Direct Observation

Sentence and Paragraph level

Looking at the Small Pieces

What is Observation?
The act or process of noting and recording facts
and events.
In Bible study, observation means

noting and recording

what the student sees
in a careful examination
of the details of the Scripture passage.

The aim is to understand the intended meaning

of the writer.
What can you see by careful observation in the following slide in the
picture that you may not have seen on first glance?

Observation Involves
Carefully Noting
Significant words
Ideas the author is developing
Figures of speech
The writers logic and flow of thought.
Anything you can see, on your own, that
the writer has written.

Skills Needed for Observation

Motivation
Eye for details
Learners curiosity
Discernment
Suspended judgment
Ruthless realism about the facts
Knowing what to look for
Adequate time for reflection

Guidelines
1. Working on paper is a must
2. Hands on observation, not research
this is your own work not referring to
commentaries etc. at this point
3. Look at the structure of the paragraph
4. Use brainstorming rules: write every
detail you see without evaluating them at
this point

Guidelines
5. Do not jump ahead to sermonizing and
miss letting the text speak on its own
6. Expect to develop the recognition factor
as you gain experience
7. Think in terms of the writers intention
rather than your own assumptions as to
the texts meaning

Types of Observations
Main themes
Supporting material
Cause and effect
Progression of thought
Questions, assertions,
exclamations
Comparisons and
contrasts
Correlative structure- ideas
Conditional statements in
the if then pattern
Verb tenses

Reasons, purposes, and

results
Repetitions
Figures of speech
Word pictures*
Assertions carrying the
writers firm convictions
Commands or admonitions
applying theological truths
Theological concepts
Promises from God

LEARN WHAT TO LOOK FOR

To see the text is to observe what information God has put
in a biblical passage. See the details and seek meaning
from those details. Note all possible observations in a text.
1. Look for key terms.
(i.e., the verbs, significant concepts, repetition)
LOOK FOR:
things that are emphasized
things that are repeated
things that are related and how
things that are alike (uses words like as or like)
things that are unlike/unusual (contrasting words
such as but)
things that are true to life

LEARN WHAT TO LOOK FOR

2. Observe relationships
Some kinds of relationships you will observe are:
a. Grammatical relationships - How are words put together in the
text? Basic observations would include relationships between
tenses (past, present, future), number (singular, plural), and gender
(masculine, feminine, neuter).
b. Logical relationships - How are thoughts put together in the
text? How does the author build a case or argument for his point?
Chronological and/or geographical relationships - What are the
times and places that are involved in the text?
c. Contextual relationships - In what context does this text occur?
You will need to take immediate and wider contexts into account.
The context of the Bible
The context of the book
The context of the text

LEARN WHAT TO LOOK FOR

2. Observe relationships (contd)
d. Relationships in genre - Relationships in genre have to do with the
kind of biblical literature in which a passage is found. Here are some
kinds of literature that are found in the Bible.
Teaching - didactic or discourse material like Jesus' sermons or
the epistles.
Narratives - narration of historical events.
Poetry - Psalms, Proverbs, Song of Solomon, and others.
Parables - primarily in the parables of Christ.
Miracles - primarily found in three periods of biblical history
(Moses and Aaron, Elijah and Elisha, the Lord and the
apostles).
Prophetic - futuristic books like sections of Daniel, Ezekiel,
Revelation, and also the major and minor prophets of the
Old Testament.
Apocalyptic - prophetic imagery depicting end-time events.

Four Key Hermeneutical Principles

Paige Patterson
All men interpret any piece of literature that they read. The Bible is no
exception. There are numerous principles of interpretation which enable
interpreters to comprehend the Scriptures more lucidly. These four
hermeneutical principles enable any believer to grasp the major doctrines
of the Bible:
(1) THE PRINCIPLE OF DIVINE ILLUMINATION
The most important of all principles was given by the Lord when He
promised the arrival of the Comforter, the Holy Spirit: But the Helper,
the Holy Spirit . . . will teach you all things (John 14:26). Any believer
who will ask the Author of the Bible to be his personal teacher will
experience astonishing insights into Gods Word.
(2) THE PRINCIPLE OF CONTEXTUAL INTERPRETATION
No verse should be interpreted in isolation from its context. Both the
immediate context and the larger context may need to be carefully
considered.

Four Key Hermeneutical Principles

Paige Patterson
(3) THE PRINCIPLE OF CLARITY
Difficult and apparently ambiguous verses
should always be understood in the light of
the many verses that are perfectly clear.
(4) THE PRINCIPLE OF THE
GRAMMATICAL-HISTORICAL METHOD
Every effort should be made to understand
precisely what the words mean as they are
employed by the authors. The historical
situation which produced the writing must
also be the subject of careful investigation.1