When you are studying a passage of Scripture it is important to consider the broader context, not just the surrounding paragraphs but also the way these verses connect with the overall themes of the book as a whole. To accomplish this, we will need step back and gain an overview of a particular book of the Bible. Who wrote the book? What do we know about the original audience? When was the book written? What were the circumstances? Where did these people live? Where was the author as he penned these words? How is the book structured? Why did he write this book? How does the passage you are studying fit into the outline of the book? Notice that we have come back to our investigative questions: who, what, when, where, why, and how. Unless we take the time to gain an overview of the entire book, we will lack the necessary background information to make sense of what we’re reading. If it sounds like studying the Bible takes work, that because it does! Good exegesis cannot be rushed. We may be able to answer many of these background questions simply by reading through the book, from the opening chapter all the way to the end. We can also consult helpful Bible Study tools like Surveys and Introductions. These resources discuss the authorship, date, original audience, location from which the book was written, purpose, and outline. If you own a Study Bible (i.e. Ryrie Study Bible, ESV Study Bible, Zondervan NIV Biblical Theology Study Bible, Scofield Reference Bible…) you will find a brief introduction before each book of the Bible. This is helpful, even though it will be very condensed.
