exegesis
Loading your saved state.
exegesis
The scholarly or critical explanation and interpretation of a text, especially sacred writings (such as the Bible or the Quran) or legal texts.
Der Theologiestudent verbrachte das ganze Semester mit der Exegese eines einzigen biblischen Psalms.
The theology student spent the entire semester on the exegesis of a single biblical psalm.
'Exegese' is a technical term from academia, especially theology, law, and literary studies. In normal everyday life, this word is practically never used.
Für ihre Doktorarbeit betreibt sie eine detaillierte Exegese der frühen Schriften Kants.
For her doctoral thesis, she is carrying out a detailed exegesis of Kant's early writings.
In an academic context, 'Exegese' is often combined with verbs such as 'betreiben' (to carry out), 'durchführen' (to conduct), or 'vornehmen' (to perform/carry out).
Im Seminar haben wir eine Exegese von Goethes „Faust“ vorgenommen.
In the seminar, we carried out an exegesis of Goethe's 'Faust'.
The text that is being interpreted is usually connected with the genitive or with the preposition 'von' + dative.
Die Exegese des Paragrafen führte zu einer neuen juristischen Einschätzung.
The exegesis of the paragraph led to a new legal assessment.
interpretation
When interpreting a difficult text, both Interpretation and Exegese can refer to an explanation of its meaning. Exegese is the scholarly or critical technical term, especially for sacred or legal texts, while Interpretation is used more generally. In everyday language, Interpretation is the appropriate choice; in a specialized context, Exegese may be more precise.
Die Exegese des biblischen Textes untersucht seine Bedeutung mit wissenschaftlichen Methoden.
The exegesis of the biblical text examines its meaning using scholarly methods.
Die Interpretation des alten Textes erklärt seine Bilder in einer verständlichen Sprache.
The interpretation of the old text explains its imagery in language that is easy to understand.
