In the Bible, you have layers of meaning. Words almost always have more than one meaning. The first assumption in exegeisis is the most ordinary meaning of words as they are used in their own language in the context they appear. However, when you have apparent contradictions between texts, you must chose the meaning that reconciles both. This is based on the assumption there can be no true contradiction, only apparent. When you have apparent contradictions between facts as recorded and facts as they are known, you chose the meaning that does not contradict the known facts. Hence, people say the sun stood still is inaccurate as the sun never moved. In the old times, the faithful did not know that the sun didn't move, hence they took this passage as describing an actual reality. But when it was known that the sun doesn't move, the interpretation became the phenomenological language, descrping appearance not actual reality. The reality was that time stood still. That's the general way.
Other ways are known by the kind of text, the Gospels, Acts and a good portion of the New and Old Testament are Historical accounts from their linguistic style and the testimony of the church from the time in which they were written. revelation is largely allegorical, many of the poetic books as well.
