Diving Deep into Scripture: History and Context

 

Now that we've understood the reasons we should deeply study scripture (for that article, click here) and the tools for doing so, it's time to take the dive. The dive into a deeper study of Scripture starts by considering the history and context of the passage that you're studying. This consideration involves three steps.

Step #1: Understand the Background

Much of Bible study applies more broadly to how you understand what another person means when he or she is communicating with you, or how you might ensure that others understand what you mean when you write a text. In fact, the considerations that you give (or at least should give) when writing a text serve as a good example for understanding Scripture. When you send a text, whether the recipient will understand you depends on a few things. First, does the recipient know the intent of your text, or is he able to understand the intent from what you have written? Second, does he understand the language you are using? In other words, do you and the recipient mean the same thing by "LOL" or the heart emoji? Third, does he understand the metaphors and similes (often called Word Pictures) that you are using? Even a euphemism as simple as "the ball is in your court" could be misunderstood if the recipient is from a different culture.

When studying Scripture, these same considerations need to be applied to the text. With what intent did the original author write? Or, put another way, what is the text doing? What are the nuances of the language that the author used that may be lost on a modern reader? Are there phrases and word pictures that a modern reader might take literally when the author did not intend them to be taken that way?

To answer these questions, it helps to understand the background of the book you are studying. A good study Bible will have a few pages at the beginning of each book that covers this. My Reformation Study Bible has a write-up on the author, the place and time of the writing, and much more. You can also use a Bible Dictionary to look up the book of the Bible and get much of this same information.

The most important background information relates to the author and date of the writing. The author helps us to understand his own personal background and what he was experiencing at the time he wrote. The date helps us consider what might have been going on in the region at the time that the book was written. Taking our sample passage from Genesis 1:26-31, we understand that the author of Genesis is to believed to be Moses, written while he wondered in the wilderness with the Israelites. What sorts of issues would Moses have been wrestling with that might be reflected in our passage? Well, for one, he was surrounded by idolatry, both in Egypt and in the wilderness surrounding Canaan. Idolatry is, at it's core, the worship of a false image of God. So, what is the true image of God? We have that answered in the passage. The time of the writing of this passage adds to that. The Israelites would have been constantly tempted to turn to the idols of the nations around them.

Step #2: People, Places, and Things

Even more basic to understanding the background of the text is understanding the nouns - the people, places, and things mentioned in it. In any passage, it is helpful to understand the actors. If the passage gives specific names, then think through who those people are. With your study Bible, you can use the "cross reference" section (typically a column of Scripture references in the middle of each page) to look up other passages that mention those people.

With proper names, you can also use Bible study software, like Olive Tree, to look up the name in other passages. Using Olive Tree's ESV Bible with Strong's Greek and Hebrew references, you can click on any word in a passage to see the Hebrew or Greek word and its definition. From this reference, you can also search everywhere that word is used in the Bible. With proper names, this is helpful for a number of reasons. For one, the meaning of a name can provide deeper meaning to the text. For example, the name Abraham gives to Isaac in Gen. 21 means "Laughter", which harkens back to the episode in Gen. 18 in which Sarah laughs when she hears the promise of God.

Similar to proper names, places hold great significance in the text, and using the same technique as described with proper names can reveal much about the meaning. As with proper names, the meaning of place names can add depth to the text.

With both proper names and places, a Bible Dictionary is helpful in quickly exploring the history of these nouns. Most good dictionaries will give you a great run-down of places, complete with pictures and further reading.

Beyond names and places, you should also consider common nouns, like "image" or "word". Using software like Olive Tree to look at the original Hebrew or Greek definition of a common noun is helpful. Even more helpful is searching the use of that word in Scripture. If you do this with the word "image" in our text from Genesis 1:26-31, you find that the Hebrew word is selem. In the book of Genesis, it is only used to refer to the image of God in mankind. But, the very next time it is used is in Numbers 33:52. There (and most times after that) it is used to refer to idols as "images".

Step #3: The Context

Finally, you should consider the context of the passage. "Context" refers to the intent of the passage and how it fits into the larger themes of the book - even the Bible as a whole. Realizing the context starts with something as simple as reading the verses immediately before and after the passage you are studying. How does this passage fit within its chapter? How does it fit within the book?

There are also contextual keywords that help direct you as you consider context. Words like "also", "therefore", "however", and "thus" should cause you to ask, "What thought comes before this word that connects to the thought of this passage?"

Your study Bible is also a friend in your effort to discover the context. The introduction at the beginning of each book will likely have an outline of the book, as well as a write-up on the major themes of the book. This will help you greatly in locating your passage in that larger context.

With our text from Genesis 1:26-31, the immediate context of the passage is the creation narrative, in which God is making everything through speech and in good order. He makes everything "according to its kind", and he calls everything "good". Then, with man and woman, he does something different. He stops to deliberate. And, he declares that they will be made in his image. With the creation of man and woman, the creation isn't just good - it is "very good". This context points us to the creation of man and woman as the pinnacle of God's creative work. In the order of things, mankind is to have "dominion", which is to say, they are to rule as kings and queens over God's ordered creation.

Conclusion

Understanding the people and places of the text will add a great deal of depth to your study. Placing your passage in its proper context will keep you on the rails with respect to the meaning and intent of the text. In no time, you will begin to see the story jump off of the pages of Scripture as you understand the passage more deeply.