Interpret the text according to its context

Consider three “levels” of a passage’s context:

1. The passages “near” context, e.g. the textual paragraph or section in which it resides.
2. The passages larger context, in two ways:
   1. The chapter, or book in which the passage resides.
   2. The author’s works in general.
3. The whole-Bible context; e.g. what other Scriptures contribute to interpreting the passage.
   1. One example is the passage in 2 Kings 12:20 could suggest God allowed a King, Joash, who was faithful to Him to be assassinated. Neither the verse nor its chapter or book context suggest otherwise. However, practicing correct methods of Biblical interpretation by consulting and integrating all applicable passages, in this case 2 Chron 24:17-21, leads to the correct interpretation that Joash had departed from faithfulness to YHWH and had embraced idolatry.
   2. Another example is how 2 Cor 8.13-15 contributes to a correct interpretation of Ex 16.18.
      1. Ex 16.16-18: (ESV) “16 This is what the LORD has commanded: ‘Gather of it, each one of you, as much as he can eat. You shall each take an omer, according to the number of the persons that each of you has in his tent.’ ” 17 And the people of Israel did so. They gathered, some more, some less. 18 But when they measured it with an omer, whoever gathered much had nothing left over, and whoever gathered little had no lack. Each of them gathered as much as he could eat.”
      2. Taken by itself Ex 16.18 could suggest this was a miraculous Divine adjustment of the amount of manna each person collected such that whether they gathered a lot or a little, when they got home they had just the right amount.
      3. But God inspired Paul in 2 Cor 8.13-15* to refer to this passage in Exodus 16.16-18 to teach about sharing excess with those who lacked so each person would have what they needed.
         1. 2 Cor 8.13-15 (ESV), “13 For I do not mean that others should be eased and you burdened, but that as a matter of fairness 14 your abundance at the present time should supply their need, so that their abundance may supply your need, that there may be fairness. 15 As it is written, ‘Whoever gathered much had nothing left over, and whoever gathered little had no lack.’ ”
      4. Therefore the correct interpretation of Ex 16.18 was that when manna-gatherers returned to the camp the food was equitably distributed to everyone.