Recommended: Hermeneutics & Exegesis

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Interpreting Scripture is both a sacred responsibility and a deep joy. God’s Word is inspired, sufficient, and clear, but that doesn’t mean it is always simple. We need care, humility, and the guidance of the Spirit to rightly handle the word of truth (2 Tim. 2:15). Hermeneutics is about learning how to read the Bible faithfully; exegesis is about putting those principles into practice. Both are essential if we want to hear God’s voice in Scripture and proclaim it with accuracy and conviction.

These books have been especially helpful in equipping believers to read the Bible well. They avoid both wooden literalism and unmoored speculation, aiming instead for Spirit-filled interpretation rooted in the text, attentive to context, and centered on Christ.

Grasping God’s Word – J. Scott Duvall & J. Daniel Hays
Probably the most widely used evangelical introduction to hermeneutics. Clear, accessible, and practical, it teaches readers how to cross the “bridge” from the original context to today.

40 Questions About Interpreting the Bible – Robert L. Plummer
Structured around common questions, this book is biblically faithful, concise, and accessible. A great resource for both students and lay readers who want to sharpen their interpretive skills.

Expositional Preaching – David Helm
A short and practical guide showing how faithful exegesis leads to faithful proclamation. Helm offers simple but profound tools for moving from text to sermon while keeping Scripture central.

Scripture Alone – R.C. Sproul
Sproul’s classic defense of sola Scriptura lays the theological foundation for why and how we read the Bible as our final authority. Essential for grounding hermeneutics in the Reformation conviction of Scripture’s sufficiency.

Exegetical Fallacies – D.A. Carson
A classic warning manual. Carson catalogs common mistakes interpreters make with words, grammar, and context. Indispensable for pastors and students who want to avoid careless errors.

The Hermeneutical Spiral – Grant R. Osborne
A standard evangelical text on the process of interpretation. Osborne describes how we move in a “spiral” between text and context toward a deeper understanding of Scripture. More technical but deeply useful.

Invitation to Biblical Interpretation – Andreas J. Köstenberger & Richard Patterson
A comprehensive treatment of hermeneutics, covering everything from biblical languages to literary genres. Written from a conservative, evangelical perspective, it’s demanding but thorough.

Preaching and Preachers – Martyn Lloyd-Jones
Not a hermeneutics manual in the technical sense, but a passionate defense of expository preaching. Lloyd-Jones models the kind of reverence, seriousness, and Spirit-dependence that should mark all who handle the Word.

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