Simple Tools of Exegesis

The Six Questions:

WHO? WHAT? WHY? HOW?
WHERE? WHEN?

The Questions which the passage gives addresses:

1. Why should you rid yourselves of malice, etc?
2. Who should rid themselves of malice, etc?
3. What should you rid yourselves of?

4. How should you crave spiritual milk?

5. What should you be craving?
6. Why should you crave spiritual milk?
7. How can you grow?
8. Who can grow?
9. Where (in what area) can you grow?
10.When (at what spiritual stage) can you grow?
11.What should you have tasted (experienced)?
12.Who is good?

The Answers which the passage gives to these questions:

1. Because, if we have been born again, we should be
holy like God
2. You who are reading this letter (cf “therefore”
referring to 1 P 1 v 15f)
3. All malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy and slander of
every kind
4. Just like a new baby crying for its mother’s milk
Using the Questions as our tools, we 10.As soon as you have tasted (experienced) God’s goodness
• Find the key (doing/being) word of each sentence 11.The goodness of God (in your own life)
• Ask: What question does each unit of thought 12.God (who is the source of all goodness and salvation)
address?
• Move each unit along the line to show how it
relates to other units
1 Peter 2 vv 1-3

Therefore,
rid yourselves of all malice
and all deceit,
hypocrisy,
envy,
and slander of every kind.
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Like newborn babies,

crave pure spiritual milk,
so that by it
you may grow up
in your salvation,
now that you have tasted

that the Lord is good.

5. Pure spiritual milk (the nourishment from God’s

Word)
6. In order that you may grow spiritually
7. By feeding on the pure spiritual milk (of God’s
Word)
8. You who are reading this!
9. In the realm of (working out) your own salvation