Jesus, in the preamble to quoting a verse from the Old Testament said, "...have you not read what was spoken to you by God..." (Matt. 22:31). The testimony of Jesus and of the Bible is that "All Scripture is God breathed" (2 Tim. 3:16).
Therefore, when we open up a page in our Bibles, we are treading upon holy ground. The Bible, although a book, is also unlike any other book. It is not simply a book giving facts about God.
The Bible is a book written by God. Certainly, human writers were involved, but the text of Scripture is inspired or breathed out by God Himself.
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To some people it would seem to be "un-spiritual" to invest time in studying the historical backgrounds, the context of a text or passage in Scripture, or the original language... no, many today want to "feel" something about a passage... or better still, just want the Holy Spirit to whisper His interpretation in their ears supernaturally. This tends to become highly subjective... and the hard labor of the study of the Scriptures is thrown out of the window. Every thought or supposed insight we have needs to be subject to Scripture, and we are not permitted to subject the Word of God to our impressions or feelings about it. ( Like the burning bosom....)
We would never consider someone qualified to practice as a medical physician who read just one paper containing a dozen rules on being a good doctor. Though knowing these 12 rules would be helpful, I'm sure we would agree that there's far more that is needed. Certainly, before a medical board would certify a person as competent to practice medicine they would want to make absolutely sure that the candidate knew far more than a dozen rules for good health. In the same way, there's so much more that could and should be said about how to study the Bible. Yet, with this qualifier, here are a dozen simple rules of interpretation (hermeneutics) which should at least get us started:
1. Consider the Author - who wrote the book? (what was his background, language, culture, vocation, concerns, education, circumstance, what stage of life?)
2. Consider the Audience (why was the book written? who was the audience? what would these words have meant to its original recipients?)
3. The Meaning of Words (this has become a lot easier in our day with all the information and technology at our disposal. The computer program Bibleworks 6 is especially recommended).
4. Historical Setting (avoid anachronism - trying to understand the past while viewing it wearing 21st century glasses - will not help toward understanding the original meaning of the author).
5. Grammar - (how things are being expressed - imperative is a command, a subjunctive would be "would you like to do this?" - two quite different meanings result)
6. Textual Issues - (are there any questions about the earliest or most authoritative manuscripts in comparison with others of a later date - and how does this influence our understanding of what was originally written)
7. Syntax - this refers to words and their relationship with one another. For example, Romans 5:1 says "Having been justified (a past tense action) by faith, we have peace with God." It would be incorrect to think that we have to gain peace with God before justification takes place. The syntax is clear that it is a result of first being justified that peace ensues. Correct syntax is a vital component of sound interpreation.
8. Form of Literature (we should interpret the Bible literally, but that doesn't mean we don't recognize that parables are parables, and that to interpret them correctly, we interpret them as literal parables! Historical narrative is historical narrative, nouns are nouns, verbs are verbs, analogies are analogies)
9. Immediate Context (a text out of context becomes a pretext. It can be made to say something not intended by the author). Always check the immediate context of a verse or passage to determine the correct interpretation.
10. Document Context (in Romans, there is a certain argument which Paul is pursuing, and this helps us to determine what is meant in isolated verses when we know the purpose for what is being written. Always keep the author's broad purpose in mind when looking in detail at the meaning of texts). This, like the others, is a very helpful rule.
11. Author's Context (this refers to looking at all of a person's writings - John's writings, Paul's writings, Luke's writings, etc.).
12. Biblical Context (the broadest context possible, the entire Bible; allowing us to ask if our interpretation is consistent with the whole of Scripture). Scripture is never contradictory to itself.
http://www.reformationtheology.com/2006/04/playing_marbles_with_diamonds.php
You got logic;
She has emotion.
Guess which one is more important...