Learning Advisor Service: Writing an Exegesis

Step 2: Analyse the Language

• In what language was the text written?
• Are you rereading the original language or looking at a translation?
• How are various translations different?
• Do some words/phrases seem significant to you?
• Are there any intertextuality elements present?
• Are the words meant to be read literally or not?
• Have you taken advantage of the resources of Logos, particularly that of the Theological Dictionary of the New Testament? This is an important tool to use in accessing the meaning of the original language of the text.

Step 3: Analyse the Literary Elements

• What rhetorical devices are being used?
• What is the structural form—for example, is the passage a narrative or a dialogue?
• What genre does your passage sit within—for example, is it prose, poetry, an epistle, a parable, or a psalm?

Step 4: Consult Scholarly Writing

• What do experts in this field say about your passage?
• Journals like Journal of Biblical Literature and New Testament Studies, and Bible commentaries will be helpful in expanding your knowledge.

Introduction 

(5% of word count)

Your introduction is a brief guide to your paper and should explain:

• the context/focus of your exegesis;
• the key areas to be covered (and in what order);
• and your thesis statement—the central claim about what your Bible passage means.

Contextual Analysis

(20% of word count)

The contextual analysis of your paper should be covered into two main parts—the historical context of your Bible passage and the broad literary context of your Bible passage.

Detailed Linguistic Analysis

(50% of word count)

This section is the most significant part of your paper and it will generally make up half of your exegesis. Here you should provide a detailed verse-by-verse analysis of your passage by including word studies, and an analysis of the form of your passage.

Theology

(20% of word count)

Now that you have analysed what the Bible passage means through contextual and detailed linguistic analyses, use this section of your paper to develop the theology of your passage with regard to the rest of the Bible. It may be helpful to include a comparison to both the Old and New Testaments.

Conclusion

(5% of word count)

Don’t be tempted to rush your conclusion. Keep in mind that it is the last part of your paper to be read before it is marked. In your conclusion you should:

• draw together the main points you have made in the body of your paper, without introducing any new ideas.
• restate your thesis statement.
• look at your conclusion as an opportunity to make a final, good impression on your reader.

Bibliography

An accurately referenced and formatted bibliography is a critical part of your paper. Make sure you format according to the referencing style guide preferred by your discipline.

Literary Context

The literary context of a Bible passage looks at the structure of the passage. You should consider the following:

Structure

• What marks the passage out as a distinct unit from the material around—in other words, why do you begin and end the exegesis where you do?
• How does the passage fit in with the rest of the particular book of the Bible?
• What is the internal structure of the passage?
• How is the passage divided up and what is the relationship between the parts?
• Look out for clues such as a change of time/scene, a change of speaker, a change of grammatical subject, and a change of voice (first-person, second-person or third-person).
• Rhetorical questions may indicate a significant shift in argumentation and therefore point to conclusion of one section or beginning of next.

Genre

What genre would you consider the passage to be? At the most basic level, is the passage poetry or prose? If the passage is prose, it is important to note that Hebrew poetry emphasises parallelism or rhyming ideas more than rhyming sounds.

Figures of Speech

Are there any figures of speech present in your passage?

Linguistic Context

A crucial part of exegesis is analysing the meaning of individual words and phrases within the passage. When analysing the linguistic context you should:

• identify the original language of the text;
• identify the range of meanings of key words in the original language;
• consider whether you are reading the original language or looking at a translation;
• consider how the different translations vary;
• use analytical concordances, theological dictionaries, lexicons, and indexes to lexicons to help you understand what you are reading;
• focus on uncommon words and words that reoccur throughout the passage;
• identify words/phrases that seem significant to you;
• consider the syntax (the grammatical relationship between words) of the original language;
• identify any intertextuality elements present—either through direct quotation or indirect allusions;
• and consider whether the words are meant to be read literally or not.