How do I interpret the Bible literally?
Ilocano Bible comics published by the Philippine bible Society. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Let the rivers clap their hands, let the mountains sing together for joy. [ Psalm 98:8] You don’t interpret the Bible literally, do you?” The way this question is phrased assumes that surely I, as an educated Bible scholar, could not possibly be so ignorant as to take the Bible literally. Now, I’m just mischievous enough to answer, “Of course I do.” I say it as if obviously anybody who knows anything will interpret the Bible literally. I go on to explain what this business of interpreting the Bible is all about. Literal interpretation means interpreting according to the “letter.” What does the text actually say? We should be seeking the plain sense of the meaning of the text when we come to the Bible. We are to interpret the Bible according to its letters and its literature, according to the way it is actually written. Sometimes people think, because the Bible is the Word of Go...