Definition

The act of interpreting a text by adding one's own ideas or beliefs instead of understanding the original meaning.

Example

His eisegesis of the scripture led to a misunderstanding of its true message.

Conversation

I was reading some articles about biblical interpretations and came across the term eisegesis.

Oh, I've heard of that! It's when someone reads their own ideas into a text, right?

Exactly! It made me think about how easy it is to misinterpret things if we're not careful with our biases.

For sure! Understanding the difference between eisegesis and exegesis is really important.

Synonyms & Antonyms

Root Explanation

Eisegesis is formed from "eis-" (meaning into) and "hēgeisthai" (meaning to lead or guide). The term refers to the act of interpreting a text by reading one's own ideas or biases into it, rather than extracting the original meaning.

Memory Tip

Think of 'leading into' ('eis-') a text with your own ideas ('hēgeisthai') — that's why eisegesis means interpreting a text based on personal biases.

Visually Confused Words