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Pronouns, Metaphors, and Errors Part 2
Pronouns Mtaphors Errors Pt 2
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Pronouns Metaphors Errors
Part 2
September 28, 2014
Part 2
We will soon be looking at metaphors in Scripture, and hopefully discovering how important it is for us to learn how to identify and interpret them, so that we can understand the intended meaning they for us as disciples in Christ.
In order to effectively understand the Bible’s use of metaphors, we are going to have to build up our ability to identify and comprehend metaphors accurately. Many significant errors have been made in the past, while interpreting Bible metaphors, and the results of those errors have continued to trouble the Church in Christ down through the centuries.
The best place for us to start is with a clear understanding of the use of pronouns, then move to predicate nominative sentences, and finally to metaphors themselves.
(Q) Why use this approach?
(A) Because all metaphors in the Bible come from predicate nominate sentences. Also, predicate nominative sentences are easier to comprehend once you’ve mastered the thinking used with pronouns.
(Q) And why should you be interested in the Greek grammar of Scripture?
(A) Because the Bible writers claim verbal inspiration for themselves, and that means that each word in the original Hebrew and Greek manuscripts, was chosen out of the vocabulary of the writer by God the Holy Spirit.
So, If you believe in verbal inspiration, you will want to hold yourself to an exact translation of every Word, and allow every word have its full force to bear upon you.
In the words of one of my heroes, Kenneth Wuest-
“Verbal inspiration extends not only to the choice of words, but also to the tense, mood, and voice of verbs, the gender, number, and case of nouns, to all grammatical and syntactical technicalities in the original text, for words are understood in their grammatical forms and syntactical relationships.”
He goes on to say,
“The Greek of the New Testament is the same as the
international, Koine Greek of the Roman world.
It was the Greek spoken in ordinary conversation by
those who used it as their second language.
The writers wrote to be understood.”
“If they expected to clearly and accurately be understood, they had to follow the grammar and syntax of the Greek of the first century world.”
I have invited Kenneth Wuest to be our cheerleader and encourager today with his comments:
Because of the work of the Holy Spirit, making certain that the writers adhered to the grammar and syntax, Wuest says, “…interpretation of the Greek text which adheres closely to the tried and true rules of Greek grammar and syntax, becomes almost as exact a science as that of mathematics.”
I have invited Kenneth Wuest to be our cheerleader and encourager today with his comments:
Because of the work of the Holy Spirit, making certain that the writers adhered to the grammar and syntax, Wuest says, “…interpretation of the Greek text which adheres closely to the tried and true rules of Greek grammar and syntax, becomes almost as exact a science as that of mathematics.”
“So, just as in the first place, it is the Holy Spirit whose work has given us verbal inspiration; so also, it is God the Holy Spirit who stands ready to be the interpreter of that which He has caused to be written down.”
This following excerpts from Wuest’s book, The Practical Use of the Greek New Testament, might shed some more light, and be an encouragement to us.
Wuest:
“…because believers have the anointing with the
Spirit, they have the ability to know the truth. …that
is, the ability to understand the Word of God is a
spiritual possession of the believer by virtue of the
fact that he is anointed with the Spirit. …this
anointing teaches the saint, so that he understands the
Word.”
“But this anointing is the Holy Spirit Himself who indwells the believer.”
“The anointing with the Spirit refers to the act of God the Father causing the Holy Spirit to take up His permanent residence in the heart of the saint in answer to the prayer of God the Son.”
Wuest:
“Every saint is anointed with the Spirit.
But every saint is not the recipient of the best
services of the Spirit in His teaching ministry.”
“That which determines the clearness and depth of understanding of the Word…is the degree to which he is controlled by the Holy Spirit.”
You and I must continue to be yielded to the teaching ministry of God the Holy Spirit.
And to the extent that we are enabled to do so, we can expect to receive much understanding, insight, revelation, and blessing from the effort we expend engaging the Scriptures with the heart of ones who ask, seek, and knock at the door of meaning from Word of God.
But for now, I want you to please think about the mental process we go through subconsciously each time we encounter a typical pronoun or a predicate nominative sentence, whether in conversation or reading.
You may not realize this, but you mentally and spiritually engage with the Word of God, each time you read it.
The degree of your involvement depends upon your willingness to participate in an encounter with the sacred Word from God.
Two devices of grammar require us to form some sort of “mental picture”, based upon the information available to us at the moment, pronouns and predicate nominative sentences.
Whenever you encounter a pronoun or a predicate nominative sentence, whether you are consciously aware of the kind of grammar you are dealing with, you subconsciously process the information you perceive at that moment.
A typical predicate nominative sentence found in the Scriptures varies in length.
So the amount of information available to us to work with and process also varies corresponding to the quantity and quality of the information we perceive.
Pronoun and Its Antecedent:
In order for the pronoun to properly signify,
stand in for, and to act as a proxy for its antecedent, the pronoun agrees with the
antecedent in gender (
) and number ( +).
Whenever you encounter a predicate nominative sentence, whether or not you are consciously aware of a the kind of sentence you are dealing with, you subconsciously rapidly process the information you are mentally and spiritually perceiving at that moment.
The same kind of processing of information also goes on within you whenever you hear or read a pronoun.
For example…
Let’s use a mundane example involving Uncle Bill.Remember, there was no confusion with our two sentences because of their brevity; that is, until we began changing the genders of the pronouns.
Uncle Bill likes chocolate. He tells everyone to buy him chocolate.
Uncle Bill likes chocolate. He tells everyone to buy him chocolate.
We identified two pronouns of interest.
Uncle Bill likes chocolate. He tells everyone to buy him chocolate.
We identified two pronouns of interest. Then we had no problem identifying their antecedent.
Uncle Bill likes chocolate. He tells everyone to buy him chocolate.
We identified two pronouns of interest.
Then we had no problem identifying their antecedent. Again, the mental processing required for this was minimal; no need for a second thought.
Uncle Bill likes chocolate. She tells everyone to buy him chocolate.
But what about a change in the gender of one
pronoun, from “he” to “she”? Identifying the antecedent consists of the mental
process of imagining the participation of a yet to be
identified female.
Uncle Bill likes chocolate. She tells everyone to buy him chocolate.
The pronoun “she” offers very little information about its antecedent, so we are compelled to look to information available only from within a larger slice of the context, in order to explain the change in gender and find the feminine antecedent.
Until given more information we are left to imagine a tentative scenario for ourselves, one likely to make sense to us.
Uncle Bill likes chocolate. She tells everyone to buy him chocolate.
Perhaps there’s an aunt Amy who looks out for uncle Bills appetite for chocolate? The point is, our minds work silently in the background to make sense of every pronoun we encounter.
In the mundane of the activities of the daily stuff, we don’t actually need to know every detail related to the information we receive; often it can be just enough for us to keep up with what’s going on at the moment. But correct information is important to guide our lives in Christ.
NKJ Romans 6:12
Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body,
that you should obey it in its lusts.Is Paul is referring to the lusts or desires of sin or
to those of the body?In other words, do the pronouns “it” and “its”
refer to “sin” or to “body”? Or, as Hillary Clinton would say,“What difference does it make?”
NKJ Romans 6:12
Is Paul is referring to the lusts or desires of sin or to those of the body?
In other words, do the pronouns “it” and “its” refer to “sin” or to “body”?
Or, as Hillary Clinton would say, “What difference does it make?”
NKJ Romans 6:12
Is Paul is referring to the lusts or desires of sin or to those of the body?
In other words, do the pronouns “it” and “its” refer to “sin” or to “body”?
Or, as Hillary Clinton would say,“What difference does it make?”
NKJ Romans 6:12
A plausible argument would be that the process refers to “sin”, since the context is an exhortation against obeying sin which wants to reign, and since the idea of reigning and obeying go together easily.
The final answer is impossible to know for certain, so it is entirely a matter of debate!
Oh! Really?...
NKJ Romans 6:12
What does our brother, Kenneth Wuest have to say about the rational argument that “it” refers to “sin”?
“This interpretation [that the antecedent is “sin”]
is exploded by the simple application of the rule
of Greek syntax which says that the pronoun agrees
with its antecedent in gender and number.”
He continues; “The word “sin” is , the word “body” is
, and the word “it” is .”
“All of which means that it is the lusts of the body concerning which Paul is speaking. This is final. It ends all further discussion. A rule of Greek grammar like this is just as sure as the mathematical rule that two and two make four.”
While there are many other instances that might be used as examples, let’s move to a particular instance where the “number” of a pronoun makes a significant difference as we seek to understand the words of Jesus.
I want you to engage in this particular learning experience by listening directly to Kenneth Wuest, with a minimum of interference from me.
KJV John 3:7
“Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.”
Wuest…“Although the King James Version distinguishes between the singular and the plural of the personal pronoun here, we submit that the average reader of the English Bible does not.”
KJV John 3:7
“Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.”
“Such things are not often noticed because the student of the English Bible does not study the Bible with the rules of English grammar in mind. Nor does he use those rules in arriving at his interpretation.”
KJV John 3:7
“Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.”
“Otherwise he would ask himself the question, “Why did the Lord Jesus change from the singular pronoun [thee] to the plural pronoun [ye]?”
KJV John 3:7
“Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.”
Says Wuest, “Here is a single inquirer seeking the
way of salvation. Why did not Jesus use
Note: You , must be born again.
“The answer is that Jesus in using 
referred,
not only to Nicodemus, but to his associates in the
Sanhedren.”
KJV John 3:7
“Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.”
“And the reason He did that is because He recognized the fact that Nicodemus was the
representative of and was speaking for the
Sanhedrin.”
KJV John 3:7
“Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.”
Please think about this for a minute, Wuest said that Jesus recognized the fact that Nicodemus was the representative, speaking for the Sanhedrin. When and how did that recognition take place, did Jesus make use of His super-natural power of omniscience?
KJV John 3:7
“Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.”
While Jesus could have done such a thing; it is more likely He simply listened carefully to Nicodemus’ first comment to Him, back in verse 2: “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.”
NKJ John 3:2
This man came to Jesus by night
and said to Him, "Rabbi, we know that You are
a teacher come from God; for no one can do these
signs that You do unless God is with him."
Here is what Wuest has to say about this-
“This our Lord surmised by Nicodemus’ use of the first person plural 
. The later was giving Jesus the consensus of opinion then prevalent among the elders of this Jewish council.”
Many will be surprised on the Day of Judgment
when they discover
that it was just as the Word of God says;
only the righteousness of Christ is able to save you.All men are sinners and no one can save himself.
God is just, so He must punish sin;
but He is also merciful, moreover gracious,
and offers His Son as the perfect sacrifice
in order to purchase a place for you in heaven,
which He offers to you as the free gift of eternal life.Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah,
the Anointed One, He is God Incarnate.
In order to pay the debt of our sins,
He came from Heaven, having been sent by the Father,
where He lived a life of perfect obedience to the Father
even unto the shameful death upon the cross
in order to pay the debt of your sins.This gift must be received by faith,
believing that Jesus’ perfect life and Cross Work
was His complete and necessary Atonement
for your sins, in your behalf.
Faith is a gift that comes by the Power of God the Holy Spirit working in a person’s innermost being.
Only the power of God can open your heart to the willingness to have the void within it filled
with the presence of Christ by His Spirit.The Holy Spirit has the authority and power to quicken your dead spirit, to make it come to life.
Only the life of His Spirit’s quickening of your heart will allow the Gospel message of salvation to even make sense to you, to truly “hear” the message and give you the ability,
as the Holy Spirit bears witness to Jesus,
to recognize your need for forgiveness and restoration, and gain the desire of your heart to be favorably inclined to want to receive Christ as your personal Lord and Savior.If you have not done so before this moment,
ask Jesus to forgive you your sins,
tell Him you’ve stop trying to be your own savior,
and ask Him to come into your life right now,
and to give you eternal life. Then, in faith believing,
thank Him for the gift that He is giving you,
the one He paid for in full in your place,
in Jesus’ name,
AMEN
Copyright September, 2014
Rev. Jim Craig
All Rights Reserved
Bibliography
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Aland, Kurt, Matthew Black, Carlo M. Martini, Bruce M. Metzger, and Allen Wikgren (eds.). The Greek New Testament, 4th rev. ed. Germany: Biblica-Druck, 1994.
Benner, Jeff A. The Ancient Hebrew Lexicon of the Bible. College Station, Texas: Virtualbookworm.com Publishing Inc., 2005
Bullinger, E. W. Figures of Speech Used in the Bible; Explained an Illustrated. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Book House, 2007.
Chapman, Benjamin. Greek New Testament Insert. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Book House, 1977.
Dana, H. E., and Julius R. Mantey. A Manual of the New Testament. Canada: The Macmillan Company, 1957.
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Wuest, Kenneth S. (Revised, Donald L. Wise). The Practical Use of the Greek New Testament, rev. ed. Chicago, Il: Moody Press, 1982.
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