So how should the Bible be read?

People like me are often called Biblical literalists and I am and I don’t mind being called that way.

What does that mean really, people ask?No one thinks you believe the Bible without some metaphor or poetry at all,no one see’s it that way.So how should a truly saved person read the Bible with 66 books(that is what is in most Bibles) in most translations written from the late 14th century BCE to the last book of the New Testament written by 115 CE.So let us talk about this then.

Why don’t we start with the four levels of scriptural interpretation.

Peshat/פשט Which means “simplified” this is the literal word for word meaning,basic face value.

Remez/רמז Meaning “hint” ,this is an allegorical meaning.

Drash/דרש Meaning to “seek or search” and is often comparative to other verses.

Sod/סוד Meaning “secret” this is the esoteric or mystical.

So let us start with the peshat the basic meaning,it is just that the basic meaning in plain text and the basic meaning often goes along with a second deeper meaning.Let us go with.

Exodus 20.7

⁷ “You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.

I’m not sure I love this translation I usually like the NIV ,the Hebrew text sounded more like “Do not take the name of the Lord for vanity ,for he will not be held pure who takes the name of the Lord for vanity.There are three meanings here ok

The basic or peshat:Do use the name of God YHVH/יהוה ,do not enunciate God’s name ,most English speakers say Lord or God or our father and in Hebrew Hashem,Adonai and Hakadosh barukh hu are popular substitutions for the holy name.

The second lesson here I’ll call the drash or seeking meaning:Do use any name used for God in vain,like don’t say God dam@#% or say Jesus Christ with sarcasm or as a swear word.

Now for the remez or allegorical meaning: Here is to not do anything with your life that curses the reputation of God.In Hebrew name also means reputation.Doing things in the name of God that are dishonest or criminal or immoral.Famous TV preachers caught with prostitutes or stealing money for instance.Or a very sad example of the Catholic molestation scandel which brings shame to the reputation of God.In this deeper meaning this third of the ten commandments warns not to mock or belittle God’s good name.

The sod or secret or esoteric:In the Old Testament or Tanakh idol gods are often called baal which is Hebrew for master as not to write or say the name of pagan gods or speak the names of demons.In the esoteric meaning it is also important to speak the names of pagan gods and demons.Satan means accuser or enemy and is not a personal name and other names like for instance beezebub literally means lord of flies and flies were associated with the underworld because flies congregate on dung.So beezlebub or in Hebrew baal-z’vuv is also not a personal name.Do not speak or write the names of evil spirits or pagan gods.Although for Christian missionaries it is ok to read occult books or videos if you are doing it to argue against it and try to stop witchcraft and the occult but never otherwise!

I can not guarantee that someone else might disagree with the relative terminology or use of the term but it shows that one scripture has four valid meanings!

Let us do another peshat comparative.Here is Isaiah 14.12-15

How you have fallen from heaven,
    morning star, son of the dawn!
You have been cast down to the earth,
    you who once laid low the nations!
¹³ You said in your heart,
    “I will ascend to the heavens;
I will raise my throne
    above the stars of God;
I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly,
    on the utmost heights of Mount Zaphon.^[b]
14 I will ascend above the tops of the clouds;
    I will make myself like the Most High.”
¹⁵ But you are brought down to the realm of the dead,
    to the depths of the pit.

From a purely literal and peshat perspective this is a rebuke of the King of Babylon and this was how this was seen and nothing more up until Milton wrote Paradise lost.Then in the sod or secret/esoteric connected this passage with Revelation 12.7-9

Revelation 12.7-9 NIV

⁷ Then war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. ⁸ But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. ⁹ The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.

A esoteric interpretation became popular that the dragon of revelation was a proud angel described in metaphor in Isaiah 14.12

The name Lucifer came from Latin as a translation of the Hebrew “ben shachar” meaning son of the dawn or the planet venus a popular pagan god in ancient times.it is very possible Milton was right and that in a second meaning of an angel who fell from heaven for trying to usurp God.Here again connecting Isaiah with Revelation you have a valid double meaning.

Most modern Christians take for granted that Isaiah here was talking about satan and this esoteric meaning is likely true but originally it was a rebuke of the pride of the King of Babylon in the simple literal or peshat.

So far we have been in the OT but what does our Messiah say about this in Mathew 13.10-13 NIV

¹⁰ The disciples came to him and asked, “Why do you speak to the people in parables?”

¹¹ He replied, “Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. ¹² Whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. ¹³ This is why I speak to them in parables:

So Jesus here clearly says that scripture has layered meanings and let’s now talk about some examples in the Apostolic writings.

Here is the parable of the fig tree in Mark 11.12-14

¹² The next day as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry. ¹³ Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to find out if it had any fruit. When he reached it, he found nothing but leaves, because it was not the season for figs. ¹⁴ Then he said to the tree, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard him say it.

This one has baffled people for a long time and there are a lot of views on this and we will discuss that.In this difficult one it’s hard to what is the peshat or remez or sod,this parable is esoteric in general.

One meaning is that for those not saved it is normal to only do certain things in their season but for those who live by faith and spirit all things can be possible.He is in a remez allegory is cursing sinners who only have good results in their lives in the season but have no fruits of grace!

Another meaning is that God has absolute authority over nature and desires that we created in God’s image ,God want us to subdue nature also.Not to abuse nature but to rule over nature as was God’s plan for Adam and Chavah in Eden.But Adam and Eve rebelled and ruined that plan.

Here is another rare and maybe the sod on this.This parable speaks of the coming of the Messiah Jesus of Notzrat(Nazereth) has resolved the Temple sacrifice by his coming and death and resurrection bring salvation to all.

By cursing the fig tree not not bearing fruit even out of season,to say the Beit Mikdash ,the Holy of Holies ,the Temple is now out of season with Christs coming and not bearing fruit in season or out.So it is a sign of the Temple in Jerusalem no longer being in it’s season.And of course within decades of the death and resurrection of Yeshua(Jesus) the Romans destroyed the second Temple in CE 70 on the 9th of Av or tisha B’Av under general Titus.It is sort of a which came first the chicken or the egg.Was the Temple irrelavent because jesus came or did Jesus come then because he knew the Temple would fall to Rome soon.Perhaps both are true.

Here is another interesting thing and I know this is controversial.Is did the Bible predict the holocaust?And we are not talking about Jacob’s trouble,Jacob’s trouble happens in the very last days and is worse than the events od the second WW.In Ezekiel 38.9 the word shoah is used or actually the word “ka’shoah” was used meaning “like or as a shoah”.But is this a reference to the Shoah of modern times ,well,we will discuss this.

The word holocaust is never used in any English Bible but I found the word “shoah/שואה” three times in Hebrew.Ezekiel 38.9 seems to use the oldest meaning of the word what I believe is the words origin,that is “storm cloud”.Also to note that Proverbs 1:27 also uses shoah as meaning storm cloud but I will say that in the times the word was used as storm it was used in a context of great destruction.I still feel there is a possibility that the ancient semitic origin of the word was storm,possible a storm of great destruction.

In Psalm 35:8 and Zephaniah 1:15 it is used to mean destruction or desolation and this definition continued until modern times.As the word evolved from medieval to modern times it went from destruction to catastrophe or calamity and now the word Shoah is almost exclusively means the WW2 Holocaust of the Jews.Obviously in the literal, the word shoah in the Bible was not talking about WW2 but it may have been in the deeper esoteric meaning.I cannot prove that but maybe just maybe.

I hope this article sheds light not just on the accuracy of the literal meaning of scripture but it’s deeper meanings as well.

Best wishes and God Bless all!