Cultural context

Over the past couple of posts, we have been looking at the different types of context that can enhance our understanding of the Bible.

This week we look at cultural context.

“This field of research is important because grasping the original audience’s perspective helps us understand the setting to which the inspired authors communicated their message.”
John H. Walton  & Craig S Keener

Historical context can run parallel to cultural context. Knowing the period of history a passage is taken from helps to pinpoint the culture of that time. Living in America, we have a different culture than the one of the Bible. Learning more about how people lived and what they understood helps understand what the authors of the Bible assumed that their audience already knew.

“Even though the Bible was written for us, it wasn’t written to us. When we take our Western, modern culture and impose it on the text, we’re putting in meaning that wasn’t there, and we’re missing the meaning that the text has.” Dr. John H. Walton

“Sometimes people get frustrated with the Bible because the difficult figures of speech, and the images, and the customs they read about seem foreign to them. But when we explain those, then we open up the text of the Bible in a fresh, new way to understand what the text of the Bible is really addressing.” Dr. Craig S Keener

We have cultural nuances in our western world that are definitely different than the culture of the Bible.

If you have watched a television show, say, from the 1980s, the actors’ references are commonly relevant at the time. However, if you don’t know the references, they imply or assume, you will have difficulty understanding a situation or joke made on the show.

The same is with the Bible. The author of the book is writing to an audience that has a common understanding of the times. So when a situation comes about or actions of a person in the Bible transpire, the audience already knows the cultural tenor of the story and its meaning.

For example,
When you read about the ten plagues (Exodus chapters 5-12) of Egypt during the story of the Exodus, it is helpful to know a little about Egyptian culture. Within the Egyptian culture, they had many gods and goddesses for almost every aspect of their life. The plagues God sent to Egypt demonstrated that God was greater than any Egyptian gods and goddesses. When God turned the water from the Nile river into blood, God showed that He was greater than HAPI, the god of the Nile. When God caused darkness over the land of Egypt, not where the Israelites lived, it showed that God was greater than RA, the god of the sun. This brings a whole new meaning to this story of the Exodus. God was not only demonstrating His power and greatness to the Israelites but also to the Egyptians. God was making Himself known, yet the Egyptian chose not to believe.

The more we dig into the word, the more we learn about God. Understanding His Word assists us in applying His commands and principle. Cultural context can be an aid in our understanding of an application.

References: NKJV Cultural Background Study Bible