One of the most important principles in interpreting the Bible is to realize that most words are polysemic--they can have multiple meanings. In other words, very few words only have one meaning. Most words have a range of possibilities. Take the word trunk for example. What does trunk mean? Well, it depends upon the context. If I am at the zoo and I say, "Look at the size of that trunk", I am very likely talking about an elephant. If I am at an antique store or a car lot, then the meaning of the word changes.
Sometimes this is hard to catch in our own language, but when we try to learn another language we suddenly are surprised at how the few words we know in the new language can be used in so many different ways. Context determines how these words are used.
Oddly enough, in our time here in Scotland we have been learning some funny new ranges of meaning for various words we thought we understood in English. For example, why do people laugh when I tell them the color of my pants? Because pants in Scotland means underwear. Why, when I ask for chips, do they give me fries? Because chips means fries. So how do you ask for chips? You ask for crisps! A stool is not a chair, it is what you do in the toilet. Biscuits are cookies. The toll is the checkout counter or cashier. There are lots of other words that I could mention that in American English are quite docile, but in Scotland are vulgar. In some cases we have had to learn the hard way!
One of the funniest examples of the polysemic nature of words comes from a fellow postgraduate at St Andrews. He tells the story of a woman celebrating her call into ministry. At her party, friends give her symbolic giftsto prepare her for her new ministry, things like marbles--because ministry will sometimes make her lose hers! Added to gifts were candles--so that she would be a light; and then, someone gave her a rubber for when she makes mistakes!
How appauling! What kind of example is this for someone going into the ministry?
Context is everything. While rubber can mean condom in English, in Scotland it means erasure!
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