Why the Political History of the Bible Matters for Bible Study

The events of the Bible did not happen in a vacuum. Although Scripture’s focus is on God’s people in the land of Palestine, history-shaping events happened around and in Israel.

Understanding the political history of the Bible helps explain why biblical events happened, why people responded the way they did, and what the original readers naturally understood but modern readers often miss.

When I say “political history of the Bible” I mean something different and bigger than our modern political parties and election campaigns. Instead, we need to consider things like the rise and fall of empires, national alliances, government policies, foreign occupations, and international conflicts. This historical background of the Bible is important for proper understanding of a biblical text, but the Bible passage itself rarely provides it for us.

Imagine while texting with a friend you complain about how much it cost to put gas in your car. You don’t need to explain that the cost of gasoline is unusually high because of unrest in the middle east. Your friend already knows that because she knows what’s going on in the world right now. You have shared knowledge that’s assumed. But if a young adult reads that text forty years from now, she won’t fully grasp the meaning behind it unless she has a quick history lesson.

We find the same principle in Scripture. The author assumes a certain amount of shared knowledge about the biblical world with the original audience. The author of Ezra did not need to explain Persia’s policies regarding conquered people and how their policies differed from Babylon’s which originally carried the Jews into exile. The Gospel writers did not need to teach their original audience about the role of the Pharisees, Sadducees, and Herodians or explain why the Jews despised those who collected taxes for Rome. But without that knowledge of the political history of the Bible, today’s readers will lack a comprehensive understanding of Ezra and the Gospels.

Why the Political History of the Bible Matters

Every Bible passage was written at a moment in history, to a particular audience, for a specific purpose. We cannot know the meaning of a text until we know what it meant for the original audience. Therefore, the better we understand the political, historical, and cultural world in which they lived, the better we understand what the biblical author intended to communicate. Knowing the political history helps us get into the mindset of that first audience. 

Here are a few other posts you may find helpful:

• Mind the Historical and Cultural Gap in Scripture
• What Happened Between the Old and New Testaments
• What is Inductive Bible Study?
• Biblical Interpretation: How to Understand the Bible

God Controlled and Used the Political History of the Bible

Although politics impacts and even causes the events found in Scripture, God is the ultimate Cause. Our sovereign Lord raises up nations and brings them down again. “He controls the course of world events; he removes kings and sets up other kings” (Daniel 2:21 NLT). “For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God” (Romans 13:1 ESV).

Because God has ultimate authority and control over these earthly powers and political systems, He uses them as His tool to carry out His purposes. For instance, before Persia conquered Babylon, God ordained that Persia’s King Cyrus would come to power, release the Jews to return to Jerusalem, and provide for the rebuilding of the temple. (See Isaiah 44:28, Isaiah 45:1-3, and Ezra 1:1-11.) God used Cyrus to both punish evil Babylon and reestablish the Jews in Jerusalem. Then God used the Roman empire to craft the perfect environment for the coming of the Messiah and His saving work. (Also see “What is the Post-Exilic Period of the Bible?“)

Gaining a little knowledge of the political background helps us understand why and how biblical events happened the way they did. For instance, the political climate of the time explains why Babylon destroyed Jerusalem and why Cyrus allowed the Jews to return to Jerusalem. For a New Testament example, understanding Roman politics informs us not only why Paul could appeal to Caesar when other Jews could not and why he felt he needed to.

4 Things to Know about the Political Background of a Passage

But what exactly do we need to know about a text that’s steeped in the political history of the time? Our time and resources will limit what we can discover, but the following topics are helpful:

1. Find out who was in power – Look for various levels of authority. For instance, in the Gospels not only was there a Caesar in Rome, but there was also a Roman governor in Palestine, and religious leaders in Jerusalem.
2. Learn about their policies and motivations – Ask how the authority governed and why. For instance, Babylon wanted conquered people to assimilate so they attempted to wipe out their religious institutions. But Persia left conquered people in their homeland and encouraged their cultic worship, hoping they would gain the favor of the conquered peoples’ gods.
3. Discover how God’s people responded to those authorities – In the Gospels, the Jews were divided about Rome. Some wanted to submit to get along. Others, like the zealots, worked to undermine Rome’s authority, even violently rebelling.
4. Consider how the authorities and their politics affected the ordinary Jew – In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus used a Roman policy as an example to teach godly behavior. “And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles.” A Roman soldier could force a local citizen to carry his heavy pack for up to one mile. Not only was this policy well-known to Jews of the day it also impacted their daily lives.

5 Places to Find Political Information

You are probably beginning to see how information like this can impact the meaning of a passage. Even a little knowledge of the political background can shed a lot of light on the biblical text. So, now you may be wondering just how we find this kind of information.

As described above, the biblical author and the original readers had “shared knowledge” of the political climate not specifically communicated in the text. Therefore, we don’t typically find all the information we need or would like to have in the Bible itself. I always encourage believers to thoroughly observe and work to interpret a passage before they turn to outside resources. However, finding historical, cultural, and political background information is often an exception to this practice. 

1. The passage itself – Thoroughly observe the passage to see what information you can glean there. For instance, in 1 Samuel 13 the author explains that Israel’s lack of iron weapons was a result of the Philistines’ monopoly on iron. 
2. That Bible book – Look for other facts in the rest of the Bible book. Continuing with my example above, we can learn more from the whole of 1 Samuel about the Philistines’ oppression and dominance of people in Palestine.
3. The book’s introduction – Many study Bibles include historical, cultural, and political information in their introductions to individual Bible books. 
4. Bible study resources – Resources like Bible dictionaries, handbooks, and commentaries provide lots of great information. Check out this post for more recommended resources.
5. Other historical resources – Much of the information you need can also be found in secular sources like history books and websites.

The next time you study a passage, after you ask, “What does it say?” also ask, “What was happening in the political world when this was written?” That simple question can open the door to a deeper understanding of God’s Word.

I’d love to hear about what you’ve learned about political history of the Bible that really helped you better understand a Bible passage. Share in the comments!