This part of the guide is intended to help you figure out what sources to use to explore the context of your passage.
How did the text come into being? Author, multiple authors or communities, etc.
- Bible dictionaries and encyclopedias
- Commentaries (don't skip the introductory sections)
Do we know when and why the text came into being. Was there a purpose in mind?
- Bible dictionaries and encyclopedias
- Commentaries
- Articles
Are there key words or phrases in the text that have special significance?
- Bible dictionaries and encyclopedias
- Concordances (will help you figure out other places where the terminology exists)
- Commentaries
- Articles
Does the literary form of the text have significance and why was it used?
- Bible dictionaries and encyclopedias
- Commentaries
- Articles
How does the context of the text relate to historical events?
- Dictionaries and encyclopedias
- Commentaries
- Articles
- Atlases