Sometimes the words are familiar, but the reader does not know which incident, question, or circumstance the verse addressed. Reliable knowledge of the occasion of revelation can clarify the addressee and purpose of the reply.
Knowing the occasion does not automatically confine a verse to that single event. A ruling revealed in response to a specific situation may still have general wording; its scope must be assessed through language, context, and established interpretive principles.
A listener who hears an answer without the original question can easily misunderstand it. Knowledge of revelation context serves a similar clarifying function, provided that the report is trustworthy.