Proclaimer Blog
The context of words
Words always have contexts. It's absurd to strip out words from their contexts and try to make them stand on their own. I was reminded of this as I read some BBC articles about the crackdown on racist chanting (a good thing, by the way). Much of the online debate centres on the word "Yid" used by both opponents and supporters of Spurs alike. The FA have announced that using the word is inappropriate and probably illegal. Some Spurs supporters have reacted strongly, saying that "Yid army" is one of their terrace chants. Yet there is no doubt that it is also used as a term of abuse by opponents.
Should there be such blanket bans? I think the answer probably lies in the fact that the word, once stripped of its context, is very difficult to interpret. Words can be offensive in one context but not in another. That is true historically (try reading Isaiah 36.12 in the King James version!!), as well as culturally and even locationally – most couples for example have a private bedroom language that would not be appropriate for, say, the pulpit.
The bottom line is that it's naive to think that words have meanings without contexts. Of course, this is supremely true in the Scriptures. I'm acutely aware of this preaching in Ecclesiastes at the moment where context shapes much of how a word should be understood. And here's the lesson for preachers – when studying a text, look first at the context to work out the meaning of words. Don't fly to the lexicon or commentary. There's many a mistake there for the taking by pursuing that path too quickly. Rather, look around. Read the surrounding words. Re-read them. And remember every word has a context and it's that which brings meaning.