exegetical

Exegetical refers to exegesis, the critical explanation or interpretation of a text, especially religious scriptures. The term comes from Late Latin exegeticus and Greek exēgetikos, from exēgeomai meaning to explain or interpret. In scholarly use, exegetical work analyzes a text’s historical setting, linguistic forms, literary context, and theological aims to determine its original meaning for the intended audience.

In practice, exegetical analysis aims to distinguish the author’s intended meaning from later interpretations. It often contrasts with eisegesis, reading personal agendas into the text. Exegetical methods in biblical studies may include historical-critical approaches, linguistic analysis of Hebrew, Greek, or other sources, textual criticism to approximate the original wording, form criticism to identify literary units, and redaction criticism to study editorial shaping. Additional perspectives employ literary and rhetorical analysis to assess genre, narrative technique, and symbolism. While rooted in religious studies, exegetical methods are also applied to secular literature and legal texts to illuminate authorial intent and context.

Historically, exegetical practice spans antiquity to contemporary scholarship, from patristic and medieval commentaries to modern critical methodologies that balance historical context with interpretive aims. Today, an exegetical approach may emphasize fidelity to original meaning, while acknowledging historical reception and interpretive complexity. See also exegesis, hermeneutics, exposition, and form criticism.