In Biblical criticism, Sitz im Leben (German pronunciation: [ˈzɪts ʔɪm ˈleːbm̩]) is a German phrase roughly translating to "setting in life".
It stands for the context in which a text, or object, has been created, and its function and purpose at that time.
The Sitz im Leben is also used to refer to the social, ethnic and cultural setting of a site at a particular era.
The term Sitz im Volksleben ("setting in the life of the people") was employed for the first time in 1906 and the term Sitz im Leben in 1918.
[1] The term Sitz im Leben was used by classic form critics, as discussed by Chris Tuckett, "...it has been pointed out that the term Sitz im Leben was used in a rather peculiar way by the classic form critics.