Helping Your Hermeneutic: Concentric Circles of Context (3 Min Read)
We continue this endeavor with a singular goal: to know God better so that we may worship him more fully.
Concentric Circles of Context
The content I present today is not original. The first time I read about the concept of concentric circles was in 2013 in an ESV Study Bible. I read about the concept again later that year in a book titled Journey into God’s Word by J. Scott Duvall and J. Daniel Hays. The word concentric means “to have a common center.” Picture, if you will, a small circle within a larger circle. Now that you have two circles, add a third circle around them. Here is what you get:
Concentric Circles of Context
As you noticed, I took the liberty to put the words: verse, chapter, book, and testament within the circles. Here, the Concentric Circles of Context provide the reader with a visual strategy for reading a particular verse or passage within its biblical context. The words can be interchangeable if the sequence progresses from the smallest unit to the largest unit. For example, we could replace “verse” with “word” or “phrase” and extrapolate the circle outward from there.
Personally, when studying a verse in context, I usually begin starting in the middle (with the word, verse, or verses), read that verse’s entire chapter, and work my way out to read the whole book starting at the book’s first chapter. Then, I go back to read the original chapter and work my way back into the middle circle, taking special note of the original verse. In my mind’s eye, I picture myself traveling from the middle circle to the outer ring and back again. I rely on my yearly Bible reading to help me understand the given Testament’s context, so there is no pressure to read the entire Old or New Testament at once to understand a singular word or verse. Regarding the concept of reading within the context of a given Testament, one important aspect to remember is that when you read the Gospels, before the inauguration of the New Covenant, the Old Testament’s moral, civil, and ceremonial laws are still binding for the Jews. So, just because Matthew 1 is in the New Testament, much of the Old Testament practices are normative for the Jews.
A great way to start practicing this technique is by choosing a shorter book of the Bible. For example, pick a verse from Jude – let’s say verse 20, read that verse, and then read the entire book. How does the immediate context around the verse provide meaning and insight for understanding verse 20 better?
There are more ways than the concentric circles to think about hermeneutical approaches but for me, they provide useful structure and direction for keeping my Bible study time efficient and on track. Next time together, we will discuss the concept of authorial intent.
God is faithful.
