In hermeneutics, interpreters should establish the plain, contextual meaning of a text before seeking allegorical or hidden spiritual interpretations.

### Why this is right One of the source’s interpretation rules is not to overspiritualize everything. It says that many passages mean what they say and recommends considering the literal sense before searching for a hidden one. ### The concept Literal reading is not the same as pretending figurative language does not exist. A metaphor, parable, or symbol can be the text’s intended meaning. The interpreter first asks what the words and form communicate in context, rather than inventing an additional meaning simply because it seems spiritually interesting. ### Watch out “Read literally first” does not mean “ignore figures of speech.” It means establish what the passage says before adding speculative meanings. ### Remember Start with the text’s ordinary contextual sense, then account for its literary features.