hermeneuein

Hermeneuein is a Greek verb meaning to interpret, explain, or translate. The term is formed from the root that relates to Hermes, the mythic messenger known for conveying and clarifying messages, with the verb ending -euein. The related noun hermeneia denotes interpretation or explanation, and its scholarly study is termed hermeneutics.

In classical Greek usage, hermeneuein covered the interpretation of texts, oracles, laws, and rhetorical arguments. It could denote translating from one language to another, clarifying difficult passages, or determining a speaker’s intended meaning. The concept functioned across literature, philosophy, law, and inquiry, where understanding revealed underlying content or purpose.

In later Greek and Hellenistic contexts, the verb appears in religious and scholarly writings related to interpreting divinely inspired messages, dreams, prophecies, and scriptural passages. In the Septuagint and New Testament Greek, hermeneuein is frequently used to express the act of explaining or rendering biblical texts, as well as uncovering their intended significance for readers.

Modern usage centers on hermeneutics, the theory and methodology of interpretation. The term underpins biblical exegesis, literary criticism, anthropology, philosophy, and the humanities more broadly. Influential discussions have examined how context, language, and the interpreter’s perspective shape meaning, influencing approaches from historical-critical methods to phenomenology and hermeneutic philosophy. The legacy of hermeneuein therefore spans from ancient interpretive practice to contemporary theories of understanding and communication.