the author and his audience? What were the political, economic, and social situations? What was the main source of livelihood? What were the major threats and concerns? Knowledge of the historical-cultural context is crucial for answering basic questions about a text, such as What is happening to the author of Lamentations? Is he suffering from a “nervous breakdown” or from a normal grief reaction? Or, Why was Jonah so unwilling to obey God’s command to preach to the people of Nineveh? Second, knowledge