Field Tool 82

Prepare

Identify the Context

Read the Passage Where God Placed It

Context Checklist

Ten questions to ask before interpreting any passage.

Context asks: Where does this passage fit? Begin with the words nearest the passage, then move outward to the book, the original world, the canon, and God’s unfolding plan of redemption.
Begin Near

Immediate and Literary Context

What comes immediately before and after?

Read the entire paragraph and the paragraphs surrounding it. Note how the passage begins, develops, and concludes.

What is the author discussing here?

Identify the subject, problem, command, promise, question, or argument already in progress.

How does this paragraph function?

Look for explanation, contrast, transition, illustration, climax, conclusion, or application.

What kind of literature is this?

Respect the conventions of narrative, poetry, wisdom, prophecy, Gospel, apocalyptic, or epistle.

Where does it fall within the book?

Locate the passage within the book’s structure and follow the author’s larger flow of thought.

D.I.G.G.E.R. Field Journal Context Checklist 82A
Field Tool 82

Context Checklist · Continued

Historical, Canonical, and Redemptive Context

Move Outward

Book, World, Scripture, and Redemption

Why was this book written?

Review the author, audience, occasion, purpose, and major themes that shape the passage.

What did the first readers know?

Consider geography, history, customs, politics, social structures, and religious background.

What covenant setting governs the passage?

Identify the stage of revelation and the obligations, promises, signs, and institutions in view.

How does the rest of Scripture clarify it?

Trace genuine quotations, verbal echoes, parallel passages, and later inspired explanation.

Where does this fit in redemption?

Relate the passage to creation, fall, promise, fulfillment, Christ, church, and final restoration.

How to Use This Tool

  1. 1

    Begin with the immediate paragraph and section.

  2. 2

    Move outward only after reading the passage carefully.

  3. 3

    Record only background details that affect meaning.

  4. 4

    Let background illuminate the text, never replace it.

Context Guardrails

  • Do not isolate a verse from its paragraph.
  • Do not ignore genre or literary form.
  • Do not impose modern assumptions.
  • Do not force every detail into a system.
  • Do not bypass original meaning when tracing Christ.
Remember

Meaning is discovered in context.

Read the passage where God placed it before deciding what it means or how it applies.