THE CONTEXT OF BIBLICAL TEXTS:According to Boshoff, Scheffler, and Spangenberg (2006), when the Bible is read in its original context, the true nature or intention of the Bible can be discovered. The Bible is not just one book, but is made up of many books that originated and were modified over a long period of time. Therefore, the “date of origin of a certain book” and the “place of origin” provide us with important information, because each biblical book has a specific message for a certain place in a certain historical period, and therefore, knowing the author of the book, also provides key evidence as to what the original intention and message of that book was, for that specific audience. So, the context of the book is necessary. There are three aspects of the Old Testament context that need to be investigated to provide a holistic understanding of those times. (1) The broader context in which the ancient Israelites operated, the world of the ancient Near East, must be understood, (2) as well as the specific periods of history in which each book was written, including political, national, international, social and economic factors operating in those periods and (3) finally, the immediate context of each book must be taken into consideration. According to Worden (1984) literary context can help us understand the specific meaning of the book or verse. He emphasizes that each sentence must be understood in terms of the original language, so if you do not know the original language, be it Hebrew, Aramaic or Greek, then you can read several translations of the Bible side by side to provide a better understanding of the the original intention of the message. He warns that using only one sentence,...... in the center of the paper... and Truth: a creative proposal for a postmodern era. Leicester: Apollos.Hughes, S. 2003. Christ Empowered Living: Finding Stability in an Unstable World. Surrey: CWR publishing.Johnson, EL 2011. The three faces of integration. Journal of Psychology and Christianity, 30 (4): 339-355. Knight, D. A. 1982. Old Testament Ethics. Christian Century, January 20: 55.Sire, J.W. 2004. The Universe Next Door: A Core Catalog of Worldview. 4th edition. Downers Grove: InterVasity Press.Taylor, G. 1995. Hermeneutics, How to Study the Bible: A Practical Approach to Understanding the Scriptures. Available at: www.centervilleroad.com/downloads/class-books/Hermeneutics.pdf. [Accessed 5 July 2014]. The Holy Bible, new international version. 2001. Grand Rapids: Zondervan.Worden, R.D. 1984. Taking the Bible on Its Own Terms. Christian Century, 12-19 September: 832.