Food for thought

When I was in high school, a teacher of mine asked me a question that I haven't forgotten since, nor have I formulated a definitive answer to, but some of my classes yesterday caused me to reflect on it some more. So I'd like to post the question and hear other thoughts on it before posting my own.

I don't remember exactly how he phrased it, but it was more or less:

Is a believer who is well-studied and familiar with the original languages as well as the social and historical context of the Bible more capable of understanding the Bible than, say an eskimo believer out in the middle of nowhere who has no access to that sort of information but only has a Bible?

Another slightly different but related question would be:

Is one of those two people more capable of knowing God through reading the Bible or hearing God speak through reading the Bible?

I would love to hear your thoughts in regards to these questions or anything related or in between!