Technically, what is interpretation?

[tonychanyt]

I define interpretation in a broad sense. Given some text on a piece of paper, how does one understand what it says in his head?

Let F1 be a math function to capture the process of interpretation.

What is the input to F1? What is the output?

I understand the meaning of a text by manipulating some neural networks in my brain. I create my own subjective mental representation of the physical objective text on the paper. This process of manipulating existing neural networks and creating new neural networks in my brain is called interpretation. In this case, it is textual interpretation. Without this interpretation process, we cannot read and understand any text. This is the mechanical process of interpretation that is happening in our brains. An interpretation is an assignment of meaning to the symbols.

In the special case of Bible interpretation, the discipline is called hermeneutics. See my hermeneutics.

There is another sense of interpretation when a person interprets something for another person. Joseph Interpreted Pharaoh’s dreams in Gen 41:15. Someone spoke in tongues and someone interpreted (1 Corinthians 14:27).

On the road to Emmaus, Jesus talked to two men in Lk 24:

27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.

Strong's Greek: 1329. διερμηνεύω (dierméneuó) — 6 Occurrences

BDAG:
① to translate from one language to another
② to clarify someth. so as to make it understandable, explain, interpret

With this technical definition of interpret, We understand texts and spoken words in our brains through the process of interpretation. This is the computer science definition.

Is the bible up for interpretation?

Yes, by this technical definition of interpretation.

See also

• No prophecy of Scripture COMES from someone’s own interpretation

 

[AlexB23]

I define interpretation in a broad sense. Given some text on a piece of paper, how does one understand what it says in his head?
Let I1 be a math function to capture the process of interpretation.
What is the input to I1? What is the output?
I understand the meaning of a text by manipulating some neural networks in my brain. I create my own subjective mental representation of the physical objective text on the paper. This process of manipulating existing neural networks and creating new neural networks in my brain is called interpretation. In this case, it is textual interpretation. Without this interpretation process, we cannot read and understand any text. This is the mechanical process of interpretation that is happening in our brains. An interpretation is an assignment of meaning to the symbols.

Well, for interpreting math, let us use an example, say f(x) = -1/3x+2.

An interpretation of this function f(x) could be in a table.

Another interpretation of f(x) could be in a graph, as below.

For Bible analysis, the interpretation could be literal, metaphorical (or with an analogy) and societal or self reflection. An example of a Bible analysis is shown below.

Color coded:
Green = Literal
Scarlet = Analogy
Blue = Societal
Purple = Self-reflection

Date	May 4, 2024
Verse	Titus 3:1-11 (NIV): "Remind them to be subject to rulers and authorities, to obey, to be ready for every good work, to speak evil of no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing all humility to all men. For we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another. But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. This is a faithful saying, and these things I want you to affirm constantly, that those who have believed in God should be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable to men. But avoid foolish disputes, genealogies, contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and useless. Reject a divisive man after the first and second admonition, knowing that such a person is warped and sinning, being self-condemned."
Explanation	Titus 3:1-11 is a passage from the New Testament book of Titus, written by the apostle Paul to encourage the early Christian community in Crete to live in harmony with the non-believers in their society and with each other. The passage emphasizes the importance of being obedient to authorities, doing good works, speaking evil of no one, and maintaining peace and humility. Now, let's use a Star Wars analogy to help illustrate this concept. In the Star Wars universe, the Galactic Empire can be seen as an authority figure, representing the governing body with rules and regulations that must be obeyed. As believers in Christ, we are called to be good citizens of the world around us, just as the New Republic in Star Wars sought to bring peace and justice to the galaxy by signing a peace treaty in 5 ABY (The Galactic Concordance) with the last remnants of the Empire.
Societal Relevance	This passage is still relevant to us in modern society as we continue to live in a world with various forms of authority, from government leaders to employers and community rules. The passage calls us to respect and obey these authorities, while also striving to do good works and spreading ethical Christian teachings. To avoid contentions and still help spread ethical Christian teachings, we can follow the example of Christ and practice love, humility, and peace. We can engage in respectful dialogue with those who hold different viewpoints, seeking to understand their perspectives while also sharing our own. We can also focus on the common ground we share as human beings, rather than our differences. By living out the teachings of Jesus, we can be a positive influence in our communities and help bring about positive change. Additionally, we can avoid getting drawn into divisive disputes, unfounded speculations, and wars about the law. Instead, we can focus on the essential teachings of the Christian faith and seek to live them out in our daily lives. By doing so, we can help bring unity and harmony, even in the face of disagreements and differences. In my life, it has been difficult for me to make compromises, until recently, where I have learned how to accept other’s viewpoints better. For instance, on Christian Forums, a wonderful guy by the pseudonym of @Vambram has more of a conservative ideology compared to my own. However, he and I found common ground in the politics sub-forum, as we both are pro-life (except when mother and fetus are both at risk of dying), we both enjoy Star Trek (as his profile includes the Federation ship, the USS Defiant in the background of his avatar), and we both support environmental stewardship as long as it does not come at the expense of other people or involve exploitative practices.

 

[tonychanyt]

For Bible analysis, the interpretation could be literal, metaphorical (or with an analogy) and societal or self reflection.

Check out A Disciplined Probabilistic Approach to Biblical Hermeneutics

 

[AlexB23]

Check out A Disciplined Probabilistic Approach to Biblical Hermeneutics

I do not deal in probabilities for Christianity (the Bible is not a poker game), I deal in literal, metaphorical/analogies, societal and self-reflections when it comes to analyzing scripture. God bless though.

 

[awstar]

I create my own subjective mental representation of the physical objective text on the paper. This process of manipulating existing neural networks and creating new neural networks in my brain is called interpretation. In this case, it is textual interpretation. Without this interpretation process, we cannot read and understand any text. This is the mechanical process of interpretation that is happening in our brains. An interpretation is an assignment of meaning to the symbols.

Warner Gitt would call "interpretation": semantics (meaning)

Information Science definition

 

[tonychanyt]

I do not deal in probabilities for Christianity (the Bible is not a poker game)

Who says the Bible is a poker game?

 

[tonychanyt]

Warner Gitt would call "interpretation": semantics (meaning)

Information Science definition

Thanks for the reference. This is how to do referencing and quotation in a scholarly manner:

1. Display and indent the relevant text.
2. Selectively bold the particular keywords that are important to your point. There is no need to bold the entire sentence. Have a laser-sharp focus.
3. Be concise and precise to the point. No need to quote the whole paragraph.

I do this for others who read my posts. It is a standard high-school scholarship. If you practice this, I guarantee it will sharpen your analytical thinking. In any case, no one is required to do it.

 

[awstar]

Thanks for the reference. This is how to do referencing and quotation in a scholarly manner:

1. Display and indent the relevant text.
2. Selectively bold the particular keywords that are important to your point. There is no need to bold the entire sentence. Have a laser-sharp focus.
3. Be concise and precise to the point. No need to quote the whole paragraph.

I do this for others who read my posts. It is a standard high-school scholarship. If you practice this, I guarantee it will sharpen your analytical thinking. In any case, no one is required to do it.

Thanks for the tip. Meaning is the responsibility of both sender and receiver. Deeper in the book is this paragraph. Is your definition of interpretation only considering the comprehension process of the recipient?

Every communication process between sender and recipient consists of formulating and understanding the sememes (Greek sema = sign) in one and the same language. In the formulation process, the information to be transmitted is generated in a suitable language in the mind of the sender. In the comprehension process, the symbol combinations are analyzed by the recipient and converted into the corresponding ideas. It is universally accepted that the sender and the recipient are both intelligent beings, or that a particular system must have been created by an intelligent being (Figures 23 and 24, chapter 7).

 

[AlexB23]

Who says the Bible is a poker game?

No comment.

 

[tonychanyt]

Is your definition of interpretation only considering the comprehension process of the recipient?

Yes. The process of interpretation and the process of communication are two distinct processes technically.

 

[tonychanyt]

I do not deal in probabilities for Christianity

See Did Samuel appear to Saul in En-dor? and follow up there

 

[AlexB23]

See Did Samuel appear to Saul in En-dor? and follow up there

Nah. Don't feel like following up there. I posted a joke there, and left, cos those types of nuances do not apply to life. God bless, though.

 

[Aaron112]

Meaning is the responsibility of both sender and receiver.

Do you believe or know or think
that
God Himself Knows What God Means When He Speaks ? ....

the followup is , should someone God speaks to believe God, or not ?

 

[tonychanyt]

Nah. Don't feel like following up there. I posted a joke there, and left, cos those types of nuances do not apply to life. God bless, though.

Do you use the word "probably" in your Bible discussion?

 

[AlexB23]

Do you use the word "probably" in your Bible discussion?

Sometimes, but I do not assign a weight to it.

 

[tonychanyt]

Sometimes, but I do not assign a weight to it.

Then you are thinking about some interpretation probabilistically. It is called subjective probability.

 

[AlexB23]

Then you are thinking about some interpretation probabilistically. It is called subjective probability.

Ok, not every way of thinking has to be put in a box. Anyways, leave me be. I'm watching a rocket launch right now.

 

[awstar]

Do you believe or know or think
that
God Himself Knows What God Means When He Speaks ? ....

the followup is , should someone God speaks to believe God, or not ?

I both think and believe that God Knows What God Means When He Speaks.
Are you asking if “God Himself [Only?] Knows” ??

the followup is , should someone God speaks to believe God, or not ?

Does Jesus’ words “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.” apply here?

How do your questions relate to the technical definition of interpretation?

 

[awstar]

Yes. The process of interpretation and the process of communication are two distinct processes technically.

What I was hoping to point out was that Werner Gitt’s description of “meaning” is one of five layers of information and your technical definition of interpretation is in the third layer ( semantics or meaning). In your opening post you mentioned your brain’s “neural networks” and the "physical objective text on paper". Both of these are in the first and second layer. How the information is stored and sent physically and what language and the rules of grammar need to be used to code and uncode the signals received from the squiggles written on the piece of paper. (i’m curious as to what language and grammar rules your mind uses when it stores your thoughts in your brain.) So if Gitt has an accurate model of the communication of information, then the process of interpretation isn’t distinct from the process of communication, it’s an integral part of the process -- but not a stand-alone part.

 

[Aaron112]

How do your questions relate to the technical definition of interpretation?

If Jesus tells you "go right", which way will you go ?

If a dozen men then tell you - no no no - that's not what Jesus means .... instead listen to us and we will tell you .......