Table of Contents

Contents Foreword ...9 Acknowledgments...11 Preface to the Second Edition...12 Preface to the First Edition...13 PART 1: How to Read the Book--Basic Tools 1. The Interpretive Journey...19 2. How to Read the Book--Sentences...28 3. How to Read the Book--Paragraphs...45 4. How to Read the Book--Discourses...65 PART 2: Contexts--Now and Then 5. What Do We Bring to the Text?...87 6. The Historical-Cultural Context...98 7. The Literary Context...119 8. Word Studies...132 9. Bible Translations...157 PART 3: Meaning and Application 10. Who Controls the Meaning?...175 11. Levels of Meaning...184 12. The Role of the Holy Spirit...205 13. Application...213 7 PART 4: The Interpretive Journey--New Testament 14. New Testament--Letters...227 15. New Testament--Gospels...244 16. New Testament--Acts...265 17. New Testament--Revelation...282 PART 5: The Interpretive Journey--Old Testament 18. Old Testament--Narrative...305 19. Old Testament--Law...328 20. Old Testament--Poetry...346 21. Old Testament--Prophets...368 22. Old Testament--Wisdom...388 Appendix 1: Inspiration and Canon...409 Appendix 2: Writing an Exegetical Paper...421 Appendix 3: Building a Personal Library...425 Scripture Index...451 Subject Index...457

About the Author

Scott Duvall (PhD. Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary) is dean of the Pruet School of Christian Studies and professor of New Testament at Ouachita Baptist University. He is the coauthor with George H. Guthrie of Biblical Greek Exegesis: A Graded Approach to Learning Intermediate and Advanced Greek and with Terry G. Carter and J. Daniel Hays of the textbook Preaching God's Word: A Hands on Approach to Preparing, Developing and Delivering the Sermon. J. Daniel Hays ( PhD, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary) is the Elma Cobb Professor of Biblical Studies and chair of the Department of Biblical Studies at Ouachita Baptist University, where his educational specialty is Old Testament and biblical interpretation. He has published articles in Bible Review and Bibliotheca Sacra, as well as in the Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible.