Paying Attention to Scripture Using Scripture
When reading the Bible, there are times when I intuitively know something more is going on. Have you had that feeling? You read through a passage and see words that trigger your mind to other Bible passages. Like hyperlinks, you and I sometimes recognize when a biblical author is referencing another part of the Bible to build his argument. It’s as if an app window just opened up with a beautiful image, adding depth to what the text is communicating.
Noticing these “hyperlinks” takes practice… and study… and humility to realize that sometimes we miss them and sometimes we’re making them up. Some call this the study of inner-biblical allusions or the Bible’s use of the Bible. And it’s quite important, as it helps us remember that the Bible was written in the context of people who had Scriptures to lean into. Remember that our biblical context helps us to know where we are in the story, but it also helps us to know what has already been said to the people of God. This means that Old Testament authors used earlier parts of the Old Testament, and New Testament authors used quite a bit of the Old Testament! But how did they use it? That’s what we want to learn to truly understand the passage we’re studying.
When we study inner-biblical allusions, we talk about a receptor text, a passage that is using an earlier piece of Scripture, and we also think about the donor text, the one that is being used by the later author.
So how do we do this?
First, find an allusion to Scripture! Find both the reference for the donor text and the receptor text. I know, that is more easily said than done, but as we get started learning to pay attention to these references, you probably see it more often than you realize. Many times an author will give a citation formula like “as it is written,” and our ears perk up. This marking helps us know the author is telling us to see how he is using Scripture. Other times you can check your cross references and commentaries. Another way to check is to search for the same words used in multiple places. You often want to find more than one word that is repeated and used in the same syntactic and thematic way, but sometimes it’s just one word or a conceptual echo. If you don’t have Bible software, Stepbible.org has a lot of tools for you to search for the same words or phrases.
Look at both passages and consider if it is a citation, allusion, or echo.
Citations reference one more verses (with a full sentence).
Allusions use a few words that link to a reference with the help of thematic connections.
An echo is an implicit evocation with verbal or conceptual connections. (definitions from Jeannine Brown’s Gospels as Stories). All that to say, the citation is a longer quote, while the echo may just be an obvious theme being reused, and an allusion is a bit in between.
Study the context of both the donor and receptor text. What’s happening in each of these books? Can you see a thematic connection between the two? Is this verse used in another passage or a few others that would shed light on how it’s being used in your receptor text?
Additional Study: If you have use of Greek and Hebrew and the reference is the NT citing the OT, what textual factors must be kept in mind as one seeks to understand this particular use? Is the author quoting the MT or the LXX or a mixed citation? Or a dependence on memory? Parabible.com can help with this if you read Greek and Hebrew.
Additional Study: If you are interested, consider looking at how the Old Testament text was understood in Second Temple and later Jewish writings and compare that to the New Testament use. We can also look at how the early church used these same Scriptures. There are online resources to do this, but this is a rabbit trail we won’t run down right now. Email us at hello@bibleequipping.org if you want more on this!
4. How is the receptor text author using the allusion, citation, or echo?
Options to consider: Is it tied to the theme the donor text is speaking of or is it being used to speak of another issue? (This would be like using movie quotes out of context because of a linked word, as D.A. Carson says.) Or is the allusion a mix of promises and blessings connected to a theme or word? Is there an analogy to teach a moral lesson? Or is there a fulfillment taking place? Is it indirect fulfillment? Is it a pattern or prototype that is giving a pattern to the receptor text? Or affirming a coming fulfillment? Or is it explaining and further interpreting the passage?
Remember we can apply our understanding of progressive revelation to the use of the text. As God inspires authors of Scripture, he continues to reveal truth, even as they use previously inspired passages.
Much of Deuteronomy is exegesis of earlier law given in Exodus, Leviticus and Numbers. You also see Jesus do legal exegesis through his citations in the Sermon on the Mount. Paul cites Habakkuk 2:4 in Romans 1:17 when supporting the idea of righteousness coming through faith, and Habakkuk alludes to Isaiah in Hab. 2:14 in proclaiming the glory of the Lord to spread to the entire earth (a mixed allusion to Is. 6:3 and 11:9)
Yet, we also need to be careful. Sometimes authors are just using known catchphrases; words are reused because that’s how language works. And sometimes a text is building on a biblical theological theme but may not be referencing a specific text—this overlaps with an echo in some ways as it builds on a theme. Yet, still other times there is exegetical expansion on the passage, meaning the biblical author interprets and further applies the passage for us to understand. If you are struggling with knowing the difference between a correct allusion and a false one, you’re not alone. That’s why we’ve included a list below for further study. Because God progresses revelation to us, so that he reveals more of his truth, inspiring the biblical authors, there are beautiful connections for us to grasp as the Bible uses other parts.
Further study:
Books:
Commentary on the NT Use of the OT by Greg Beale and Don Carson
How to Study the Bible’s Use of the Bible by Gary Schnittjer and Matthew Harmon
Old Testament Use of the Old Testament by Gary Schnittjer
Check out some Biblical Theological themes that show up certain passages. Are there allusions there? You can find an index of verses used in the New Studies in Biblical Theology in an excel sheet here.
Article:
this one! https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/watch-biblical-allusions/
Videos:
