Biblical Interpretation vs. "My Interpretation"- What's the Difference?
One thing I want to get straight before anything else here: biblical interpretation itself isn't the problem here. People have been doing this work for centuries — digging into ancient texts, translating what the writers actually meant, then finding a way to make that meaning clear for readers today. What I'm explaining here (or at least attempting to) is more delicate than that, so stick with me while I work through it.
Language Doesn't Sit Still Anymore
We’re in an era of unprecedented, rapid change. I see it, and I know we’ve all seen it. Language experts around the world are saying the same thing: that language has been shifting at an accelerated rate over the last five to ten years. Words are getting redefined almost daily, euphemisms are replacing traditional terms, and political parties are also adding to this by reframing narratives. Meanings are shifting faster than our dictionaries can keep up with.
Earlier this year, I wrote about how the word discernment has been getting redefined in real time, plucked out of its spiritual context and repurposed for politics, media, and casual conversation. It's a word that once held deep meaning in my faith but now holds diluted meaning. I'm seeing something strange happen with the word interpretation now, too.
Words don't drift in isolation. Once one gets stretched, it tends to open the door for others nearby to follow. That's exactly what I've started noticing with interpretation.
In my day-to-day life, I realized I don't actually think with that term in my head when it comes to Bible study or belief. It's not an option my mind reaches for, the way it seems to be for a lot of people these days. When it comes to Scripture, I see one thing: what does Scripture say? I do not see my interpretation of Scripture.
For me, Scripture is just that - Scripture, a vast majority of it clear, explicit, and difficult to misread. Even the metaphorical, or poetic parts are making a point that’s hard to miss, even if it takes some sorting out to see exactly what. Take the locusts in Revelation 9, for example; they could represent several different things or be a literal type of odd insect. Either way, one thing is clear from the text. They are unsettling, tormenting, and you don't want to be on the wrong side of God.
Sorting Out What's Legitimate
Rationally, I know plenty of what I believe is considered an interpretation of Scripture, so this isn’t about rejecting interpretation itself, as I stated before. Because Scripture itself makes room for two kinds: hermeneia, tied to tongues and prophecy, and diermeneuo, the kind Jesus practiced in Luke 24 (explaining what the text actually says.)
That I do not argue with. What I’m pushing back on is this third, self-appointed kind that’s crept into our conversations. Sometimes it shows up as a stand-in for a personal preference, where “my interpretation” means whatever someone wants the text to mean to them.
Other times it’s a convenient dodge. A way that lets a person walk away from a conversation without actually having to engage with the Scripture, or sit with that question that doesn’t have an easy answer. Either way, it’s slowly turning into an excuse word. “My interpretation” is starting to become “what I want the Bible to say, and I don’t care what you or God thinks,” and is slowly replacing “What does the Bible say?” That’s the line I’m drawing here.
Here's what this comes down to: read it, study it, obey it. I'm not writing this to be the interpretation police. I just keep running into this pattern everywhere lately, and it felt worth naming. When "what does Scripture say" gets replaced by "what's my interpretation," something is wrong. Scripture stops sitting under God's authority and starts sitting under ours instead. That's the whole point I've been trying to work out here, even if it took me a while to find the words for it.
© 2026 Jane Isley
Want more content like this? Explore more articles in Digging into Scripture.
Recommended Reads:
The Very Basics of Reading the Bible — For anyone still on the fence about opening a Bible for the first time: what's in it, which translation to pick, and where to start.
Critically Thinking through The Bible: Staying Rooted in Truth — A look at how applying honest reasoning to Scripture strengthens its case rather than weakening it, and why reading it for yourself matters more than secondhand opinions.
Sources:
“Interpretation.” Encyclopedia of the Bible, Bible Gateway.
“Our Language Is Evolving, ‘Because Internet.’” NPR, July 31, 2019.
“ICYMI, English Language Is Changing Faster Than Ever, Says Expert.” The Guardian, May 1, 2015.
“The Age of Euphemism.” Broad Street Review.
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