Contextual Considerations for Interpretation

Interpretation does not happen in a vacuum.  Every action, every statement, every occurrence is interpreted behind filters.  These filters are cultural, familial, relational, economic, linguistic, and a slew of others that affect how we receive and comprehend the world around us.  For instance, think about when someone says, "Could you turn off the lights, please?"  We interpret that message and decipher its content through a litany of lenses that help us to make sense of what is actually being communicated.

Whether it is listening to the fall breeze blow outside your window, watching a television commercial, or discussing the plans for the weekend's events with a friend, interpretation is essential to life as a human.  In many cases, how accurately we can interpret any specific message or phenomena is dependent on how well we can be aware of the interpretive lenses we are using to interpret.

This is especially important when talking about the Bible.  The Bible is an ancient anthology of ancient literary pieces.  The various books of the Bible each were written at a specific time in a specific historical context with its own set of rules and its own way of writing that is firmly grounded within its own era and context.  However, we, as interpreters, inevitably live in a wholly different, modern context.  This means that the first step of biblical interpretation involves an intentional process of learning both about our context as well as the distinct context of the book under examination.

While this may sound abstract or conceptual in nature, the point is incredibly practical.  Our goal as interpreters of Scripture has been, is, and will always be to get the most accurate interpretations of Scripture that we possible can.  And one of the essential tasks to accomplish this is for us to look beyond our contextual lenses so that we can engage Scripture on its terms instead of trying to make Scripture contract to our terms.  Let us then take time when interpreting to understand where we are coming from so that we can understand where the Bible is coming from as accurately as possible.