The #1 Mistake Most Everyone Makes When Reading the Bible

e Bible is utterly fascinating.

It’s the most beautiful, compelling, challenging, relevant, instructive, uni-

ed, electrifying, and life-giving story in human history. And it has the

unparalleled power to transform people’s lives and set them on a path of

adventure and purpose for experiencing the most meaningful life now,

and not just in the world to come.

at’s what I believe to be true about the Bible.

My goal is to help you experience the Bible this way. Because I know many

of you wouldn’t describe your experience with the Bible in these terms.

I’m convinced there’s a signicant reason for that, and it’s preventing you

from encountering the Bible this way. And if we can name it fully and

address it comprehensively, I believe your desire and joy for reading and

understanding the Bible will burst forth like a geyser that’s been bottled

up for far too long.

But in order to get there, we should begin with a strange story.

e Bible is full of strange stories. I used to shy away from them. Not

anymore. I gravitate towards them. e stranger the better. Why? Because

it’s usually the strange stories that yield some of the most profound and

helpful insights.

For example, consider this one recorded in the gospel of Mark, a biogra-

phy on the life of Jesus. It reads:

“ey [Jesus and his disciples] came to Bethsaida, and some people

brought a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him. He took the blind

man by the hand and led him outside the village. When he had spit

on the man’s eyes and put his hands on him, Jesus asked, “Do you see

anything?” He looked up and said, “I see people; they look like trees

walking around.” Once more Jesus put his hands on the man’s eyes.

en his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and he saw every-

thing clearly.” (Mark 8:22-25, NIV)

Come on now, that’s strange.

At rst read (or many even the tenth), we’re left wondering what’s going

on. If you’re like me, a series of questions emerge.

Is Jesus just messing with this guy?

Does Jesus make a mistake?

Does he have limited power in this moment?

Why the spit bath on the man’s eyes?

And what’s up with the allusion to trees walking around?

Is this some prophetic reference to Treebeard and his Ent friends in J.R.

Tolkien’s, Lord of the Rings?

Seriously, what are we to make of all this?

We must begin by understanding what takes place prior to this story. Je-

sus has just fed at least four thousand people with seven loaves of bread

and a few sh, and there were leftovers. We’re told the disciples picked up

seven basketfuls of them. Since these baskets were likely much larger than

the normal baskets we use today, it probably took them signicant time

to scour the hillsides, collecting the leftovers from thousands of people.

Following this, Jesus and his disciples get into a boat. Leaving the eastern

shore of the Sea of Galilee, they head to the northwestern shore. After a

brief stop and an unfavorable encounter with some Pharisees (religious

leaders of the day), they return to the boat and head o.

On the ride back to the other side, Jesus warns his disciples about the “yeast

of the Pharisees and that of Herod.”

Utterly confused and discussing the

1 Jesus is referring to Herod Antipas, a son of Herod the Great, and the Jewish ruling au-

thority in the Galilee Region, operating as puppet ruler under the authority and watch-

ful eye of the Roman Empire.

matter amongst themselves, they think he’s referring to the lack of bread

on board since Mark, the writer, informs us the disciples forgot to bring

bread, save one loaf. is is hilarious. You can’t make this stu up. And it

makes you wonder where those seven basketfuls ended up, doesn’t it?

Overhearing their discussion, Jesus asks, “Why are you talking about hav-

ing no bread? Do you still not see or understand? Are your hearts hard-

ened? Do you have eyes but fail to see? And don’t you remember when

I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many basketfuls of

pieces did you pick up?” ey answered, “Seven.” He said to them, “Do

you still not understand?”

Crickets.

(Actually, “locusts” would be more appropriate for this context.)

Upon reaching the northeastern shore, Jesus wastes no time maximizing

an opportunity to demonstrate his disciples’ lack of seeing with a visual

aid. Leading this blind man outside the village (since the lesson will be for

the disciples), Jesus spits on his eyes. Yep, that’s weird. Actually, saliva was

considered a healing agent in that day, so it wouldn’t have been as weird to

them. Following the saliva splash, Jesus asks, “Do you see anything?” e

man replies, “I see people; they look like trees walking around.”

Gotta hit “pause.”

When the seminal moment of strangeness appears, pay attention. It’s of-

ten where the point lies. Jesus heals the man’s vision, but only partially. It’s

intentional. Jesus never does anything random or accidental. Every word

and deed has a purpose. us, we turn our attention to the man and ask,

“Does he have eyes to see?” I think we’d all agree, “yes.” But if we asked,

“Does he truly see?” I think we’d all agree, “no.”

And that’s the point.

e disciples are like the partially healed blind man. ey have eyes to see,

but fail to see things clearly. And in a brilliant moment of compassion and

confrontation, Jesus kills two birds with one stone by graciously healing a

blind man and giving his disciples an unforgettable experience.

e implications of this story are far-reaching, and there’s a lot we could

explore with respect to Jesus’ words and actions, their connections to the

Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament), etc. But for our purposes, I believe

this story best illustrates how most of us read the Bible. We have eyes to

see, but our vision is fuzzy, and we don’t see the Bible clearly.

It’s why I believe so many people experience the Bible in so many dier-

ent ways.

Some experience the Bible as primitive, barbaric, and repressive. Some see

it as outdated and irrelevant. For some, simply hearing the words “e Bi-

ble” elicits anger and pain because someone harmed them in the name of

“being faithful to what the Bible says.” (Or more accurately, what some-

one thought the Bible said based upon their interpretation or religious

tradition, and then wielded it as a weapon.) For others, they experience

the Bible as boredom. Maybe they’ve always felt this way. Or perhaps they

used to nd it exciting, but due to believing they’ve seen and heard it all,

there’s nothing considerably new to be learned. And yet still others expe-

rience it with confusion, discouragement, and helplessness. ey want to

understand what the Bible says, but don’t know where to go or what to do

to ll in the missing pieces.

e good news is the Bible wasn’t intended to be experienced in these

ways.

e bad news is there’s clearly a problem.

And the problem doesn’t lie with the Bible.

e problem lies with us!

It’s essential to acknowledge that the Bible isn’t an easy book to under-

stand. In fact, it’s downright dicult because it’s a sophisticated library

of ancient literature, written over the course of fteen hundred years by

more than thirty dierent authors, on three dierent continents, each one

with a particular context. at’s the reality of the Bible.

e problem is that most of us have never been taught how to read and

interpret the Bible as such. And this has led to the number-one mistake

most everyone makes reading the Bible. And that mistake is this: we don’t

read the Bible in its original context.

e Bible was written for real people in real places in real situations at

real times. Yet most of us don’t take into consideration the Bible’s con-

text. It doesn’t even cross our minds. Most of us open our Bibles and the

rst question we’re asking is, “What is this saying to me?” If that’s the rst

question we’re asking, then we’re already reading the Bible poorly and out

of context. Why? Because we’re treating it like a modern text, believing its

clarity of meaning should be immediately accessible to us. But the Bible

isn’t a modern text. It’s an ancient one that needs to engaged on its terms.

Meaning, we need to read and the interpret the Bible through the lens of

its original context. If we don’t, our default lens will be our twenty-rst

century Western context (or wherever we are in the world), replete with

our own biases and personal histories with the Bible. And such a reading

will be severely tainted because the Bible’s context is dramatically dierent

than our own.

Again, most of us have never been taught to think about or engage the

Bible in this way. Yet we all understand the importance of context. Have

you ever been quoted out of context? Has someone ever said, “So-and-

So said this” and they went on to quote something you said, but failed

to communicate the context? Of course you have. We all have. And you

probably responded by providing the context for why you said what you

said. Context is everything. So when we strip the Bible of its original con-

text, and we fail to read it as it was intended, problems ensue.

In some cases, we miss out on the power of a passage because we under-

stand it too supercially. It’s not that we understand it wrongly. It’s that

we understand it incompletely. In other cases, however, our understand-

ing of a passage is just plain o.

Take a simple example like Philippians 4:13, which states, “I can do all

things through him who strengthens me.” is is one of the most famous

passages in the Bible, and it gets quoted all the time as motivation (or even

as God’s promise) to accomplish anything major in life – win the champi-

onship, make a million dollars, beat the disease, etc. e problem is that’s

not what the passage is about. In its context, the Apostle Paul is in jail, and

in the previous three verses, he talks about how he’s learned to be content

whatever the circumstances – whether he’s experiencing the best in life or

the absolute worst (and he’d been through some serious hells on earth). It’s

a passage about contentment. Paul’s proclaiming that he can endure any-

thing because the strength he has is beyond him – it’s the strength from

a compassionate God who sustains him (and by association, us) in every

season of life. It’s an exceedingly powerful passage!

But I’m guessing that’s not how most of us have traditionally read or un-

derstood Philippians 4:13. And that’s a relatively easy passage to under-

stand in context because all we really need to know is that Paul’s in jail,

and to simply read the three verses leading up to verse 13. And yet, how

many of us haven’t read that passage in context? Now think about other

passages that require robust context in order to understand what’s being

communicated. How many of those passages are we missing the point or

interpreting incorrectly?

And then think about how we’ll often use the Bible. We’ll quote a single

verse in a conversation or teaching to prove our point (or what we think

the Bible’s point is) and we’ll have no clue what the context of that verse

is. For many of us, quoting a text out of context is as automatic as breath-

ing. We don’t even realize we’re doing it. At times, our usage may be cor-

rect, but without knowing the context, how do we know? How are we

certain we’re not making the Bible say whatever we want? Or what if we’re

recirculating a bad interpretation? Without context, we have no guidelines

or guardrails. Anyone can make the Bible say nearly anything if it’s ripped

from its context. It happens all the time.

It’s hard to overstate the importance of context and interpreting the Bible

well.

Now this is not to say that the right study methods can solve everything.

e Bible is full of complexity and tension, and there’s a lot we don’t know

and can’t completely reconstruct from the ancient world. And we must be

humble enough to acknowledge these realities. Certain topics and issues

require signicant interpretation, and people do come to dierent con-

clusions.

In a fascinating conversation, recorded in Luke 10, an expert in the Jew-

ish law asks Jesus, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus replies,

“What is the written in the Law [i.e. rst ve books of the Old Testament]?

How do you read it?” e implication is that dierent people read things

dierently, and how we read something will determine what we believe.

e question is, “Are we doing the best we can to read responsibly?” be-

cause the implications are great.

is reminds of me of a phenomenal quote that’s been foundational for

me in my studies and teachings. It’s from Eugene Peterson’s book, Eat is

Book. In it, Eugene recounts a conversation with one of his Jewish rabbi

friends, who said:

“For us Jews studying the Bible is more important than obeying it, be-

cause if you don’t understand it rightly you will obey it wrongly and your

obedience will be disobedience.”

Feel free to read that again. It’s utterly brilliant.

2 Eugene Peterson, Eat is Book (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2009), 71.

What makes it so brilliant is its paradox and truth. It begins by acknowl-

edging the absolute necessity of reading and understanding the Bible well.

If we get that wrong, everything else suers, including our obedience –

which is ultimately the point. at’s the paradoxical beauty of this quote,

and exactly what Eugene’s friend is getting at. e goal is to obediently

walk out God’s Word. But if we don’t understand it well, we won’t be able

to do so. Or perhaps worse, we’ll think we’re doing so, but God would

contend otherwise.

e process of understanding the Bible well and then living it out is pre-

cisely the heartbeat of Walking e Text. I’m not simply interested in

helping you become a more eective reader of the Bible. at’s a means

to an end. I want to help you walk out the truths of Scripture so you can

experience the transformational power of God continually in your life.

But it begins by empowering you to read and understand the Bible as it

was intended. It begins by placing the Bible back in its original context

and asking the question, “What did it mean to the people back then?”

And once we’ve done that thrilling and responsible work, we’ll be able to

ask better questions and make deeper applications for our lives today.

em, then. Us, now. Text (Bible) in context. at’s the approach.

THE CONTEXTUAL FRAMEWORK

By now you’re probably wondering what’s involved in reading the Bible

in its original context. Well, here’s where it gets really exciting, and where

I believe this eBook is most valuable. What follows is a contextual frame-

work that will empower you to begin seeing the Bible as it was intended.

Over the last fourteen years of studying and teaching the Bible profession-

ally, I’ve been honing this framework to make it as simple as possible for

people to understand and interact with. Yet it’s not simplistic. Remember,

the Bible is a sophisticated piece of ancient literature, and it requires sev-

eral contextual lenses to engage it well. Although others may use dierent

terminology or categorize these lenses dierently, I’ve found this language

and arrangement to be the most helpful. is framework, illustrated in

the graphic below, represents the six dierent lenses of context through

which we must lter our reading and engagement of the Bible.

We’ll start at the top and move clockwise around this graphic. For each

lens of context, I’ll dene what it encompasses, oer examples from the

Bible, provide key questions to ask, and conclude by suggesting some out-

standing resources for going deeper with that contextual lens.

Also, let me mention that these various lenses overlap with one anoth-

er, and are not completely distinct. is overlapping is expected because

“context” is always integrated by nature.

To download a free, high resolution copy of this graphic, click HERE.

HISTORICAL

Remember, these are real people in real places in real situations at real

times. Historical context roots us in the historical setting of the day. It

allows us to understand what’s going on in the world and why certain

events are unfolding the way they are. Bible writers rarely provide us with

lots of details. Usually they simply make brief references expecting their

audience to know the larger historical setting.

For example, when Luke, a biographer on Jesus’ life, begins talking about

the circumstances surrounding Jesus’ birth, he opens with, “In the days

of Caesar Augustus” (Luke 2:1). is would be equivalent to beginning

a modern story with, “in the days of the Holocaust,” or “in the days of

Pearl Harbor,” or “in the days of Martin Luther King Jr.,” or “in the days

of ISIS.” Nothing else would need to be said because we understand the

context surrounding these recent historical events.

us, when Luke mentions “Caesar Augustus,” he expects his audience

to be intimately aware of the rise of the Roman Empire and its shift from

a democracy to a dictator, the rst of which was Caesar Augustus. Rome

was sweeping up the known world with a power and vengeance virtually

unseen in world history. Furthermore, it was proclaiming that their head,

Caesar Augustus, was a “divine son of god,” who had a “gospel (good

news) of peace” (known as the Pax Romana – “Peace of Rome,”

) for the

“salvation of humanity” through the “remission of sins.” Sound familiar?

When Jesus is birthed onto the scene, there will be a clash of kingdoms.

And all Luke has to write is, “In the days of Caesar Augustus.”

Some Key Questions to Ask:

¨ What time period are we dealing with?

¨ What’s happening on the world stage?

¨ What’s happening at a regional level?

¨ What’s happening at the particular location of this story?

¨ What’s happened in the past that’s informing these present events?

3 For the Romans, the “Peace of Rome” was the submission of the “Barbarians” (non-Ro-

mans) to the authority of the Roman Empire and its way of life. Ironically, this way

of “peace” was obtained through swords and crosses. You either submitted to Rome or

you were slaughtered or hung on a cross.

Key Resources

+ Understanding Biblical Kingdoms and Empires by Paul H. Wright

+ e Baker Book of Bible Charts, Maps, and Time Lines edited by

John A. Beck

CULTURAL

Whenever anyone visits a culture radically dierent than their own, they

usually experience “culture shock.” Everything from language to food to

clothing to music to literature to coinage to social norms to societal val-

ues to governmental policies to religious expressions – it’s all drastically

dierent. e same is true of the Bible, especially for those of us who live

in the western world. Every time we open the Bible, we’re engaging in a

cross-cultural experience. us, the goal of this CULTURAL lens is to un-

derstand what life was like

for these biblical people as best we can.

Aside

from the language piece (which will be addressed later), this CULTURAL

lens deals with all of these aspects of culture and more.

Since this is a massive lens, I’ll simply introduce you to a handful of sig-

nicant CULTURAL pigments coloring the biblical story.

4 ree disclaimers: (1) e resources I’ll be listing in each section are the most under-

standable for the general reader (i.e. not super scholarly). (2) Most of the resources can

apply to several of the contextual sections, but will only be listed once. (3) All of the

resources are hyperlinked (simply “click” on them) to where you can purchase them

online. Some of the links are aliate links (meaning if you purchase them through the

provided link, Walking e Text receives a small commission at no extra charge to you).

at being said, I only promote resources I believe my audience will benet from and

that I use myself. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commis-

sion’s 16 CFR, part 255: “guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimoni-

als in Advertising.”

5 What modern scholarship terms “ancient lifeways.”

6 ere are two primary means for reconstructing and understanding these ancient life-

ways for any given time period. e rst is ancient texts, which include both biblical

and extrabiblical (not only texts from other civilizations and people groups, but also

Jewish texts that didn’t end up in the Bible, yet are from the biblical period, such as the

books found in the Apocrypha, Pseudepigrapha, etc.). e second is the examination of

the archaeological record (i.e. the material culture found through archaeological digs).

ese work hand-in-hand. Ancient texts reveal details about the way of life, but it’s in

the archaeological record where they become realized.

Honor and Shame: these are two of the most signicant values shap-

ing behavior because they determine a person’s identity and social status.

us, impacting every facet of one’s life. Contrary to the western world’s

application of “shame” (primarily an internal feeling), “shame” as well as

“honor” were external realities that the larger community would either af-

rm or deny, making everything public. ese two values are so prevalent

in the Bible, they’re virtually never mentioned, but they’re inuencing ev-

erything, particularly in the Jewish setting throughout the Old and New

Testaments.

Hellenism: the cultural values and customs of the ancient Greeks (spread

throughout the world by Alexander the Great), and thoroughly adopted

by the Romans (thus known as the “Greco-Roman” context). e values

and customs of Hellenism couldn’t have been more polar opposite than

that of the Hebrew people. Since the majority of the New Testament is set

within the Roman world, it’s important to understand how the message

of Jesus, rooted in a Hebraic-Jewish context, had to be applied to a Gre-

co-Roman context. is is why Paul’s writings are so dierent than the

rest of the Bible. He’s writing to a dierent cultural context, and therefore

has to present the good news of Jesus in a way that resonates with his dis-

tinctive Greco-Roman audience.

Tribal Society: among its many features, relationships reign supreme, fam-

ily/clan/tribe aliation is everything, and community takes precedence

over the individual (individualism didn’t exist in the Jewish setting, but

was rampant in the Greco-Roman setting). Ironically, most of the “you’s”

in the Bible are plural (especially in the New Testament). Yet most of us

read “you” and immediately think singularly (or individually) because our

western world is steeped in a Hellenistic context, and we completely miss

the communal instructions and implications of what’s being communi-

cated.

Agrarian Society & Village Life: signicant portions of the Bible (in-

cluding the Gospels) take place in an agrarian society where farming and

village life is the norm. Understanding how farming communities func-

tioned (agricultural cycle, dry/wet season, tenant farmers, property lines,

etc.) and what village life was like is key to unlocking a plethora of stories.

e Temple was the Center of Jewish Life: there is no separation be-

tween “church” and “state” for the Hebrew people in the Bible. For them,

economics, politics, nationalism, military, religious expression – they’re

all tied into the same “institution” of the temple. Can you see why the

religious elite were irate when Jesus overturned the money changers and

critiqued the temple?

Rabbinical World: Jesus was a Jewish rabbi functioning in a Jewish world,

utilizing rabbinic hermeneutics (study techniques) and teaching practices

(such as remez

and the use of parables) to reach the audience of his day,

and raising up disciples to carry on his mission. Without an understand-

ing of this foundational cultural piece, I can’t even begin to express how

much of Jesus’ message and actions are lost upon the modern reader.

Speaking of Jesus and parables, let’s conclude this section by demonstrat-

ing how the depth and richness of this CULTURAL lens impacts his infa-

mous parable of the Prodigal Sons (yes, that’s intentionally plural) record-

ed in Luke 15:11-32.

• Inheritances weren’t granted until after a father’s death. When the

younger son asks for his share of the inheritance, he’s essentially say-

ing to his father, “I wish you were dead.”

7 Hebrew word meaning “hint,” and it’s the practice of mentioning a keyword or phrase

in a teaching that would “hint” at a passage from the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testa-

ment) with the assumption that the audience would know its broader meaning and

context from the Old Testament and import that context into the current teaching

moment to add greater signicance and clarity to the teaching. By the way, every time

you quote a movie line in a conversation, you’re engaging in remez. So if someone asks

for the truth, and you shout back at them, “You can’t handle the truth!” you’re actual-

ly utilizing a biblical teaching method. However, use sparingly. When the other party

doesn’t see it coming, it can be a bit unnerving.

8 e research of Kenneth Bailey in his brilliant work, Poet and Peasant and rough

Peasant Eyes (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1983), is the main resource consulted for the

cultural information that follows.

• Upon such a disgraceful request, a father is expected to beat his son

or perhaps cut o his inheritance. e father does neither. To the

absolute shock of the community in the story (nothing is private in

a village context), the father divides the property. Furthermore, the

father grants his youngest son disposition (the right to sell) as the in-

heritance in this time isn’t money, but property (land and animals).

• We’re told the father has two sons. When the younger son asks for his

inheritance, the older son should openly refuse receiving his portion

of the inheritance in protest to his brother’s disgraceful request. And

yet he says nothing. Furthermore, the older son is expected to step

into the role of the reconciler. Meaning, when a relationship fractures, a

third party (chosen on the closeness of their relationship to each side)

steps in to attempt healing of the relationship. Again, the older son

says nothing. His silence is as shocking as his brother’s request. And

because we’re told the father divided the property “between them,” the

older son gets his share as well, which would’ve been twice as much as

the younger brother since the eldest son customarily received a dou-

ble portion.

• When the younger son returns home, the father runs to meet him.

No dignied man runs and exposes his legs in this culture. It’s con-

sidered shameful and humiliating. And yet the father does it. Why?

is is an agrarian setting. People didn’t live in homes next to their

elds. ey lived in a village and went out to work their elds. e son

coming home isn’t a moment being shared by father and son, but by

the larger village community as well. And they’re furious at the sight

of the younger son. Remember, this is an honor and shame culture

where every action brings honor or shame upon you and your ex-

tended community. When the younger son asked for his inheritance,

he not only shamed his father, but the community as well. When

the older son remained silent, neither refusing his inheritance nor

stepping into the role of the reconciler, he shamed his father and the

community as well. is whole story is laced in shame. us, when

the younger son returns home, and the fathers runs to embrace him,

he’s not only shaming himself in order to reach his son more quick-

ly, but he’s racing to absorb his son’s shame and shield him from the

wrath of the village community. at’s how shockingly extravagant

the father’s love is for his lost younger son.

• And the story ends with the older son shaming his father by refusing

to join the party of his younger brother. And in his extravagant love

for his lost eldest son, the father again shames himself by leaving the

party (something a host never did in that culture). He does so to re-

mind his son how much he loves him and that everything he has is

his, and extends an invitation for his son to join the celebration.

is deepens the story, doesn’t it? e father is a depiction of God in this

story, and this is how Jesus conveys God’s love for lost and broken people

who are desperately in need of reconciliation. It’s no wonder that Jesus,

who was the exact imprint of God (see Hebrews 1:3), demonstrates his love

for people in a similar, “shameful” way. Crucixion was the most shame-

lled way to die in the ancient world (the shaming was as signicant as

the execution itself). And yet Jesus conquered death, sin and shame by

becoming sin for us (see 2 Corinthians 5:21) and dying on the very sym-

bol of shame in order to bring us life and freedom. Yep, that’ll preach.

And friends, this kind of cultural depth is everywhere in the Bible!

Key Questions to Ask

¨ Is this a Jewish context? Roman? Egyptian? Babylonian? Etc.?

¨ How is the context (Jewish, Roman, etc.) impacting the story?

¨ What cultural clues are given explicitly in the passage?

¨ What cultural aspects are sitting below the surface?

¨ How are values, such as honor and shame, inuencing the story?

¨ What assumptions are we making based on our own cultural lenses

that may or may not be accurate in the story?

Key Resources

+ Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary: Old Tes-

tament (5 Vols.)

+ Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary: New Tes-

tament (4 Vols.)

+ IVP Bible Backgrounds Commentary: Old Testament by John H.

Walton

+ IVP Bible Backgrounds Commentary: New Testament (2

Ed.) by

Craig S. Keener

+ Life in Biblical Israel by Philip J. King and Lawrence E. Stager

+ Jewish New Testament Commentary by David H. Stern

GEOGRAPHICAL

Knowing where an event took place matters a great deal. Without under-

standing the physical location, it’s nearly impossible to understand why

the event occurred in the rst place. It’s my contention that 90% of the

biblical stories happened because of the geographical setting.

Geographical context involves not only the physical placement of the site,

but also the physical contour of the area (topography), climate, geology

(rock types, which aects soil composition and available crops, which

leads to prime real estate, which everyone wants), water access (hydrolo-

gy), accessibility (whether it’s easy or dicult to get to), roads and trade

routes (which inuences economics), and politics (knowing who’s ruling

the area). All of these factor into the geographical context and help explain

why stories took place where they did.

Some of you are salivating with excitement. Some of you are thinking,

“Dude, you lost me at hydrology.” Still others are wondering if I’m say-

ing you have to become a geologist to understand the Bible. No, I’m not.

Just a hydrologist! Haha, just kidding. Seriously, please don’t panic on me.

I wouldn’t be sharing this with you if it wasn’t important. Furthermore,

there are several fantastic resources that do the heavy lifting for you, and

I’m sharing the most understandable and helpful ones in this eBook. Re-

member, the purpose is to introduce you to the various contextual lenses

that are absolutely necessary for reading the Bible as it was intended. e

biblical writers assume you understand the geography because their orig-

inal audience lived in the land. If we neglect the geography, much is lost.

For example, let’s look at a story most everyone’s familiar with – David

and Goliath. Recorded in 1 Samuel 17, their epic showdown takes place

in the Elah Valley. Why the Elah Valley? Where are the Philistines coming

from? Where’s the capital of Israel at this time (hint: not in Jerusalem)?

Where’s the capital in relationship to the Elah Valley? Why are the Philis-

tines attempting to reach the heartland of Israel through this valley? Why

does Jesse (David’s father) send his three oldest sons to the battlefront

when they aren’t enlisted in the army (see 1 Samuel 17:13-14)? What’s at

stake if David doesn’t win this battle? It’s the geography that answers these

questions.

So let’s unpack the geography.

e Elah Valley is a strategic location in a geographical region known as

the Shephelah (see map below). Often translated as “lowland” or “foot-

hills,” the Shephelah served as a buer zone between the at plain on Isra-

el’s western coast and the high hill country where signicant cities such as

Gibeah (Israel’s capital at this time), Jerusalem, and Hebron were located.

Politically, the Shephelah also served as a buer zone between the Israelites

and the Philistines, who had taken up residence on the coastal plain, with

their ve main cities (known as the “Philistine Pentapolis”)

dominating

the landscape (which included Gath – Goliath’s hometown). As one of six

valleys that served as corridors between the coastal plain on the west and

the hill country on the east, the Elah Valley was highly coveted by both

the Israelites and the Philistines.

9 Represented with stars on the map.

In our story, the Philistines are trying to break through the Elah Valley to

get up to the hill country and take out the kingdom of Israel. If the Israel-

ites fail to stop the Philistines in the Elah Valley, the Philistines will have

a straight shot to the hill country. Once in the hill country, the rst place

they’ll come to is Bethlehem – David’s hometown. Jesse sends his eldest

sons to the war because if they don’t help stop the Philistines in the Elah

Valley, the Philistines will be in their backyard next. And they won’t stand

a chance against the Philistines without the Israelite army.

Once Bethlehem is crushed, the next city on the main road running North-

South through the hill country is Gibeah, the capital city.

Like Bethle-

hem, it won’t stand a chance. Which means, if Israel loses in the Elah Val-

ley, it’s a two-move checkmate, and their kingdom falls.

So what’s at stake if David doesn’t win the battle? Everything.

His life.

His family’s life.

e kingdom of Israel.

10 Jerusalem sits o the main road a bit, and can be easily bypassed. But that’s irrelevant

during this time period since it’s not in Israelite control.

Created by the author using Accordance Bible Atlas

e Israelites becoming slaves – a horric reality particularly for women.

is is why the women sing, “Saul has slain his thousands, and David his

tens of thousands” (1 Samuel 18:7) when the men return home after Da-

vid kills Goliath. Saul didn’t do anything! But they have to give him his

due. He’s the king after all. But it’s David they’re singing and dancing to

because he’s rescued them from unspeakable evils.

ere’s a lot at stake, and we haven’t even touched the CULTURAL piece

that puts God’s honor at stake in this story. But we’ll leave that for anoth-

er time. For now, I think we’re all getting a sense for how powerfully the

geography plays into understanding the depth and signicance of even a

story most of us were familiar with.

Key Questions to Ask

¨ Where are we on a map?

¨ What do we know about this location?

¨ Are we dealing with mountains, valleys, deserts, etc.?

¨ Is this an urban or rural setting?

¨ Who lives there? What are they like?

¨ Who’s the ruling authority?

¨ What’s the ow of trac like around the area?

¨ Has anything happened in this location before? (Extremely import-

ant question to ask because geography holds memories, and stories

connect to other stories through the geographical location. Jesus, in

particular, was intentional about doing specic things at specic lo-

cations to link himself to Old Testament stories.)

Key Resources

+ Zondervan Atlas of the Bible by Carl G. Rasmussen

+ Rose en and Now Bible Map Atlas with Biblical Backgrounds

and Culture by Paul H. Wright

+ Biblical Backgrounds Introductory Study Package (for those really

interested in learning the geography of Israel and Jordan)

+ Lexham Geographic Commentary on the Gospels by Barry J. Beit-

zel (Editor)

VISUAL

Although similar to GEOGRAPHICAL, VISUAL demands a lens all of its

own. It’s one thing to know the location and topography and trade routes

and rainfall and political landscapes, but another thing to “see” the story or

location.

For example, when the paralytic is lowered through the roof of the house

in the city of Capernaum before Jesus (Luke 5), it’s particularly helpful

to have an idea of what the housing situation was like in Capernaum and

what a roof would’ve looked like and been composed of.

Many great illustrations have been produced in recent years providing a

visual context for “seeing” a story, such as this outstanding one of Caper-

naum created by Balage Balogh (ArchaeologyIllustrated.com). Illustrations

like this make it much easier to enter into the story and make observations

about what it would’ve been like to have been there.

Furthermore, a visual context is gleaned not only through artists’ illustra-

tions, but through actual photos of the locations themselves. Most of the

biblical locations and ruins have been identied and photographed. Speak-

ing of Capernaum, here’s a photo from Todd Bolen (BiblePlaces.com) of

housing remains in the foreground and what is believed to be the disciple

Peter’s house in the background (with a structure overtop protecting it).

Key Questions to Ask

¨ What did the place look like?

¨ Are there photos of the ancient ruins or location?

¨ Are there reputable artist illustrations of the story?

¨ What would it have been like to have be there?

Key Resources

+ Archaeology Illustrated (Balage Balogh) – Encompasses the most

stunning and helpful artist illustrations of the biblical world.

+ Bible Places (Todd Bolen) – Encompasses the most comprehensive

and spectacular library of biblical photos.

+ Holy Land Photos (Carl Rasmussen) – Encompasses a fantastic li-

brary of free, biblical photos.

+ A Visual Guide to Bible Events by James C. Martin, John A. Beck

and David G. Hansen

+ A Visual Guide to Gospel Events by James C. Martin, John A. Beck

and David G. Hansen

LINGUISTIC

is lens deals with the original languages of the Bible (and thus trans-

lations), including the words used and their meanings (both their literal

meanings and the cultural values and theology associated with them since

the greatest expression of a culture’s value system is found in its language).

I know this may seem overly elementary to many of you, but it needs to

be stated. e Bible wasn’t originally written in English. Or Latin. Or

French. Or German. Or Spanish. e Old Testament was originally writ-

ten in Hebrew (the book of Daniel uses Aramaic as well). And the manu-

scripts we have of the New Testament are in Greek.

Both of these languages function very dierently than English, especial-

ly Hebrew. As my friend Lois Tverberg describes it, “Hebrew is a ‘word‐

poor’ language. Biblical Hebrew includes only about 8,000 words,

far

fewer than the 400,000 or more we have in English. Paradoxically, the

richness of Hebrew comes from its poverty. Because the ancient language

has so few words, each one is like an overstued suitcase, bulging with ex-

tra meanings that it must carry in order for the language to fully describe

reality.”

is is why we have so many dierent translations. ere are numerous

options translating from Hebrew to English (same is true of Greek). Ow-

ing to this reality, we must keep in mind that every translation is an inter-

pretation. What translators believe is going on in a passage will determine

11 It’s worth mentioning that Biblical Hebrew refers to the words from the Ancient He-

brew language used in the Old Testament. erefore, Biblical Hebrew is a subset of

Ancient Hebrew. ere were more than 8,000 words in the Ancient Hebrew language,

but the Old Testament writers utilized about 8,000 of them.

12 Lois Tverberg, Walking in the Dust of Rabbi Jesus (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2012),

36-37.

how they translate that passage, since multiple options are generally on

the table.

For some, knowing that every translation is an interpretation makes them

question if they can trust their Bible. e answer is “yes.” You can trust your

Bible. Translators are brilliant. Without their ability to translate from the

original languages, most of the world wouldn’t be able to read the Bible,

myself included. And they do a fabulous job. Just be aware that dierent

translators translate passages dierently, and each translation is approach-

ing the translation process from a dierent perspective with dierent ob-

jectives.

erefore, my highest recommendation is not to lean on a single trans-

lation, but on several. In addition to the original languages, I study from

seven dierent English translations. If it’s helpful to you, they are:

1. NASB: New American Standard Bible

2. ESV: English Standard Version

3. NIV: New International Version

4. NRSV: New Revised Standard Version

5. NET: New English Translation – 2nd Ed. (has more than 58,000

translator notes that are both phenomenal and accessible to the gen-

eral reader)

6. Jewish Translation: (Jewish Publication Society Tanakh for Old Testa-

ment study and the Complete Jewish Bible for New Testament study)

7. TLV: Tree of Life Version (this is a Messianic Jewish translation of

the entire Bible)

13 Some translations are more literal, attempting to translate word-for-word. Other trans-

lations smooth things out and do so by translating thought-for-thought. And still oth-

ers translate more like as a paraphrase.

ere are lots of great translations. ese are just the ones I’ve found most

helpful for my studies. I would recommend you nding at least three. is

will help you see the various ways a word or phrase can be translated, and

give you a fuller picture of the passage or story you’re reading.

e other aspect of LINGUISTIC is studying the actual Hebrew and

Greek words used in a passage, understanding what they mean, and how

and where they’re used elsewhere (both in the Bible and in other ancient

near eastern literature). is information, at varying levels, can be most

readily attained through free online software programs, or more compre-

hensive paid software programs (listed below).

Key Questions to Ask

¨ What words appear to be signicant (pay attention if key words are

repeated)?

¨ How do other translations translate it?

¨ What does the word mean in its original language?

¨ Is the word communicating anything visual (Hebrew and Greek of-

ten have word pictures associated with key words) or a cultural value?

¨ Where else is it used in this particular book of the Bible?

¨ Where else is it used in the Bible?

Key Resources

+ Free Online Software Programs: NET Bible (Bible.org), BlueLetterBible.org

+ Paid Software Programs: Accordance, Logos, Olive Tree

LITERARY

It’s worth mentioning again that these six contextual lenses overlap with

one another. is is probably most evident with the LINGUISTIC and

LITERARY. In making a distinction, whereas LINGUISTIC address-

es the specic Hebrew and Greek languages and their word meanings,

LITERARY addresses the literature of the Bible itself, and does so through

four distinctive subcategories: (1) Genre, (2) Design, (3) W’s, and (4)

Placement.

Genre. Most people don’t realize there are eight dierent genres in the Bi-

ble. Knowing what type of genre you’re dealing with is critical to under-

standing what’s being written. We’d all acknowledge that reading poetry

is dierent than reading nonction, which is dierent than reading a le-

gal document. Each has its own set of literary rules for engagement, and

must be read with those rules in mind. e same is true of the Bible. You

cannot read Proverbs the same way you read the Psalms. You cannot read

Paul’s letters the same way you read the book of Exodus. You cannot read

Revelation the same way you read Acts or the Gospels. ese are all dif-

ferent types of literature, and they each have their own set of rules. If you

don’t know the genre, and its associated rules, you’ll likely read that text

out of context and misinterpret what’s going on.

Some people organize and name these genres dierently, but I nd John

A. Beck’s to be the most helpful.

Here are the 8 Dierent Genres:

1. Historical Narrative: Writers turn an event into a story by careful-

ly selecting and organizing details so that the lesson(s) to be learned

from the event becomes more apparent. To that end, the author

makes use of plot design, narration, time manipulation, and charac-

terization.

2. Hebrew Poetry: Poets speak in more abstract fashion, expressing

their ideas in compact bursts of artfully designed, emotion-lled

language that trades in sound, metaphor, imagery, and repetition.

14 Titles and brief descriptions are quoted from John A. Beck (Editor), e Baker Book of

Bible Charts, Maps, and Time Lines (Grand Rapids: Baker Publishing Group, 2016),

33.

3. Law: Law consists of divine directives that contained little if any

literary embellishment. In straightforward fashion, they’re meant to

shape the way God’s people think and live.

4. Wisdom: Wisdom combines Hebrew poetry and law, oering gen-

eralizations on how to live and think successfully. is poetry can

take the form of a proverb or extended dialogue (Job).

5. Prophecy: Prophets bring a message from God to people whose

immediate circumstances reveal a need for correction, hope, or an

insight into the future. e bulk of prophetic literature in the Old

Testament is written in the form of Hebrew poetry.

6. Parable: e parable takes a well-known image from the writer’s ev-

eryday surroundings and, by analogy, turns it into a divine truth.

7. Letter (Epistle): As news of Jesus spread into new contexts and cul-

tures, questions arose with regard to lifestyle and theology. ese

theological and moral issues were claried in letters addressed to

both individuals and groups from respected Christian teachers.

8. Apocalyptic: Apocalyptic literature makes use of fantastic images

and extended visual metaphors in a bid to create hope among those

facing dicult days. e message will generally revolve around the

theme “ings will get better.”

It’s important to note that most books encompass more than one genre,

which can make things dicult. But once you know how each genre func-

tions, it’s easier to spot the change of genres within a particular book.

Design. Every book has its own literary design and structure. No book

was haphazardly composed. ere is a form to all of them. Knowing how

a book is designed allows you to see the major themes and navigate the

particulars of that book with greater intension and clarity.

W ’s. ese include answers to the classic who, where, when and why.

• Who/Where: Who wrote the book? Where did they write it from?

What are their circumstances? And to whom was it written? Where

do they reside? What’s the relationship between the writer and the

audience? For example, Ephesians and Colossians were both written

by the Apostle Paul and they’re very similar. He wrote them while un-

der house arrest in Rome, which adds substantial meaning to what’s

contained in both letters. e letters were written to dierent groups

of Jesus followers, but it’s Paul’s relationship to each that’s import-

ant. Paul knows the followers of Jesus in Ephesus extremely well. e

ones in Colossae he’s never met. ough the letters are similar, there

are some marked dierences, particularly when Paul pushes the enve-

lope. He pushes it much further with the Ephesian audience because

he has a relationship with them and can push them in some key sub-

ject matters.

• When: When was the book written (composition date)? Is the ma-

terial in the book from an earlier time period or is it contemporary

with the composition date? For example, the books of Chronicles

were composed after the Babylonian Exile, much later than the ma-

terial it covers (i.e. the stories of the Judean kings before the Exile).

Comparing them to the books of Samuel and Kings (dealing with

the same time period, but composed prior to the Exile), you realize

the writer of Chronicles isn’t interested in including all of the failures

of Israel leaders. ey’re trying to re-establish hope for the Jewish

people’s future, which includes trusting their leadership. Reminding

them of their leaders’ past failures apparently felt counterproductive,

and thus were excluded.

• Why: Why was the book written? What’s its overall purpose?

Placement. is deals with where a particular passage or story resides. In

addressing the placement, you want to address it on three dierent levels.

• Within the Book: (both immediate placement and overall within the

specic Bible book) What’s immediately surrounding this passage or

story in the book? Where is it placed in the overall book?

• Within the Author’s Other Writings: (being mindful of composition

date) Does the author address this anywhere else in their writings?

How does that impact the reading of the current story or passage?

• Within the Larger Biblical Narrative: Where is this story found in

the overall narrative of the Bible? is last level of placement is really

signicant because the Bible is a single, unied story, comprised of

hundreds of little stories that all tie into the big story. Knowing where

you are in the larger story helps make sense of the smaller stories, and

why they were included. Furthermore, knowing the big story is es-

sential to interpreting what the biblical stance is on dierent subject

matters, such as slavery. If you don’t trace the movement from the

Old Testament through the New Testament, you’ll miss what the Bi-

ble is ultimately communicating.

Key Questions to Ask (in addition to all of the questions provided in this section)

¨ What type of genre is this?

¨ What’s its literary design?

¨ Are there parallel stories? Meaning, does this story have echoes to