Point of contrast

Here's useful principle in biblical hermeneutics, although it's not one I've run across in books on biblical hermeneutics. When assessing the semantic force of certain biblical statements, it's sometimes helpful for the reader to ask, what's the point of contrast? Certain kinds of claims (e.g. commands, prohibitions, categorical statements) stand in implicit contrast to something to the contrary. 

This is important to keep in mind when people appeal to the "plain sense" or "face value" meaning of Biblical statements. Let's take a couple of examples to illustrate the principle:

Suppose I'm driving down the street when I see a small business with a sign that says "Happy birthday Brad!"

Now, in a world will billions of people, many are named Brad. Statistically, many even have the same birthdate. Is this sign wishing happy birthday to every Brad in the world? Living, dead, and future? Is this sign wishing a happy birthday to Brads who live in another town, another state, another country? Is this sign wishing a happy birthday to imaginary Brads in fictional books, movies, and TV dramas? 

No, it's only wishing a happy birthday to a customer. Even if your name is Brad, and you see the sign as you're driving down the street, it's not about you unless you're the customer in question. That's just a coincidence.

There's a difference between what "Brad" means and what "Brad" refers to. In addition, it depends on the intention of the person who arranged the letters to spell out that message. Who did they have in mind?

To take another example, suppose there's a backpack in a gym or locker room with Brad's name on the label. The backpack contains a laptop, smartphone, and wallet. Admittedly, it would be imprudent to leave that unattended. 

Is it okay for anyone named Brad who happens to go into the gym or locker room to take the pack back? After all, it has their name on it!

Although it's their name, and the name designates the owner of the backpack (and its contents), the name isn't meant to distinguish one Brad from another Brad, but to distinguish a particular Brad from folks who aren't Brad. It doesn't point to just any Brad. If someone who's not the intended Brad swipes the backpack, and the intended Brad catches them, there's going to be blood on the floor.