circumstances in general often influence the thought, the language,
C. Social Circumstances of the Author
The social circumstances comprehend all those that are not peculiar to the author, but which he shares with his contemporaries. They are naturally of a rather general character.
1. GEOGRAPHICAL CIRCUMSTANCES. Climatic and geographical circumstances in general often influence the thought, the language, and the representations of a writer, and leave an imprint on his literary productions. Hence, the interpreter of the Bible should have special acquaintance with the geography of the Holy Land, the native country of the Biblical authors. It is of importance for him to understand the character of the seasons, the prevailing winds and their function, and the difference of temperature in the valleys, on the highlands and on the mountain-tops. He should have some knowledge of the productions of the land: of its trees and shrubs and flowers, its grains and vegetables and fruits, its animals, both wild and domesticated, its indigenous insects and its native birds. Mountains and valleys, lakes and rivers, cities and villages, highways and plains—he must be acquainted with them and their location.
For the study of the permanent features of the Holy Land, such works as Robinson's Biblical Researches, Thomson's The Land and the Book, Stanley's Sinai and Palestine, and G. A. Smith's Historical Geography of the Holy Land, have the greatest value. But for an inquiry into that which is more variable, such as the fruitfulness of the soil, the location of cities and villages, etc., earlier works, such as those of Josephus and Eusebius (Onomasticon) are to be preferred. This study is essential particularly in view of the fact that Orientals generally lived very close to nature, saw it instinct with life, and had an open eye for its symbolism. The discourses and parables of the Saviour, for example, are replete with striking passages in which the symbolic relation between the natural and the spiritual is indicated. He compares the Kingdom of God to a grain of mustard seed (Matt. 13:31, 32), and likens Israel to a fig tree (Luke 13:6–9). He speaks of