Lesson 4: Understanding the Context

Measuring the Distance

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Bridging the Gap
In their book, Grasping God’s Word, authors Scott Duvall and Daniel Hays present a similar illustration. Our present day is on one side of a very wide river. The land of Scripture is on the other side. Interpreting the Bible requires us to bridge the gap. We must begin by getting to know the Bible side of the river. We need to learn how the biblical authors understood their own land and customs. We need to listen carefully to their language, defining words by what they intended to communicate. We need to recognize how their cultural context shaped the form of their writings.
But we cannot stay there. Once we get to know the Bible side of the river, we have to consider the gap between the Bible and our own culture. This involves discerning where differences lie and how vast the gap is between our own culture and the Bible’s culture. We do all this so that we can hear and understand the message the biblical author intended to communicate. As Jason DeRouchie notes,
As you work through historical-context issues, the goal is not simply to identify the author, date, or cause of writing or to grasp a historical detail but also to clarify how these data affect the interpretation of your passage.

—How to Understand and Apply the Old Testament, 302.
So then, how do we “measure” this historical-cultural distance in order to "bridge the gap"? 


A Process for Measuring the Distance
Here are eight specific tasks that help us interpret the Bible within its historical-cultural context so that we can faithfully bridge the gap:
Identify any unknown background details stated in the text (places, names, historical events, figures of speech, cultural practices, etc.).
Search for any other biblical references to the same (or closely related) details.
Supplement your study with historical/cultural background resources. (See below.)
Describe how the original readers/hearers would have understood this text.
Assess the cultural differences. What has changed across cultures? What has stayed the same?
Discern the timeless truths the passage communicates. (Think especially with reference to the nature of God, man, sin, salvation.)
Examine your own cultural context. What related cultural assumptions and beliefs do we hold?
Apply the theological principles across the cultural gap to our contemporary lives.

Resources for Further Study
Treasury, our course on using extrabiblical resources, will equip you to research the Bible’s historical-cultural context with numerous resources. For now, we point you to several basic resources that have helped us:
The NET Bible Notes – These detailed notes provide insightful comments on translation issues, historical-cultural context, and  biblical background. You can access them for free online, including through the Biblearc app.
The Gospel Coalition Courses – TGC provides free courses on every book of the Bible. TGC based these courses on the Knowing the Bible series of Bible studies. Thus, the courses provide helpful comments on the wider biblical background of specific books as well as the historical-cultural context. 
The NIV Biblical Theology Study Bible – Although this study Bible focuses on biblical theology (covered in Lesson 6), it also provides valuable notes, comments, and illustrations about the Bible‘s historical-cultural context.
The ESV Study Bible – This is another top study Bible that provides readers with scholarly comments about important background and context issues. You can access, purchase, and use the ESV Study Bible online at esv.org.
An Important Note
The original historical context is not the only factor to consider as we interpret a biblical passage. Future lessons in this course consider other factors such as genre, theology, and reading with Christ as the key. Nevertheless, interpreting the Bible within its historical-cultural context is essential because of the Bible’s nature as a book written by God through men.