The Bible and the importance of place

When we hear the word “context” in reference to the Bible, most of us rightly think of the historical and cultural context in which the various parts of it were written, edited and assembled as keys to understanding. Those attuned to the ways in which gender and race, along with wealth, status, and power, effect how and what we observe have alerted us to the ways in which these categories are also part of the biblical “context.” But what almost no one (to my knowledge) pays attention to is the many ways in which the land itself has had an impact on the Biblical writers and editors. Because of my firm conviction that place matters whether we’re reading the Bible or carrying on our various ministries, I’ve been reading with fascination Daniel Hillel’s fascinating book, The Natural History of the Bible: An Environmental Exploration of the Hebrew Scriptures (Columbia University Press, 2006). Although I’m only 4 chapters into it, Hillel has opened my eyes to the many ways in which the Bible is a reflection of the environment and the various and varied ecosystems in which it was written. “The premise,” writes Hillel in the prologue, “is that the events, characters, and ideas in the Bible evolved within a particular combination of environmental circumstances, and that the former can be properly understood only in relation to the latter.” I highly recommend this book to anyone desiring a deeper understanding of Scripture.