Venturing deep into the world of biblical interpretation—exploring the methods that shape how we read Scripture, how we understand righteousness, holiness, and obedience, and why John Walton's work continues to spark both admiration and controversy.

We’ll survey key interpretive methodologies: literalist, historical-grammatical, canonical, literary-narrative, historical-critical, and the socio-cultural ancient Near Eastern approach. Then, we dive headfirst into the power of frame semantics—a tool that challenges modern assumptions and re-centers our understanding around ancient biblical worldviews.

Topics covered:

- What’s the difference between exegesis, interpretation, and hermeneutics?

- Why biblical theology requires a mix of methods

- How John Walton’s approach reframes key concepts

- The covenantal, vocational meaning of obedience

- Holiness as divine presence, not moral perfection

- Righteousness as relational fidelity, not legal status

- How salvation is more about divine rescue than a heavenly transaction

Mentioned Resources:

- [Frame Semantics Study Guide](https://www.genesismarksthespot.com/blog/frame-semantics-study-guide/)

Whether you're a seminarian, a Sunday school teacher, or just someone who wants to understand the Bible on its own terms, this is an episode you don’t want to miss.

Also, join my new Biblical Theology Community! Find it here: on-this-rock.com
[“On This Rock” Biblical Theology Community](https://on-this-rock.com)

Website: genesismarksthespot.com

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/GenesisMarkstheSpot

Music credit: "Marble Machine" by Wintergatan
Link to Wintergatan’s website: https://wintergatan.net/
Link to the original Marble Machine video by Wintergatan: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IvUU8joBb1Q&ab_channel=Wintergatan

00:00 - Introduction & Walton’s Work
04:29 - Frame Semantics Mention & Community Plug
06:15 - Why Methodology Matters

07:11 - What is Interpretation, Exegesis & Hermeneutics?
11:17 - My Toolkit: Crossover Methodology
18:26 - Method #1: Literalist Reading
20:03 - Method #2: Historical-Grammatical Method
22:41 - Method #3: Canonical Approach
27:23 - Canonical vs Historical-Grammatical
33:31 - Method #4: Literary & Narrative Criticism
36:12 - Literary vs Historical-Grammatical
37:15 - Method #5: Historical-Critical Method
39:17 - Method #6: Socio-Cultural / Ancient Near Eastern Context

44:58 - What Is Frame Semantics?
46:30 - Frame Semantics and Interpretation Methods

51:24 - Reframing Biblical Concepts (Walton Examples)
52:12 - Righteousness: Covenantal Not Legal
55:05 - Holiness: Sacred Space Not Sinlessness
57:26 - Obedience: Vocational Not Transactional
1:03:48 - Salvation: Rescue, Not Just Forgiveness
1:11:39 - Righteousness vs Salvation: Frame Comparison

1:14:55 - How the Frames Work Together
1:18:13 - Why Frame Semantics Matters
1:19:05 - Outro & Community Invitation