How to use the Cultural Setting of the Bible to Understand It

The way the people lived—their social and religious customs and legal requirements—is the context from which a writing comes. To understand the relevant culture is to understand the meaning of a writing more clearly.

Cultural Background Learned from The Bible

Some customs and cultural background can be learned from the Bible itself. In Matthew 15:2, the Pharisees and scribes wanted to know why the disciples of Christ did not wash their hands before they ate. That would seem to be a reasonable question. Is it not strange that the disciples did not wash before eating? Why does it appear that Christ is against such a sanitary practice? Mark gives us a parenthetical explanation of the custom involved (7:3–4). He explained that it was a religious ceremony and that the baptisms are not only for one’s hands, but for everything else involved in the meal. It becomes clear that the confrontation was not over a question of sanitation but over a matter of religious ceremony in which Christ was true to His personal tradition of opposing the bondage of man-made religious requirements.

In another example, it seems incredible to us that a man would vow to make a burnt offering of whatever came out of the doors of his house to meet him (Judg. 11:30–40). Vow or no vow, it seems so incomprehensible that a man would then sacrifice his only child that some interpreters have held he did not sacrifice his daughter, but sim-ply sent her away. Since it is said that “she had no relations with a man,” some conclude that the “offering” was a commitment to celibacy. However, the entire passage seems to indicate that the common practice of sacrificing one’s own child is precisely what took place. There is continual reference in Scripture to the custom of surrounding nations of sacrificing their own children. That was one of the great sins of Israel as well (Lev. 18:21, 20:2–5; Deut. 12:30–31; Ps. 106:37).

Though much of the cultural background needed to understand the New Testament can be found in the Old Testament, sometimes we must consult archeological sources and other records from that day for help in understanding a passage.

Cultural Background from Extrabiblical Sources

Cultural backgrounds from sources outside the Bible are helpful in understanding the meaning of many passages. In the above-mentioned Scripture references, the abomination of the people in surrounding nations was to cause their “seed” to “pass through the fire.” Actually, a giant metal idol was made as a furnace that could be heated red-hot. Into the fiery outstretched hands of the god a parent would place his own infant, a sacrifice to appease the gods or to gain some great favor. That background helps in understanding the frequent reference to “passing through the fire.”

In John 9, it seems strange that the parents of the blind man were so afraid of “being put out of the synagogue” that they would not stand with their own son (v. 22). Even stranger, the context reveals that they were not in a synagogue at all, but that the healing took place in the temple. Knowing the Jewish culture, however, solves the puzzle. From extrabiblical sources we learn that membership was not in the temple, but in the local synagogue. To be “put out” was an excommunication that involved virtual disenfranchisement. As far as the Jewish community was concerned, excommunication was the loss of citizenship rights. Against that background, the courage of the blind man in speaking the way he does to the religious leaders is astounding.

Christ told the parable of the wedding guest who could not get in because he did not have a wedding garment (Matt. 22:11). That really seems unfair, particularly since the guests did not ask to come but were “drafted” from the highways and hedges. It seems even more unreasonable when the one without a wedding garment was tied hand and foot and thrown out! A study of the cultural background helps to unravel the mystery. The wedding garment was provided by the host. One who would refuse that provision by the host would thereby prove himself to be a usurper and be deliberately disqualified.

In the same passage Christ responded to a trick question from the Herodians. He told them that they should “render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s” (Matt. 22:21). Whole theologies of cultural integration have been built on that enigmatic statement. However, it is plain from the context that Jesus was giving an answer in kind to those who would trap Him with an insincere question. Research into the cultural background indicates that “secular” money was not legitimate as an offering in the Temple. That is why there were money changers in the Temple. Temple offerings had to be made in Temple currency, so there were money exchange banks on the premises. The Herodians were trying to trap Jesus into making an unpatriotic statement. Either He would have to oppose the law of the land, the hated Roman taxation, and thus be unlawful; or He would have to favor the taxation and be a traitor to His own people. In the face of that, He sidestepped the question by indicating that if a coin had a man’s name and face on it, it must belong to him! Similarly, Temple coins should be put in the Temple offering, not used to pay Roman taxes.

By His answer Jesus remained both a law-abiding subject of Rome and a loyal son of Israel. Profound teaching concerning a cultural mandate to be involved in the affairs of this world will have to be sought elsewhere in Scripture. Hence, the cultural background can help considerably in the understanding of a passage.

But one must be very careful in seeking for understanding from extrabiblical sources. For example, a contemporary preacher has reinforced his “doctrine of prosperity” by saying that Christ riding on a donkey was the cultural equivalent of driving a luxurious automobile today. A comfortable doctrine, but hardly what the prophet predicted concerning the lowly Messiah who did not arrive on a prancing war-horse: “Behold, your king is coming to you; He is just and endowed with salvation, humble, and mounted on a donkey” (Zech. 9:9).

How does one find answers to questions about the historical, physical, and cultural setting? What are the tools that must be used? As we have seen, a careful reading of the context often will shed light on the question of setting, and that is where a person begins his study.

Perhaps the most useful tools of all are cross-references given in the margins of any good study Bible. Topical Bibles serve the same purpose. In other words, the Bible itself usually provides the information needed concerning the historical and cultural setting of a given passage. When a Bible student has advanced enough to know where parallel passages and historical background are given, such a tool may not be needed as often. However, for most Bible students it is necessary to locate parallel passages for further light on historical events and cultural background that would help interpret the passage under study.

Those are the basic tools. However, much more can be gleaned from the works of those who have done special studies on cultural matters. For that reason, books on Bible background, Bible dictionaries, and Bible encyclopedias are a great help in researching the cultural setting of the Bible.

The specialist who has used those guidelines for interpreting Scripture will write his findings in a “critical” commentary. Critical commentaries are different from devotional commentaries in that they deal with questions of meaning. Devotional commentaries do not normally deal with questions of textual criticism and careful exegesis of a passage. Rather, they concentrate on applying a passage to life. By using all the guidelines of hermeneutics, the critical commentator endeavors to draw out the meaning of a text. Such a commentator has already done what we are now learning to do.

Even for the experienced Bible student it is best to consult the commentary after one has made his own independent study. There are several reasons for that. First, no commentator is infallible, nor is any commentator an expert on every passage of Scripture. Often a commentator will rely on the work of earlier commentators. Therefore, to preserve one’s independent judgment and the integrity of one’s own work, it is best to do personal study first by exegeting or drawing out the meaning of the passage with the basic tools. On the other hand, it is never wise to conclude one’s study without referring to several of the best commentators on a given passage. In that final stage of study, the commentator provides a check for one’s own conclusions and also provides additional insight before one’s work is complete. Furthermore, the commentator provides appropriate background sources that can be checked.