Theological Term of the Week: Eisegesis

eisegesis

The practice of reading meaning into a text of scripture when interpreting it.

• From Inductive Bible Study by Richard Alan Fuhr Jr. and Anreas J. Kostenberger, page 30:

Often readers approach the Bible with an agenda, using it to support various doctrines (whether orthodox or heretical), proof texting along the way. Others will use the Bible as a springboard for various points of interest, focusing on an aspect of the text without asking what the author was really trying to say in the original context… . [A] better way to read Scripture is to approach it on its own terms and to allow it to speak for itself. 

Learn more:

1. Theopedia: Eisegesis
2. Simply Put: Exegesis and Eisegesis

Related terms:

• biblical hermeneutics
• exegesis
• literary genres of the Bible
• mirror reading

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Sunday Hymn: O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing

O for a thou­sand tongues to sing
My great Re­deem­er’s praise,
The glo­ries of my God and king,
The tri­umphs of His grace!

My gra­cious mas­ter and my God,
Assist me to pro­claim,
To spread through all the earth abroad
The hon­ors of Thy name.

Jesus! the name that charms our fears,
That bids our sor­rows cease;
’Tis mu­sic in the sin­ner’s ears,
’Tis life, and health, and peace.

He breaks the pow­er of can­celed sin,
He sets the pri­son­er free;
His blood can make the foul­est clean,
His blood availed for me.

He speaks, and, list­en­ing to His voice,
New life the dead re­ceive,
The mourn­ful, brok­en hearts re­joice,
The hum­ble poor be­lieve.

Hear Him, ye deaf; His praise, ye dumb,
Your loos­ened tongues em­ploy;
Ye blind, be­hold your Sav­ior come,
And leap, ye lame, for joy.

Glory to God, and praise and love
Be ev­er, ev­er giv­en,
By saints be­low and saints above,
The church in earth and Hea­ven.

—Charles Wesley

Sunday Hymn: All Hail the Power of Jesus' Name

All hail the pow­er of Je­sus’ name!
Let an­gels pros­trate fall;
Bring forth the roy­al dia­dem,
And crown Him Lord of all.
Bring forth the roy­al dia­dem,
And crown Him Lord of all.

Let high­born ser­aphs tune the lyre,
And as they tune it, fall
Before His face who tunes their choir,
And crown Him Lord of all.
Before His face who tunes their choir,
And crown Him Lord of all.

Crown Him, ye morn­ing stars of light,
Who fixed this float­ing ball;
Now hail the strength of Is­ra­el’s might,
And crown Him Lord of all.
Now hail the strength of Is­ra­el’s might,
And crown Him Lord of all.

Crown Him, ye mar­tyrs of your God,
Who from His al­tar call;
Extol the Stem of Jes­se’s rod,
And crown Him Lord of all.
Extol the Stem of Jes­se’s rod,
And crown Him Lord of all.

Ye seed of Is­ra­el’s chos­en race,
Ye ran­somed from the fall,
Hail Him who saves you by His grace,
And crown Him Lord of all.
Hail Him who saves you by His grace,
And crown Him Lord of all.

Hail Him, ye heirs of Da­vid’s line,
Whom Da­vid Lord did call,
The God in­car­nate, Man di­vine,
And crown Him Lord of all,
The God in­car­nate, Man di­vine,
And crown Him Lord of all.

Sinners, whose love can ne’er for­get
The worm­wood and the gall,
Go spread your tro­phies at His feet,
And crown Him Lord of all.
Go spread your tro­phies at His feet,
And crown Him Lord of all.

Let ev­ery tribe and ev­ery tongue
Before Him pros­trate fall
And shout in uni­ver­sal song
The crown­èd Lord of all.
And shout in uni­ver­sal song
The crown­èd Lord of all.

—Ed­ward Per­ro­net