Exercise on Speech Act and Hermeneutics(Part 1)

Divine speech or God’s speech is one of the cores of Christian belief. The possibility of revelation is supported by the reality that God speaks. This theological assertion is very common in the Bible, especially in the Prophets: “The word of the Lord came to me saying …” The Old Testament prophets have the clear understanding that their message is a direct speech of God (God’s speech). This understanding is reflected also in the New Testament, and distinctly so in the Book of Hebrews.




“God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son …” (Hebrews 1:1-2, NASB)

“Πολυμερῶς καὶ πολυτρόπως πάλαι ὁ Θεὸς λαλήσας τοῖς πατράσιν ἐν τοῖς προφήταις, ἐπ᾽ ἐσχάτου τῶν ἡμερῶν τούτων ἐλάλησεν ἡμῖν ἐν υἱῷ …” (GNT)



The author of Hebrews affirmed that God speaks in the past as well as now, but through different means and to different audiences. The idea of ‘God speaks’ seems to be the guiding principle in understanding the book, and Hebrews 4:12 appear to be the hub of the book.



“For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12, NASB)

Ζῶν γὰρ ὁ λόγος τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ ἐνεργὴς καὶ τομώτερος ὑπὲρ πᾶσαν μάχαιραν δίστομον καὶ διϊκνούμενος ἄχρι μερισμοῦ ψυχῆς τε καὶ πνεύματος, ἁρμῶν τε καὶ μυελῶν, καὶ κριτικὸς ἐνθυμήσεων καὶ ἐννοιῶν καρδίας … (GNT)



Go do not only speak, but His word is ‘living and active’ and more effective than any weapon. Hence, it is important to know what God says, and also to respond rightly to the God speech. We will explore in the rest of this paper how this core is played out in the book of Hebrews.



We will here employ the help of the Speech Acts Theory initiated by J.L. Austin and developed further by John Searle. This exercise will begin with an exploration of the theory followed by its application in reading Hebrews.