(1) what can be known about authorship, date and location of writing, and audience of the document in which your passage sits; (2) relevant historical, social, cultural, or religious bac​‌‍‍‍‌‍‍‌‍‌‌‍‍‍‌‍‌‌‌‍​kground information in your chosen passage, including any connections with Old Testament texts; (3) the literary context of your chosen passage, that is, where it fits within the overall structure of the book or letter in which it is found​‌‍‍‍‌‍‍‌‍‌‌‍‍‍‌‍‌‌‌‍​.