HOW TO WRITE A GOOD EXEGETICAL PAPER

What is an Exegetical Paper?

Before we examine all that is involved in writing a good exegetical paper, we should first
consider why it is important to write a good exegetical paper. Professors do not assign
exegetical papers for the fun of it! Exegetical papers are, in fact, an invaluable means of helping
professors assess the knowledge and skills of their students. Exegetical papers also provide
students with the opportunity to: 1) sharpen their writing, communication, and rhetorical skills;
2) learn how to study the Bible on their own; 3) learn how to properly use commentaries and
other academic resources; 4) sharpen their ability to properly interpret Scripture; and 5) develop
time-management skills (a good exegetical paper, after all, is not birthed overnight). Students are
therefore encouraged to view exegetical papers as an important aspect of their education and
training as ministers and servants of the gospel. This document is intended as a guide for helping
students understand how to research and write good exegetical papers. We will begin by
considering what an exegetical paper is not.

First, an exegesis paper is not a sermon. Professors do not want to read anything that is
"preachy." Professors at Luther Rice value preaching immensely and love good preaching. But,
an exegetical paper is simply not a sermon. What is the difference between an exegetical paper
and a sermon? A sermon is primarily focused on application. A sermon emphasizes what the
reader(s) should do. Exegetical papers, on the other hand, emphasize what a passage in Scripture
meant within its original context. Exegetical papers also make heavy use of formal writing
conventions; that is, they must adhere to certain stylistic guidelines (e.g. Turabian).

Second, an exegesis paper is not an opinion paper. The goal in exegesis is to discover the
author’s intention for the text. Personal opinion, unsubstantiated by evidence does not help us
discover this Holy Spirit inspired intention. If you write something of significance in your paper,
defend our conclusion with evidence and show what resource you gained that information from
by appropriately citing it in your footnotes and bibliography.1

The word exegesis means "an explanation or critical interpretation of a text" (Merriam Webster's
Collegiate Dictionary, 10th ed.).

Specific Requirements for an Exegetical Paper. 

An exegetical paper comprises 1500 words (not including the cover page and bibliography) of
valid and accurate interpretation of a text. Hopefully by now you have already taken the course
on Hermeneutics and are thoroughly familiar with the process of interpretation. For the rest of
you, to put it very simply, you should look at the background issues of the book, consider the
textual context of the passage, discover how your text fits within the whole argument of the
book, and identify and explain key terms and phrases in your passage.2 Ask this question of
your text: What did the text mean?3 If you have not noticed, that is what we are doing each
week in our lectures (though not in extensive detail) and that is what any good commentary does
1
See the discussion of the “Content” section of an exegetical paper (pg. 3 of this handout) for
further information on the proper use of academic resources.
2
For further information on this subject, see the segment of this document entitled, “The Sections
and Contents of an Exegetical Paper.”
3
If you have not already taken a course on Hermeneutics, it would also be a good idea to read a
good book on Hermeneutics (your professor can recommend one).
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(your textbook is a prime example). It is highly recommended that you get several really good
commentaries and begin making some notecards of important information from them to include
in your paper. 

You should now have a good idea what constitutes a good exegetical paper. The remainder of
this document will explain in greater detail what a good exegetical paper looks like. Regardless
of the length of the passage you choose, you are expected to come up with 1500 words of
content (not including the cover page and bibliography). Think of it this way. You have 1500
words to tell your professor everything you have learned about what that text meant to its
original readers. Exegesis is not concerned with what a text means to you. Exegesis is the art and
science of explaining what a text meant in its historical context.

Footnotes and direct quotations from any source including the Bible (someone else's writing)
will not count toward the 1500 word minimum. If the student's paper falls below the minimum
word count, the grade will be reduced by percentage. For example, a paper containing 1100
words of original wording and 400 words of direct quotation is 26% short or the required
original-word minimum. That paper's grade will be reduced by 26 points from the beginning.

The required style guide for paper formatting, including footnote and bibliography citation
method, is Kate L. Turabian, A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and
Dissertations, Eighth Edition. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2013. ISBN: 978-0-226-
81638-8.

The paper must be created uploaded to Blackboard through the Exegetical Paper link as either
a .doc, .docx., or .pdf. The use of any other file type will not be accepted. Grading of the
assignment will account for the following areas: content, grammar/style, and Turabian format.
Please be aware that the “SafeAssign” tool will evaluate the paper’s content for evidence of
plagiarism.

Begin now! Start with your textbook comments on your passage; then build on them. Gather
more resources. Organize your thoughts. Present your interpretation in a clear progression from
paragraph to paragraph. Use full sentences. And don't forget to enjoy it! For the believer,
learning new truths from God's Word is exhilarating!

The Sections and Contents of an Exegetical Paper4

1. Title Page
The title page should clearly state the passage that you are exegeting, the course title, the
professor’s name, the date submitted, and your name.

2. Main Idea and Outline (about 100 words)

Identify your passage and summarize the main idea in 1–2 sentences. Next present a full outline
of your passage (do not give an outline of your paper), showing how the main idea unfolds. For
each main point of your outline, show in parentheses which main verses correspond. All of the
verses of your passage should be included in the main points of your outline.

3. Introduction (about 100 words)

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Adapted from J. Scott Duvall and J. Daniel Hays, Grasping God’s Word, 2d ed., 421-22.
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This paragraph should gain the reader’s attention and introduce the main idea of your passage.
The introduction should: 1) be written last; 2) connect with the reader in a professional manner
(use the theological interpretation and application section of your paper for ideas); and 3)
introduce the main ideas of the passage.

4. Context (about 200 words)

This part consists of two sections. First, include a brief discussion of the historical-cultural
context of the book. What do your readers need to know about the biblical author, the original
audience, and their world in order to grasp the meaning of the passage? Second, discuss the
literary context of your passage. Describe the author’s flow of thought in the book and discuss
how your passage fits into and contributes to the flow of thought. Pay particular attention to how
your passage relates to the passage that precedes it and the one that follows it.

5. Content (about 1000 words)

This represents the body of your paper and the heart of your exegetical work. You should let the
main points of your outline function as subheadings. Include under each subheading a detailed
explanation of your passage. Explain what the text says and what it meant in context. Be sure to
include significant elements that you discovered as you observed the text and studied the
passage’s historical-cultural context. Also, explain the meaning of critical words and concepts.
Synthesize your own observations with those of the commentaries. Allow resources to assist you,
but be careful not to let them dictate what you conclude about the passage. Be critical of your
sources, and do not be afraid to disagree with commentators. Keep in mind that the goal of this
section is to explain the meaning of the text in context. Discuss the details of the text, but be sure
to move beyond mere description of details to show how they come together to convey meaning.

6. Conclusion: Theological Interpretation (about 150 words)

Summarize your findings and discuss how the passage contributes to the theological message of
the Bible. The conclusion must address the following theological categories:
Revelation
Doctrine of God
Anthropology
Christology
Pneumatology
Soteriology
Ecclesiology
Eschatology
Reflect on how the passage deepens understanding of these categories. Keep in mind that not
every category will be addressed in every text.

7. Bibliography
Present a formal bibliography of the sources you cite in your paper in accordance with the
Turabian style manual. For this assignment the student should use at least six books and one
peer-reviewed journal article, for a total of seven up-to-date resources. The Bible does not count
towards that number because professors automatically assume you will use it.

A good starting point would be to use only books listed in the syllabus bibliography or the course
textbook bibliography. Begin with the course textbook and any relevant bibliography provided.

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See also the bibliography listed in the syllabus. For best results, consult these sources or sources
cited by them. Use resources accessible through LR’s library databases.

Do not conduct the research process through the open internet (e.g., Google). Blogs, devotional
websites, personal websites, and various other internet sources are not acceptable unless the
materials have been published in print by a reputable academic publisher. In general, anything
available on the internet or through free software is either outdates, purely devotional, or both.
Devotional Bibles, Study Bibles, and one volume commentaries on the whole Bible, OT, or NT
are too dated, devotional, or general for graduate level research (e.g., Matthew Henry, Walvoord,
John Peter Lange, J. Vernon McGee, Pulpit Commentary, etc.). See the LR library video on
commentary types.

Common Form Issues

o Only one cover page is necessary.
o Page margins are 1 inch on all sides
o Black ink only.
o No decorative pictures, backgrounds, or borders.
o Use footnotes throughout your paper for (1) citing your sources and (2) including your
comments that do not belong in the body of the paper (explanatory material, asides).
o Do not use footnotes for Bible references; instead, use parentheses. For example: (Matt.
1:1)
o If you use foreign words (e.g., Greek, Hebrew) either use their characters or transliterate
them into Latin characters and place them in italics.

Common Style and Grammar Issues

o Avoid first and second person pronouns: I, my, me, you, your, we, our, us, etc.
o Avoid passive tense…“the ball was thrown.” Use active tense…“he threw the ball.”
o Avoid “it” and “there is”
o Make sure your subjects and verbs agree in number. For example, in the sentence “Red
and blue is primary colors,” the verb “is” would be incorrect. Plural subjects (“red and
blue”) require plural verbs (“are”). The sentence should therefore read, “Red and blue
are primary colors.”
o Maintain the same verb tense throughout your paper
o Use past tense to speak about Bible writers and characters
o Capitalize “Gospel” for Matthew, Mark, Luke and John (or non-canonical Gospels). Use
lower case “gospel” as in the “good news.”
o Carefully distinguish between the words “there” and “their”… “go over there” not “go
over their.”

Common Content Issues

o Please carefully review the LRU Policy on Academic Integrity. DO NOT PLAGIARIZE!
If you are caught, you will fail!
o Do not frequently include long, block quotations in your paper (correct by paraphrasing
and using more academic resources);

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 o Paraphrase academic resources as much as possible (your paper should not read like one
long quotation after another)
o If a sentence in your paper is drawing upon or quoting from an academic resource, there
should be a footnote at the end of the sentence (it is quite acceptable to have more than
one or two footnotes on a page)
o The body of your paper should focus on explaining the text and should present a verse by
verse analysis of the text. The appropriate place to discuss the text’s contemporary
relevance is in the “Theological Interpretation and Application” section or the conclusion
o Avoid frequently quoting Scripture…it is generally only necessary to cite the book,
chapter, and verse
o For books, look for the following publishers: Abingdon, Baker, Broadman & Holman,
Eerdmans, Fortress, InterVarsity, Moody, Thomas Nelson (or Word Publishing), T & T
Clark, Westminster/John Knox Press, and Zondervan.
o Look for articles in scholarly journals, such as: Journal of the Evangelical Theological
Society, Southern Baptist Theological Journal, Journal of Biblical Literature, New
Testament Studies, Novum Testamentum, Biblia Sacra, Interpretation, and many, many
others.
o NOTE: Not all of the content is going to be conservative in some of these books and
journals, but you will have to learn to distinguish them from others and think critically
and biblically.
o THINK! Do not just write what other people say. Your professor wants to see that you
have read, studied, thought through, and synthesized the material. Remember, learning
does not occur apart from thinking.
o Write. Do not write long paragraphs. A major thought or argument in your paper should
be introduced in a new paragraph.
o Rewrite. Someone once said that the best paper is not measured by how much
information it contains, but how much information was cut from it in the editing process.
Sharpen your paper so that it becomes a clear, coherent, direct, and concise argument.
o Do not write your introduction first. Your paper will likely change significantly from the
first draft to the fourth. So make sure your introduction and conclusion do their jobs.
o Keep your audience in mind…your professor! Write in such a way as to convince your
professor of something that you have come to believe as a result of your studies.

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