What is literal interpretation?
Question 1037
How should we read the Bible? This question lies at the heart of everything we do as Christians. Get interpretation wrong and everything else goes wrong with it. One of the most important principles in biblical interpretation is what we call “literal interpretation,” but this term is often misunderstood. Some think it means we ignore all figures of speech and read everything woodenly. Others dismiss it entirely as unsophisticated. Neither response is fair to what literal interpretation actually means. Understanding this principle rightly will transform how you read and apply God’s Word.
Defining Literal Interpretation
The word “literal” comes from the Latin littera, meaning “letter.” Literal interpretation means reading a text according to its letters, that is, according to what the words actually say. But this does not mean ignoring figures of speech, poetry, or symbolic language. A better term might be “normal” or “plain” interpretation. We read the Bible the same way we read any other piece of literature, taking words in their ordinary sense unless there is good reason to do otherwise.
When Jesus says “I am the door” (John 10:9), no one thinks He is made of wood with hinges attached. That is obviously a metaphor, and we recognise it immediately because that is how language works. Literal interpretation does not mean we pretend metaphors are not metaphors. It means we interpret the text according to its normal, intended meaning, which includes recognising when the author is using figurative language.
The technical term for this approach is the “grammatical-historical method.” We pay attention to grammar (the structure of the language) and history (the context in which it was written). What did these words mean to the original audience? What was the author trying to communicate? These questions guide our interpretation.
The Biblical Basis for Literal Interpretation
Scripture itself assumes that God communicates in ways humans can understand. When God speaks, He intends to be understood. The prophet Habakkuk was told: “Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so he may run who reads it” (Habakkuk 2:2). God wanted His message clear enough that someone could read it quickly and act on it. This assumes normal, understandable communication.
Jesus treated the Old Testament as straightforwardly true and meaningful. When He quoted Scripture, He took it at face value. In Matthew 19:4-5, He appeals to Genesis 1 and 2 as historical fact: “Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’?” Jesus read Genesis as actual history, not as allegory or myth.
The apostles did the same. When Peter preached at Pentecost, he quoted Joel’s prophecy and explained its fulfilment in literal terms (Acts 2:16-21). When Paul argued for the resurrection in 1 Corinthians 15, he appealed to witnesses who had actually seen the risen Christ, eyewitness testimony of a real historical event. The New Testament writers consistently treated Scripture as reliable, historical, and meant to be understood in its plain sense.
What Literal Interpretation Is Not
Several misconceptions need clearing up. Literal interpretation is not “letterism,” which ignores all figures of speech and reads everything with wooden literalness. When the Psalmist says God will cover us with His feathers and under His wings we will find refuge (Psalm 91:4), he is not claiming God is a giant bird. That is poetic imagery communicating God’s protective care. Literal interpretation recognises poetry as poetry.
Literal interpretation is not opposed to symbolism where symbolism is clearly intended. The book of Revelation is full of symbols, and the text often tells us so. The seven lampstands are the seven churches (Revelation 1:20). The great dragon is Satan (Revelation 12:9). Recognising these as symbols is not abandoning literal interpretation; it is applying it properly by reading the text as it was meant to be read.
Literal interpretation is also not the same as literalistic interpretation of prophecy in a way that ignores genre. When Isaiah says “the mountains and the hills before you shall break forth into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands” (Isaiah 55:12), this is Hebrew poetic imagery for creation rejoicing, not a prediction that mountains will literally develop vocal cords. The literal meaning of this poetic text is that all creation will celebrate God’s redemptive work.
The Importance for Prophecy
Where literal interpretation becomes especially important is in prophetic texts. Many interpreters throughout church history have spiritualised or allegorised prophecies about Israel, the kingdom, and the end times. They take promises God made to Abraham and his descendants and claim these are really about the church, not about ethnic Israel at all.
But here is the test: how were Old Testament prophecies about Jesus’ first coming fulfilled? Literally. He was literally born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2; Matthew 2:1). He literally entered Jerusalem on a donkey (Zechariah 9:9; Matthew 21:1-11). He was literally pierced (Zechariah 12:10; John 19:34). His garments were literally divided by lot (Psalm 22:18; John 19:24). Over three hundred prophecies about the Messiah were fulfilled in precise, literal detail.
If the first-coming prophecies were fulfilled literally, why would we expect second-coming prophecies to be fulfilled any differently? When God promises to restore Israel to her land (Ezekiel 37), to establish David’s throne in Jerusalem (2 Samuel 7:12-16; Luke 1:32-33), and to reign over the nations from Zion (Isaiah 2:1-4; Zechariah 14:9), we should expect these to be fulfilled just as literally as the prophecies about Bethlehem and the cross.
This is why dispensational premillennialism takes Scripture’s prophetic promises seriously. We believe God means what He says. When He made unconditional promises to Abraham about land, seed, and blessing (Genesis 12:1-3; 15:18-21), those promises stand. Israel remains Israel. The church has not replaced her. God’s Word can be trusted to mean exactly what it says.
Practical Guidelines for Literal Interpretation
So how do we apply this in practice? Start with the plain meaning of the text. What do the words actually say? Do not jump immediately to symbolic or spiritual meanings. Let the text speak first.
Consider the genre. Is this historical narrative, poetry, prophecy, epistle, or apocalyptic literature? Each genre has its own conventions. Poetry uses more figurative language than narrative. Apocalyptic literature employs symbols extensively. Recognising genre helps us interpret appropriately.
Look at the context. What comes before and after? Who is speaking, and to whom? What is the situation being addressed? A verse ripped from its context can be made to say almost anything. Context controls meaning.
Compare Scripture with Scripture. The Bible does not contradict itself. If your interpretation of one passage conflicts with clear teaching elsewhere, something has gone wrong. Let clearer passages illuminate harder ones.
Pay attention to grammar and syntax. The structure of sentences matters. Verb tenses matter. Connecting words like “therefore,” “but,” and “for” matter. These are not decorative; they shape meaning.
Consider the historical and cultural background. What did these words mean to the original readers? What was happening in their world? Sometimes background knowledge illuminates a passage wonderfully.
Conclusion
Literal interpretation is simply reading the Bible the way we read any serious literature, taking words in their normal sense, recognising figures of speech when the author uses them, paying attention to grammar and history, and letting the text mean what it says. This approach honours God as a communicator who speaks to be understood. It treats Scripture as reliable and trustworthy. And it guards us against reading our own ideas into the text rather than drawing God’s ideas out of it.
When we come to God’s Word with humility, asking “What does this actually say?”, we position ourselves to hear from Him. That is what literal interpretation is all about. Not wooden literalism. Not ignoring poetry or symbolism. But taking God at His Word, trusting that He says what He means and means what He says.
“The unfolding of your words gives light; it imparts understanding to the simple.” Psalm 119:130
Bibliography
- Ryrie, Charles C. Dispensationalism. Rev. ed. Moody Publishers, 2007.
- Zuck, Roy B. Basic Bible Interpretation. Victor Books, 1991.
- Thomas, Robert L. Evangelical Hermeneutics: The New Versus the Old. Kregel, 2002.
- Tan, Paul Lee. The Interpretation of Prophecy. BMH Books, 1974.
- Kaiser, Walter C. and Moisés Silva. Introduction to Biblical Hermeneutics. Rev. ed. Zondervan, 2007.
- Vlach, Michael J. Dispensationalism: Essential Beliefs and Common Myths. Theological Studies Press, 2008.