A Tool to Navigate Difficult Texts

There are times when you find yourself in a difficult situation and you need to rely on tools to find your way out. This is true even in the world of Bible translation and interpretation. It is helpful, necessary even, to have the right tools to guide you through a difficult passage. That’s where a resource like the Exegetical Summary Series by the Summer Institute of Linguistics can really come to your aid. In this post, we want to share how you can use the Exegetical Summary Series in the Olive Tree app as you prepare for teaching, preaching, translating, or interpreting the Bible.

What is the Exegetical Summary Series?

The Exegetical Summary Series is a collection of volumes covering the whole New Testament and a couple Old Testament books by linguistic specialists that summarizes important details of exegesis for a thorough studying of the biblical text. The exegesis focuses on translation, the meaning of terms, grammatical and discourse structure, and questions that arise from these details in the interpretation of the text.   

The material for each volume is presented first by discourse unit, an original translation of the phrase, the lexicon meanings for key Hebrew or Greek words in the phrase, and questions arising from the grammatical structure of the phrase. Throughout each of these sections, reference is made to the corresponding translation, lexicon, or commentary volume containing the material referenced.

What Can You Expect from the Exegetical Summary Series?

We’d like to provide a little sample of what you can expect from this unique and helpful tool. Here’s an excerpt from the Exegetical Summary Series on Colossians 1:15, which reads, “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation,” in the ESV.

Discourse Unit

Translation

1:15 who is (the) image^a of-the invisible/unknown^b God, (the) firstborn^c of-all creation,^d

Lexicon

1. εἰκών (LN 58.35; 58.61) (BAGD 1.b. p. 222): ‘image’ [BAGD, Herm, Lns, NIC, NTC, WBC; KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NJB, NRSV, REB], ‘likeness’ [BAGD, LN (58.35)], ‘representation’ [LN (58.61)], ‘visible likeness’ [TEV], ‘visible image’ [NLT]. The clause ὃς ἐστιν εἰκὼν τοῦ θεοῦ ‘who is the image of God’ is translated ‘He in his own person shows us what God is like’ [TNT], ‘is exactly like God’ [CEV], ‘he reveals perfectly what God is like’ [SSA]. This word includes a likeness, a representation and a revealing [EG, Lt, SSA], a likeness in an essential characteristic or attribute [ICC], a visible [Ea, EG, My], exact and perfect representation in every detail [Ea]. The word itself does not indicate perfect resemblance [ICC, Lt], nor does it necessarily indicate visibility [Lg]. See this word at 3:10.
2. ἀόρατος (LN 24.4) (BAGD p. 79): ‘invisible’ [BAGD, Herm, LN, Lns, NIC, NTC, WBC; all versions except CEV, NJB, TNT], ‘unseen’ [BAGD; NJB, TNT], ‘what cannot be seen’ [LN], ‘who cannot be seen’ [SSA; CEV].
3. πρωτότοκος (LN 10.43; 13.79; 87.47) (BAGD 2.a. p. 726): ‘firstborn’ [BAGD, Herm, LN (10.43), Lns, NIC, NTC, WBC; CEV, KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NJB, NRSV], ‘existing first’ [LN (13.79)], ‘existing before’ [LN (13.79)], ‘superior to’ [LN (87.47)]. This noun is also translated as a verb phrase: ‘to take precedence’ [TNT], ‘to rank above’ [SSA]; as a noun phrase followed by an adjective: ‘first-born Son, superior’ [TEV]; by a clause: ‘his is the primacy’ [REB], ‘he existed before God made anything at all and is supreme’ [NLT].
4. κτίσις (LN 1.4; 42.38) (BAGD 1.b.α. p. 455): ‘creation’ [Herm, LN, Lns, NIC, WBC; CEV, NASB, NIV, NJB, NLT, NRSV, REB], ‘creature’ [BAGD, LN (42.38), NTC; KJV, NAB], ‘created thing’ [BAGD; TEV], ‘what was made’ [LN (1.4)], ‘what has been created’ [LN (42.38)], ‘which has been created’ [SSA], ‘created universe’ [TNT], ‘universe’ [LN (1.4)].

QUESTION—How is this verse related to the preceding?

1. After stating in 1:14 what we have because of Christ, Paul now describes Christ [Alf, Herm, Lns, My, NIC], who he is [Alf, Lns, My] and his rank [Lns, My, NIC] and work [Lns].
2. It is the reason for 1:14 [Ea]: through him we are redeemed and our sins are forgiven, because he is the image of the invisible God.

QUESTION—To what time does ὅς ἐστιν εἰκὼν τοῦ θεοῦ τοῦ ἀοράτου ‘who is the image of the invisible God’ refer?

1. It refers to the present time, to Christ in his glorified state [Alf, EGT, ICC, Lg, My, TNTC],
2. It refers to all eternity [BAGD, Lns, Lt, NTC, WBC], to what Jesus is and always has been and not only to his time here on earth, in that his being the image of God was already a reality before the world was created [Lns],
3. It refers to the time when Christ was here on earth [Mrt, NIC, TH],
4. The main reference is to when Christ was here on earth and to his present work at God’s right hand, but it also includes his creation of the universe and preservation of it [Ea],

QUESTION—What is meant by αὀράτου ‘invisible/unknown’?

1. It means something which has never been seen [EG, NTC] and cannot be seen [Ea, EG, SSA, TH]. It means physically invisible [Mrt, SSA]. God is invisible because he is spirit; he is not of a material substance [Mrt].
2. It means unable to be known [EGT],
3. It means both physically invisible and unable to be known [Alf, Lt].

QUESTION—What is meant by εἰκὼν τοῦ θεοῦ τοῦ ἀοράτου ‘image of the invisible/unknown God’?

It means that Jesus represents God visibly [Alf, Ea, EG, ICC, Lns, Mrt, My, NIC, NTC, SSA, TH, WBC; NLT, TEV] and exactly [Ea, EG, Mou, Mrt, My, NIC, SSA, TNTC, WBC] to people [NTC, TH], to believers [EGT, Lns, Mrt]. It means that he is God [Ea, Herm, Lg, Lns, Mrt, My, NTC, TNTC] and that he reveals God to us, by virtue of which we see the invisible God [Ea, ICC, Lg, Lns, Mou, Mrt, My, NIC, NTC, WBC]. It means that Jesus is the revelation of God, that he makes God known [Herm, Lt], and it refers to the fact that Jesus is sovereign [Herm]. Because Jesus is the eternal Son of God he is God, and as such he makes God and God’s majesty visible to us by means of our faith [Lns]. He reveals the nature of God, that about God which is invisible [Alf, NIC]. He is so much like the Father that he makes the Father known to Christians [EGT]. We can see God to a certain extent in nature and in people, who are created in his image, but it is only in Jesus that we see God perfectly [Mou]. At the second coming the whole world will see Jesus’ visible revealing of God’s majesty [My].

QUESTION—What is meant by πρωτότοκος ‘firstborn’?

It was a title of the Messiah [ICC, Lt, NIC, SSA, TNTC]. It means that Jesus is the eternal Son of God and thus is God [Lns] and not a created being [EG, Lns]. It does not refer to Jesus’ birth as a human being [Alf, TH], but to his relation to God as the eternal Son of God and his heir [TH]. ‘Image of the invisible God’ refers to Christ’s relation to God, and ‘firstborn of all creation’ to his relation to the creation [Lg, Lt, My, WBC].

QUESTION—What is meant by πάσης κτίσεως ‘all creation’?

1. It means all creatures [BAGD, EGT, Lns, My, NTC; KJV, NAB], all created things [BAGD, EGT, ICC, SSA; TEV], including the new creation [SSA], every kind of creature, angels and people [Lg].
2. It means creation as a whole [Alf, Ea, Lt; TNT], the universe [Ea, Mou],

QUESTION—What is meant by πρωτότοκος πάσης κτίσεως ‘firstborn of all creation’?

1. It means that Jesus ranks above all creation [Ea, EGT, Herm, Lns, SSA; REB] and is its Lord [Herm], in that he existed before creation and it was through him that all things were created [Herm]. God the Father has given the rulership of the universe to Jesus and all of our dealings are with him as the Father’s representative [Ea]. He is Lord and ruler [Ea, EGT].
2. It means that Jesus existed before anything was created [ICC, Lg, My]. He is higher than creation [My],
3. It means both that Jesus ranks above all creation and that he existed before all creation [Alf, EG, Lt, Mou, Mrt, NIC, NTC, TH, TNTC, WBC; NLT]. He is distinct from creation [Lt, Mou, NIC, NTC, TH, WBC] and it was through him that all things were created [Lt, Mou, NIC, NTC]. He is the Lord of creation [Lt, NIC, WBC]. He is heir of all things and ruler of all things [Lt, NIC, NTC].

How Should You Use the Exegetical Summary Series?

From the sample provided above, you can see how the information provided for just one phrase in Colossians can really help you grasp how biblical scholars interpret this phrase, from the translation and meaning of important terms to the questions arising from the grammar and syntax. So, how should you put such a tool like this to use? We recommend using the Exegetical Summary Series in the following ways.

1. Use the Exegetical Summary Series in your own exegesis.

From the simple translation to the definitions of key terms to the questions of grammar, syntax, and interpretation, these volumes can assist you in clarifying the relationship of the key components that contribute to the overall meaning of the passage.

2. Use the Exegetical Summary Series to check your exegesis.

“If it’s new, then it’s not true” has been a hermeneutical cliché for a long time. It helps remind the interpreter that novel interpretations are unlikely, therefore, if you’ve arrived at an interpretation that no one has ever had, then it’s safe to assume that there’s a flaw in your exegetical process. A tool like the Exegetical Summary Series can help you check your work and give you confidence in knowing and sharing what God has actually said.

3. Use the Exegetical Summary Series to dig deeper into the text.

Each of these volumes builds on a remarkable amount of research in consulting the numerous sources referenced and in summarizing that information in an accessible format. The information provided points you to the source in order for you to dig deeper into those sources to understand how those authors came to their own conclusions.

Get the Exegetical Summary Series for the Olive Tree App

The Exegetical Summary Series is a highly recommended resource for anyone engaged in rigorous Bible translation or interpretation. While you’ll still need to put in the required hard work, this tool can help guide you to additional resources for further study and provide possible options for interpreting challenging passages. Start putting this tool to use today by purchasing it from our store through the link below!