This is sometimes called social location . The same statement made by two people with very different world-views can mean very different things. To understand someone s words accurately requires that we know something about where they re coming from . We all have vested interests. That s normal, though it s not good to be unaware of them.
Vested interests change from one social location to another.
Good news for the Hebrews may not be good news for the Philistines. The text one is reading may give clues to context. Other writings from the same period may fill in some blanks. Archaeological digs and inscriptions can add information. Sociology, economics, anthropology, psychology, etc., can also help describe social location.