***The Number One Mistake Everyone Makes When Reading Their Bible***
*written by Eric Paul Goetsch*

**Have you ever heard of Ezekiel's bread?**
You can find it in your local high-end grocery market, and according to the bag, “Ezekiel’s Bread is crafted in the likeness of the Holy Scripture verse Ezekiel 4:9 to ensure unrivaled honest nutrition and pure, delicious flavors.” With the scripture verse right on the bag as well:
*“Take also unto thee wheat, and barley, and beans, and lentils and millet, and spelt and put them in one vessel…"*
**Before you flock to the stores to buy some, though, I think some further context is important.**

“And thy meat which thou shalt eat shall be by weight, twenty shekels a day: from time to time shalt thou eat it. Thou shalt drink also water by measure, the sixth part of an hin: from time to time shalt thou drink. And thou shalt eat it as barley cakes, and thou shalt bake it with dung that cometh out of man, in their sight.”

Ezekiel 4:10-12 (emphasis mine)

So, uhh, maybe don’t buy that bread after all. What this illustrates to us is the importance of a Bible verse’s context.

Without considering the proper context of a verse, you can end up with Ezekiel Bread or worse. The examples are endless of people pulling Bible verses out of context so it can say whatever they want it to say. So, at the very least, context is the verses before and after, the chapter in which the verse is found, and the book in which that chapter is contained. However, true context goes a lot further and deeper as well.

It is my belief that the number one mistake people make when opening their Bible is that they do not read it in its proper context.

Let me explain: when we open the Bible, we bring all kinds of assumptions to the table. We are shaped by our modern, western, Americanized way of thinking, and we don’t even realize it most of the time. We do this naturally because it’s our context. But here’s the thing: the Bible wasn’t written in 21st-century America. The Bible was written for you, but none of it was written to you. It’s an ancient text, written by people (inspired by the Holy Spirit) with a very different worldview, from a very different place, at a very different time, in a very different language.

It is important to start from the assumption that the authority of the Scriptures comes from the intent of the Author. In the nerdy, biblical scholar circle, they call this interpreting Scripture through its “Authoritative Intent.” Two basic questions get asked of every passage:

1. What did the Author mean when they wrote this? and

2. What did the Audience understand when they heard/read this?

Seems pretty straightforward, except between us and this inspired conversation is a massive gap of context. In the words of New Testament professor, Dr. Gary Burge, “Too many times we have forgotten that we read the Bible as foreigners, as visitors… We are literary tourists who are deeply in need of a guide.” The good news is the Holy Spirit wants and promises to be that Guide for us. (John 16:13-15)

So, travel with me for a few moments to the world of the Bible. Take off your Air Jordans and put on your Air Jesus’ (AKA Birkenstocks). Let’s consider five lenses of context that will help us properly interpret the inspired Text.

**🔎 The Historical Lens**

***The Bible was written in specific historical contexts that shaped its message.*** If we ignore the historical setting, we risk misunderstanding the text. For example, when Jesus spoke about the Kingdom of God, His audience wasn’t picturing a vague spiritual realm; they were living under Roman rule and expecting a political revolution. Understanding their historical reality helps us see why Jesus’ message was both radical and misunderstood.

💬 Question to ask: When was this written?
✍🏼 Terms and Time periods to grow familiar with:

1. The Old Testament was written in the worldview of Ancient Mesopotamia. Typically, scholarship refers to this region as The Ancient Near East (ANE).
2. The New Testament was written during the Roman Empire, but the Greek influence was heavy on the specific regions mentioned in Scripture. Become familiar with The Greco-Roman World and “Hellenism.”
3. The Jewish people under the Roman empire were very divided, but the general time period that gives an overview of all this is Second Temple Judaism.

**🔎 The Cultural Lens**

***Every culture has its own values and customs.*** The Biblical world was deeply communal, unlike the Westerner’s highly individualistic mindset. In ancient Israel, people saw themselves primarily as part of a family, tribe, or nation rather than as isolated individuals. The value of the East is one of shame and honor, not guilt and innocence. Jesus’ most familiar parable in Luke 15, The Prodigal Son, takes on new life when we consider who was hearing the story and how they were hearing the story. The publicans and sinners and the Pharisees and Scribes (Luke 15:1-2).
***Just consider one of the four groups as an example.*** The publicans were Jewish citizens who had gone to work for Rome and therefore were disowned by their Jewish families because they were seen as traitors. Many of them would have been kicked out of the family and marked as dead. A funeral would be held for them, a grave marked with their name, and families would have sat Shiva and mourned their death. How much more meaning do the words the Father states in Luke 15:4 hold when we understand these cultural practices?
*“For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.”* (emphasis mine)

💬 Question to ask: Who was this written to?
✍🏼 Terms to learn and study: The Jewish community of the New Testament was segregated into at least five major groups:

1. Essenes | 2. Herodians | 3. Pharisees | 4. Sadducees | 5. *Zealots

*This does not include many other non-Jewish people Jesus encounters throughout the Gospels, such as the Samaritans (John 4), the Syrophoenician Woman (Matthew 15:22), and the people from the Decapolis (Luke 8).

**🔎 The Geographical Lens**

Biblical events took place in real locations with specific landscapes and climates. Geography often plays a significant role in understanding the text. For instance, when Psalm 23 describes God as a shepherd leading His people beside "still waters," this imagery takes on deeper meaning when we understand Israel’s rugged desert terrain. Water wasn’t a common commodity; it was scarce and a matter of survival. The “green pastures” are not those seen in a Thomas Kinkade painting, but rather small patches that were just enough for the sheep to eat in their moment of need.

Another geographical example is in 1 Kings 18:46. Elijah runs from Mt. Carmel to Jezreel, and looking at a map, it’s 15 miles. Quite the workout, but hang on, there’s more. After finding out that Jezebel was seeking his life, 1 Kings 19:3 says, he flees Jezreel and runs to Beersheba. Looking at a map again, Beersheba is at the southernmost part of Judah, down by the Dead Sea. It’s at least another 100 miles. He then goes on a day's journey into the wilderness. Could it be that part of Elijah’s mental breakdown and depression is caused by his physical fatigue? Without looking at the geography, these details are easy to miss.

💬 Question to ask: Where was this written?
✍🏼 Tips for study and learning: The maps in the back of your Bible are a great place to start! Don’t skip over the names of places as you read. Train your mind to stop and look up where the story is taking place.

**🔎 The Linguistic Lens**

***The Bible was written in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek, and translation can rarely fully capture all the nuances of these languages.*** Take, for example, the fact that Biblical Hebrew only has about 6,000 words. For perspective, there are over 170,000 in our modern English! What that means is the Biblical writers were both precise and yet vague at the same time, often relying on images to tell the story. The Biblical Greek, while having more words than Hebrew, still has far less than English; however, Greek is precise and less nuanced.

In English, I use the word “love” quite broadly. I love my wife, and I love tacos, but I love them both differently. In Greek, there are four different words for love:

Agape (ἀγάπη) (1 Corinthians 13): Unconditional, sacrificial love.
Philia (φιλία) (John 11:3): Deep friendship and affection.
Eros (ἐρως): Romantic love (though not used in the NT, it is used in the Greek translation of the OT).
Storge (στοργή) (Romans 12:10): Familial love.

Likewise, in Hebrew, there are also four words that can be translated as love.
Ahavah (אַהֲבָה) (Deut. 6:5): This is the most common Hebrew word for love, used broadly for romance, friendship, and even God’s love for His people. It conveys deep affection and commitment.
Racham (רַחַם) (Isaiah 49:15): This word carries the idea of compassionate love. It comes from the root word for “womb,” emphasizing tender mercy and care.
Dod (דּוֹד) (Song of Solomon 1:2): This word refers to romantic, passionate, and even sensual love. It conveys intimacy and physical desire.
Chesed or Hesed (חֶסֶד) (Lamentations 3:22-23): Often translated as “loving-kindness.” This word describes covenantal love. God’s faithful, unwavering love.

And that’s just ONE English word.

💬 Questions to ask: What language is this written in? How was this word used in their culture? Where did this word originate from?
✍🏼 Tips for study and learning: A free resource that does a pretty good job helping you understand the original words is Blue Letter Bible.

**The Literary Lens**

***The Bible is a unified story that leads to Jesus.*** However, that story is not found in a single book but rather a collection of writings that span across different genres. Reading each book according to its literary style helps us interpret it correctly. If you walked into your local bookstore today, you’d quickly find a plethora of different genres of books. We understand there is a difference between fiction, nonfiction, and historical nonfiction. The different genres and subgenres each convey a message in their own different forms. The same is true with Scripture. *Understanding what genre of literature you are reading is critical for understanding God’s message.*

***The book of Revelation is full of symbolic imagery.*** When John describes Jesus with a sword coming from His mouth (Revelation 1:16), this isn’t a literal description—it’s a literary description of an apocalyptic image of the power of Christ’s words. Similarly, when the Psalmist says, "The Lord is my rock" (Psalm 18:2), He is not saying the Lord is a literal rock but rather using a literary metaphor to express His strength and reliability. Learning to read the Bible literarily is one of the hardest and yet most beneficial tasks of reading the Bible with proper context.

💬 Question to ask: What genre of literature is this written in?
✍🏼 Tips for study and learning: A whole article could be written exploring the different genres in Scriptures. Perhaps I’ll write one in the future. For those wanting something right now, I recommend this book: “Literarily: How Understanding Bible Genres Transforms Bible Study” by Kristie Anyabwile.