A unique attribute of the Bible is that it is written both by human authors and by God himself. As a result, it cannot simply be read like any other book without the aid of divine guidance. The Apostle Paul says in his first epistle to the Corinthians that it is not possible for the natural man to comprehend the words which the Holy Ghost teaches since those words can only be discerned spiritually (1 Corinthians 2:14). When a saved Christian reads the Bible, God speaks to him through the word, and the eyes of his understanding are opened.
However, the fact that the Holy Spirit's leading is a necessary part of Bible study does not preclude the need for studying things like grammar, syntax, history, geography, etc. The most obvious proof of this is that a person cannot understand the Bible at all if they do not know the language in which it is written. For example, if a person walked into a Roman Catholic church and heard scripture being read aloud in Latin, and that person did not know any Latin, they would not be edified whatsoever (1 Corinthians 14:19). Therefore, it stands to reason that if a person has only a rudimentary understanding of language, they will not be able to get as much out of scripture as if they had a better command of the language.
In addition to knowledge of the language, knowledge of history and geography can aid in understanding the Bible as well. If this were not the case, there would not be so much historical and geographical data included in the Bible. When the Bible tells us that Caesar Augustus was in power when Christ was born (Luke 2:1), or that Tiberius Caesar was in power when John the Baptist began preaching (Luke 3:1), we are being given the historical backdrop on which the events of scripture take place. When we are told that Jonah fled to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD (Jonah 1:3), it is helpful to know that Tarshish is in the exact opposite direct of Nineveh, which is the place that the LORD had originally commanded him to go. Just as comprehension of grammar and vocabulary helps us understand the Bible, so does knowledge of history and geography.
Interpreting the Bible is a spiritual activity, but it also relies on our human intellect. We should not pit these two ideas against one another since they are complementary. Learning the Bible well requires both spiritual discernment, as well as the acquisition of human knowledge. If either element is missing, we will not be able to fully benefit from what God has for us in his word.
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