Near the beginning of the book of Genesis in the Bible, after Adam partakes of the forbidden fruit, the Lord God asks a curious question to Adam. He asks,
Where are you? - Genesis 3:9
The meaning of this statement has been debated over the years and the response is usually one of two positions. It is either:
1. the first position, which is of the Fundamentalists, asks how God can be all-knowing if he does not know where Adam is.
OR 2. the second position, which is more Allegorical, asserts this is not a literal question and God is asking this to get Adam to think about what he has done and why he is where he is.
What do you think this question is referring to?
Personally, a vote goes to the second option above. It seems to emphasize that Adam is where he is by choice. (Which is ashamed and separated from God).
The point, though, in this post is how important context can be in deciphering meaning in human situations. In the Bible, of course, we find this a lot between things such as Jewish customs in the Old Testament, the parables in the New Testament and the fact the Bible we read is translated from other languages (mostly Hebrew or Greek). While some people might interpret passages in one way, other people can interpret them quite differently by taking the context into perspective.
By context we mean taking other parts of the Bible into consideration and also the customs of the place and time it was written. The Bible, as it came to use, is from translations from other languages and cultures. It was not originally written in English and words do not always translate exactly. When that is added to the different customs of the time that are unknown, it can easily lead to misinterpretation.
The idea of context could also be applied to adding meaning to our everyday lives, where English is the original language. For example, studies come out almost constantly about something that is good for your health (such as food or medication). But, for the average person, there are also many other conditions and things to consider along with it. If you imbibe on one thing that helps your health (such as coffee, in moderation) it does not mean as much if there are also ten other things you are doing that are bad for your health. In economic theory they often use the phrase "with all other things being equal." If you just take into account the one thing that is good for you, then it does not give you an accurate analysis of the situation.
God, Why Have You Forsaken Your Son?
Things are not always as they seem.
This adds meaning to life because: Without taking context into account things can be interpreted in a way they were not intended.
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Could Coffee Help Prevent Depression?
The Importance Of Context In Understanding Biblical Interpretation
What Bible contradictions?
