Hermies and Exies

Context

find the context of the verse
read before and after the verse

ask: what is being talked about in the paragraph, chapter, book it is found?
ask: what is the main point of the surrounding passage?
ask: how does the verse fit with the flow of what is being said?

ask: who wrote the verse, to whom was it written, where, when, why?
ask: what type of Bible literature is the verse found in?
(i.e. an epistle? historical narrative? poetical book? prophecy? etc.)

point: seek to know the context of the verse
point: do not pull a verse out of its context
point: do not use a verse as a prooftext
(trying to prove your point while wresting the verse out of its context)