Appendices
Appendix I Miller’s Rules of Bible Interpretation
In studying the Bible, I have found the following rules to be of great service to myself,
and now give them to the public by special request. Every rule should be well studied, in
connection with the Scripture references, if the Bible student would be at all benefited by them.
I. All Scripture is necessary, and may be understood by diligent application and
study. 2 Tim. iii. 15, 16, 17.
II. Every word must have its proper bearing on the subject presented in the Bible.
Matt. v. 18.
III. Scripture must be its own expositor, since it is a rule of itself. If I depend on a
teacher to expound it to me, and he should guess at its meaning, or desire to have
it so on account of his sectarian creed, or to be thought wise, then his guessing,
desire, creed, or wisdom, is my rule, not the Bible. Ps. xix. 7-11; cxix. 97-105.
Matt. xxiii. 8-10. 1 Cor. ii. 12-16. Eze. xxxiv. 18, 19. Luke xi. 52. Mal. ii. 7, 8.
IV. To understand doctrine, bring all the Scriptures together on the subject you wish
to know; then let every word have its proper influence, and if you can form your
theory without a contradiction, you cannot be in an error. Isa. xxviii. 7-29; xxxv.
8. Prov. xix. 27. Luke xxiv. 27, 44, 45. Rom. xvi. 26. James v. 19. 2 Pet. i. 19, 20.
V. God has revealed things to come, by visions, in figures and parables; and in this
way the same things are oftentimes revealed again and again, by different visions,
or in different figures and parables. If you wish to understand them, you must
combine them all in one. Ps. lxxxix. 19. Hos. xii. 10. Hab. ii. 2. Acts ii. 17. 1 Cor.
x. 6. Heb. ix. 9, 24. Ps. lxxviii. 2. Matt. xiii. 13, 34. Gen. xli. 1-32. Dan. ii., vii.,
and viii. Acts x. 9-16.
VI. Visions are always mentioned as such. 2 Cor. xii. 1.
VII. How to know when a word is used figuratively. If it makes good sense as it
stands, and does no violence to the simple laws of nature, then it must be
understood literally; if not, figuratively. Rev. xii. 1, 2; xvii.3-7.
VIII. Figures always have a figurative meaning, and are used much in prophecy to
represent future things, times, and events; such as mountains,meaning
governments; beasts, meaning kingdoms; Waters, meaning people; Lamp,
meaning Word of God; Day, meaning year. Dan. ii. 35, 44; vii. 8, 17. Rev. xvii. 1,
15. Ps. cxix. 105. Ezek. iv. 6.
IX. To learn the true meaning of figures, trace your figurative word through your
Bible, and, where you find it explained, put it on your figure, and if it makes good
sense, you need look no further; if not, look again.
X. Figures sometimes have two or more different significations; as day is used in a
figurative sense to represent three different periods of time.
1- Indefinite.
2- Definite, a day for a year.
3- Day for a thousand years.
Eccles. vii. 14. Ezek. iv. 6. 2 Pet. iii. 8.
XI. Parables are used as comparisons to illustrate subjects, and must be explained in
the same way as figures, by the subject and Bible. Mark iv. 13.
XII. To know whether we have the true historical event for the fulfillment of a
prophecy. If you find every word of the prophecy (after the figures are
understood) is literally fulfilled, then you may know that your history is the true
event. But if one word lacks a fulfillment, then you must look for another event,
or wait its future development. For God takes care that history and prophecy doth
agree, so that the true, believing children of God may never be ashamed. Ps. xxi.
5. Isa xiv. 17-19. 1 Pet. ii. 6. Rev. xvii. 17. Acts iii. 18.
XIII. The most important rule of all is, that you must have faith. It must be a faith that
requires a sacrifice, and, if tried, would give up the dearest object on earth, the
world and all its desires, character, living, occupation, friends, home, comforts,
and worldly honors. If any of these should hinder our believing any part of God’s
word, it would show our faith to be vain. Nor can we ever believe, so long as one
of these motives lies lurking in our hearts. We must believe that God will never
forfeit his word. And we can have confidence that He that takes notice of the
sparrow, and numbers the hairs of our head, will guard the translation of his own
word, and throw a barrier around it, and prevent those who sincerely trust in God,
and put implicit confidence in his word, from erring far from the truth, though
they may not understand Hebrew or Greek.
Source: Hale, SAM, pp. 103-6. in P. G. Damsteegt, Foundations of the SDA Message and
Mission (Grand Rapids, Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1977) 300.
