“For you shall go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall break forth into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands” (Isaiah 55:12).

Literary context is crucial to understanding the Bible. Cults, for example, are notorious for twisting Scripture and their misinterpretations quite often reflect a break from literary context.[1] Although falling prey to a cult may be an extreme consequence of what could happen as a result of failing to take literary context into consideration, misunderstandings may arise that impede our relationship with God through a lack of understanding of Scripture. Given the genre of Isaiah, “For you shall go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall break forth into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands” (55:12, ESV),2 it would be inappropriate to interpret the passage as being in error on the basis that trees don’t actually have hands to clap.3 Since literary context is at the heart of linguistic communication, understanding Scripture according to its natural meaning in the literary context in which it occurs is probably the most important principle of hermeneutics.4

The examination of different contextual domains are critical to interpret a passage in its literary context; they include: immediate context, book context, and Bible context. Immediate context is the material that comes immediately before and after the passage in question, and most influences the meaning over the text or passage.5 Book context refers to understanding a passage in terms of the book as a whole.6 Despite being comprised of multiple human authors, Bible context refers to the unity the Bible as a whole providing for every passage or text within its pages.7 Although biblical authors may write from different perspectives and choose to emphasize different points for different reasons, the Holy Spirit’s inspiration ensures consistency throughout Scripture on any particular subject. 

Although scholars consider it more controversial and difficult to control, in terms of theme, I believe that Bible context is most useful in hermeneutics. Moreover, “the Bible possesses an overall literary unity despite its diversity of human authors. Scripture’s divine inspiration gives continuity of thought to books written over a 1,500-year period;” 8therefore, I submit that one’s faith in the guidance of the Holy Spirit should guide the study of the Word, much in the same way one’s faith in the guidance of the Holy Spirit should guide one’s life as a Christian. Whereas each writer has their own understanding and method of articulating God’s truth, parallels are recognized among the different biblical writers, in particular those within the same testament. Even among the OT writers, many of whom are separated by generations, there is a sense of unity and continuity.9 I liken understanding literary context to much of the other subjects I have discussed so far in this blog wherein we take a closer look at the inner workings of God’s word and as a result grow to know God better!

[1] J. Scott Duval and J. Daniel Hays, Grasping God’s Word Workbook: A Hands-On Approach to Reading, Interpreting, and Applying the Bible, Third Edition (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Academic, 2019), 153.

2 Unless otherwise noted, all biblical passages referenced are in the English Standard Version.

3 William W. Klein, Craig L. Blomberg, & Robert L. Hubbard Jr., Introduction to Biblical Interpretation, Third Edition (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Academic, 2017), 215.

4 Ibid., 298.

5 Ibid., 301.

6 Ibid., 305.

7 Ibid., 308.

8 Ibid., 308.

9 Ibid., 309.

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