One must understand the  Semitic Culture of the Ancient Near East in order to understand The Bible.  Understanding that their culture is different from ours and that we can not apply our culture to the stories in The Bible is of utmost importance.  Knowing how they lived on a daily basis, the status of women,  their traditions, their politics, their  happiness and their sorrows is the background for understanding many misinterpreted verses in The Bible. 
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