What exactly is the context of the Bible?

Question

I keep hearing about how it's easy to take verses out of context. What I don't understand, is what context these verses are supposed to be in. For example, Psalm 137:9 reads, "Happy shall he be, who takes and dashes your little ones against the rock."

Now, I know I'm taking it out of context. Now it's the last verse in that chapter, and the ones before it read, "Remember, Yahweh, against the children of Edom, the day of Jerusalem; who said, 'Raze it! Raze it even to its foundation!' Daughter of Babylon, doomed to destruction, he will be happy who rewards you, as you have served us."

Do we only bash little ones upon the rock if we're razing a city? Can someone explain the context to me please?

Answer 1

The context has two elements (at least)

a) The temporal and spatial time of its writing.
b) The large body of words/verses which define and are defined by it.
In this case, the jews have suffered a humiliating, devasting loss. Part of their grief is expressed in highly charged, emotional curses. You see much of this in Mid-East funerals today where guns are fired and eternal vengeance is vowed. This not a prescriptive passage, but a descriptive one of sorrow/rage.
You are right to ask about contest.

Answer 2

The context is that this Psalm is a lament and even a venting of anger. The writer is part of the Isrealites who were captured by the Babylonians, their cities destroyed, many citizens killed and the rest sold as slaves. The Jews who survived did not return to rebuild until 80 years of horrible slavery where they were not even allowed to worship their God on pain of death.

So the writer is asking God to strike the Babylonian cities with vengence to match what had happened to them.

THE CONTEXT is the rest of the chapter, or book, or the whole of the Bible incluiding the historical parts. The CONTEXT is the SETTING for what is being written in one place. Without knowing the context, what is learned is usually wrong.

Answer 3

You ask a very good question. This passage of scripture is certainly troublesome at first glance. But we must understand that Babylon was like a cancer on society and God fortold it's destruction through the prophets. It may best be compared to this example. If your house was being slowly eaten away by termites you would need to take swift action against those termites in order to save your house. But those termites have produced hundreds of offspring ("little ones") which will also grow up to destroy your home. Therefore, your best attack is to destroy the adults along with the little ones. Now, when we talk about destroying human life, it is one thing to kill an adult. But if the "little ones" must also be destroyed, this would be especially difficult because of their apparent innocence. But because, as illustrated in the termite scenario, these "little ones" are going to grow into destructive big ones, they, too must be destroyed. So, what the verse is saying is, happy is he who has what it takes to overcome his reluctance to kill even the little ones for it will be better in the long run. I hope this helps. Again, it was a very good question.

Answer 4

The Bible in context is the Bible veiwed against the rest of the Bible.

For instance that verse on it's own looks like it is ok to bash little ones upon rocks, if your a daughter of Babylon

The context is against the rest of the Bible, was that a specific message for a time or was that the way the writer was feeling at the time, which implies to the Babylon talked about in Revelation?

God doesn't condone innocent bloodshed, many verses show that, including one in matthew that say don't stop the little one's coming to me - Jesus said this to His disciples when they were shooing away the kids.

That says somebody else dashes the kids against the rocks, they (non followers of God) did that when Jesus born and when Moses was born...

Answer 5

First all was perfect in Eden [ what ever that is as we do not know perfect ], but we sure do know what imperfect is.
Violence was earth wide 1656 years after Adam, So Noah went through the global flood in an ark [ Gen.8:21 Man is going to be bad from youth]; The life sustaining earth was lost to save a decent man and his family.
Then 427 years after the flood another decent man named Abraham faced land pirates as you describe [ no different than history we all know from everywhere ]. Abraham was given the Promised Land covenant, so once in a while God found decent people.

Adam to #10 son Noah and the flood, to #20 son Abraham and the Promised Land covenant [ 470 years later for 907 years and 606 before Christ ], Matt.1:1-17 [ Jesus will be son # 62 ]; Bible years ended in Rome Empire #6 2006 years ago.
Life continued to be for every one, short and full of troubles to death, this book tells us how bad it has been aside from what we see our selves, but we have a promise that the perfection that was meant to be will be, this is SALVATION, even the heaven and the earth are involved and must be made as perfect as before Eden.

Answer 6

Gee, I would love to give you my answer but I guess I'm not passionate enough to fully consider and accept or reject any position.
Look, I do feel passionately about this issue and I believe there would be a lot less war and strife if everyone would try to look at things form the others point of view and come to a compromise.
OK, sorry to invade your question with my own ranting, but I just had to get my point across.

Answer 7

Once you get past the Garden of Eden story . The Bible becomes the story of the race of the Israelites . Who like the other religions in the area says that their God made and gave the land solely to them. And it has been nothing but warfare ever since .
Then with the Establishment of the Christian religion. And its struggle to find a way to establish their own bible codex's and trying to draw people of other faiths into their fold . has created a unholy mess.

Answer 8

Verses 5-9 What we love, we love to think of. Those that rejoice in God, for his sake make Jerusalem their joy. They stedfastly resolved to keep up this affection. When suffering, we should recollect with godly sorrow our forfeited mercies, and our sins by which we lost them. If temporal advantages ever render a profession, the worst calamity has befallen him. Far be it from us to avenge ourselves; we will leave it to Him who has said, Vengeance is mine. Those that are glad at calamities, especially at the calamities of Jerusalem, shall not go unpunished. We cannot pray for promised success to the church of God without looking to, though we do not utter a prayer for, the ruin of her enemies. But let us call to mind to whose grace and finished salvation alone it is, that we have any hopes of being brought home to the heavenly Jerusalem.

sin and idolaters shall be destroyed. Revenge is God's. And he shall have it.

Babylon represents all that is evil,,,God shall destroyed evil..

Answer 9

it's out of context if you're not a christian and you are using it against itself. but if you are a christian, you can use it out of context and say it is in context.

Answer 10

Why not read the context yourself?