Every passage sits inside a larger story. Before you answer, say what the passage is, who is in it, where it happens and what has just taken place.
This lesson is part of prescribed-text orientation in the Bible Knowledge subject guide.
The four-question routine
Ask these four questions, in this order, about any assigned passage.
- What is it called or referenced (book, chapter, verses)?
- Who are the people in it?
- Where is it set?
- What happened just before, and why does that matter here?
Write one line for each. Your whole orientation should fit in four lines.
Worked example: Ruth chapter 2
Suppose your assigned passage is Ruth 2:1-9.
- Reference: the book of Ruth, chapter 2, verses 1 to 9.
- People: Ruth, Naomi, Boaz, and the workers in the field.
- Place: the barley fields near Bethlehem.
- Before: in chapter 1, Naomi returned to Bethlehem from Moab with her daughter-in-law Ruth, after the deaths of her husband and sons. They arrived at the start of the barley harvest (1:22).
Now the passage makes sense. Ruth goes to glean because the two women need food, and the harvest timing explains why the fields are open to her.
Why the context line earns marks
Take the question: “Explain why Ruth went to work in a field owned by Boaz.” Here are two answers.
Floating answer: “Ruth went to the field and Boaz noticed her and was kind to her.”
This describes events but gives no reason.
Anchored answer: “Naomi and Ruth had come back from Moab with nothing after their family losses (1:3-5, 1:22). Ruth went to glean behind the harvesters so that she and Naomi would have food (2:2), and she happened to come to the part of the field that belonged to Boaz (2:3).”
The second answer gives the reason from the preceding chapter and cites verses. The extra line of context is the difference.
The mistake to watch
A common slip is to take the context from a film, a picture book or a sermon instead of the text. Details such as the weather are easy to import by accident.
Check every context sentence against the verses. If the text does not state it, leave it out.
Keeping context short
Context is a supporting line, not the answer. Write one or two sentences of context, then the point the question asks for.
If the question gives marks for events, spend your words on the events. If it asks for a reason, the context line is the reason.
Check yourself
Your assigned passage is Ruth 2:10-16, where Boaz speaks kindly to Ruth. Write the four-line orientation, using what you know from the book, and say in one sentence what question the context helps you answer.
Answer
- Reference: Ruth chapter 2, verses 10 to 16.
- People: Ruth, Boaz, and his workers.
- Place: the barley field near Bethlehem.
- Before: Ruth has come to glean to feed herself and Naomi, and Boaz has already told her to stay in his field and follow his workers (2:8-9).
The context helps answer why Boaz treats Ruth so kindly: he says he has heard how she cared for Naomi after leaving her own land (2:11).
What to study next
Continue with distinguishing an event from a later interpretation, then use the orientation practice set.
If you want a teacher to go through your assigned passages with you, see online one-to-one Bible Knowledge tuition.