do you read it, and what does it mean to you?

 

[LightBearer316]

Given your message, your choice of verse raises an eyebrow.

Most people I have encountered who have an interpretation of this verse have the wrong interpretation. What is yours? How do you read it, and what does it mean to you?

Hi Dino, Great question — and I completely agree that this verse is often taken the wrong way.
When Peter says,

“Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation” (2 Peter 1:20 KJV),​

he’s not warning readers against individual Bible study or saying that people can’t read Scripture for themselves.​

Rather, he’s talking about the source of prophecy — that it didn’t originate in any prophet’s private idea or imagination. The next verse (v. 21) makes that clear:

“For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.”​

So my understanding is that Peter is reminding us:

• The Scriptures didn’t come from human will or private impulse,
• but from the Holy Spirit working through chosen men.

In that sense, “no prophecy is of private interpretation” means no prophecy has its origin in man alone — its meaning is tied to God’s own revelation, not our speculation.

That’s exactly why I connected it to exegesis vs. eisegesis — to underscore that we must let the Word speak from God’s intent, not insert our own.

Grace and peace

 

[LightBearer316]

A perfect, real-world example of how eisegesis shows up in modern interpretation....
One of the clearest places eisegesis rears its head is in verses like “Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord” (Ephesians 5:22 KJV).

Many today read that and immediately dismiss it as “outdated” or “cultural,” saying it no longer applies — but that’s reading our modern assumptions into the text, not drawing out what the text actually says.

If we read it exegetically — in context — we see that the command isn’t about dominance or inequality at all. Paul goes on to tell husbands to “love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it” (v.25). That’s a call to sacrificial love, not control.

When you look at the full passage, it paints a picture of mutual devotion and order, not oppression.
Eisegesis strips out the context to fit modern preferences; exegesis restores the balance and beauty of God’s design.

Grace and Peace

 

[GWH]

Given your message, your choice of verse raises an eyebrow.

Most people I have encountered who have an interpretation of this verse have the wrong interpretation. What is yours? How do you read it, and what does it mean to you?

Good point!

This means to me that everyone lives by fallible faith/belief/opinion and sufficient knowledge of evidence rather than by absolute certainty or proof or coercion (2Cor. 5:7), so humility is needed as one employs subjective logic that is made as objective as possible by learning from Scripture and other truthseekers.