Genres of Biblical Literature and How to Study Them
Do you read the Bible literally? How would you answer that question? According to a recent Gallup poll only 20% of Americans accept the Bible as the literal word of God. Part of the confusion comes when we try to define what is actually meant by “literally.”
John Hammett, senior professor of systematic theology at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, helps to identify the terms in a helpful way:
“Literal interpretation does not equal wooden interpretation, with no understanding of the literary genres in Scripture. There are parables, poetry, lament and narratives in Scripture. All communicate literal truth, but in diverse ways. Faithful biblical exposition explains such matters to people, and allows them to see the literal truth, often couched in figurative language.”
Biblical scholar Prof Iain W. Provan gave a lecture titled Seriously Literal Interpretation: The Reformation and the Right Reading of Scripture at the London School of Theology. In his lecture, he emphasized that that 'literal' readings are concerned not with word-for-word translations, but with the author’s intentions.
Therefore, understanding an overview of each type of literature in the Scriptures is essential for understanding what the human author, and ultimately the Divine Author meant and means for us today.
In the following paragraphs I will attempt to give a brief overview of each type of literature and how one may approach each as we read the Scriptures for ourselves. I will cite Andrew Hill and John Walton in their book, A Survey of the Old Testament, as a point of reference and summary for each style.
Narrative/History
Much of the Old Testament is written in narrative form, often written as a third-person account giving early Israelite history. This is often mixed with prayers, speeches, and direct discourse. This genre blends historical reporting with theological interpretation. These stories are meant to show God’s faithfulness towards His people and His promises as well as to reveal His sovereignty over history.
Within Hebrew Narrative, one can find the following types:
Comedic – A story with a happy ending which is usually characterized by a problem which resolves in solution such as the story of Joseph (Genesis 37-50).
Heroic – A story built around the life of a leading character, focusing on the struggles and triumphs of the person a representative of the whole group such as the story of Abraham and Sarah (Genesis 12-25).
Epic – A hero story on grand scale exhibiting nationalistic interests and often containing supernatural characters and events such as the Hebrew Exodus from Egypt (Exodus 12-19).
Tragic – A story portraying change in fortune, often from prosperity to catastrophe focusing on outcome of human choice such as the fall of Adam and Eve in Genesis 3 (Hill and Walton, 50).
While many struggle with the historicity of some of the stories, the New Testament writers retell these accounts assume their historicity and accuracy.
Law
A second genre written in the Bible is Law. This type of literature was around before the Old Testament was written as Law collections were published in Mesopotamia as early as 2000 B.C. Old Testament Law includes commandments, statutes, and ordinances.
The purpose behind the Law was to regulate the moral, religious, ceremonial, and civil life of Israel as she sought to maintain holiness in her covenantal relationship with God. Most of the Law format takes place in declarative and prescriptive covenant stipulations for the Hebrew people.
When interpreting the Law in the Bible, specifically in the Old Testament, it is helpful to look at it through the eyes of Jesus who said in Matthew 5,
“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets. I have not come to abolish them, but to fulfill them.” – Matthew 5:17
Many elements of the Civil and Ceremonial Law have become fulfilled in Christ. Hebrews 10 notes,
“The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming—not the realities themselves. For this reason, it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship.” – Hebrews 10:1
Wisdom/Poetry
Poetry composes about a third of the Hebrew Old Testament and ranges from brief sections like in Genesis 4:23-24) to complete compositions like songs, hymns, and oracles. Examples include Job, Psalms, Isaiah 40-66, Song of Songs and Lamentations.
The wisdom literature includes instructional books of Proverbs and Song of Songs as well as Job and Ecclesiastes. Some Psalms (1, 37, 49, 112) also fit this category.
Two characteristics of Hebrew poetry includes rhythm of sound and rhythm of thought. It was often musical in nature and could be sung or chanted with musical accompaniment. Part of the purpose of the Wisdom Literature was the idea that the accumulated knowledge of experience and observation can be taught to the following generations. Wisdom in the Old Testament is the practical art of being prudent and insightful so that one might have success in life.
Thus, wisdom in some of the biblical literature can be read as the way things “generally” go and not always absolute promises. This idea can be seen played out in many of the Proverbs. Proverbs attempts to uncover basic truth out of life by way of comparison.
Letters
These are letters written to specific audiences, usually from an Apostle to a particular church or to an individual. There are 21 letters written in the New Testament. The general format followed was with the following: salutation, thanksgiving/prayer, body, exhortation/instruction, and conclusion. It is critical to understand the historical setting for each letter to best interpret how to apply the letter today.
Prophecy
The prophetic literature has its roots in the ancient Near East. Many different types of deities were represented by prophets of that time. However, prophecy in Israel deviated in several substantial ways.
The biblical prophets deal with eschatology (dealing with the final stage of the plan of God in history) which was different than the prophets of ancient Near Eastern literature. An example of this can be found in Isaiah 46:9-11.
A subgenre of prophetic literature is apocalyptic literature which one can see in Isaiah 24-27, Daniel, and Zechariah. In this kind of literature there is often rich symbolism, visions, conversations with spiritual beings, and cosmic catastrophe leading to the establishment of God’s Kingdom on earth. There are difficult interpretation issues because often the vision of the prophet is treated as the message of the prophet. The vision is usually the occasion of the message.
In prophetic literature, the symbolism is sometimes used to conceal rather than reveal (Hill and Walton 407). Hill and Walton suggest the following tips when reading Prophetic Literature:
Think of prophecy as a syllabus explaining the outworking of God’s plan rather than as simple prediction.
Be careful to distinguish between the message of the prophesy and the fulfillment of the prophesy.
The first step in interpreting a prophetic oracle is to identify to which category it belongs.
A vision is not the message but the occasion for the message.
The prophet’s message is not hidden in uninterpreted symbols.
Conclusion
Ultimately, knowing how to interpret a particular genre of the Bible is crucial for understanding its meaning and message. Yet, without the Holy Spirit’s illuminating power, the biblical text will appear as any other ancient piece of writing. God promised that His Word would ultimately accomplish its purpose and not return to Him void. (Isaiah 55:11) Rather than being a document that was written hundreds of years ago, it is alive and active.
For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. – Hebrews 4:12
Studying each passage in the form of its particular genre, asking for the help of the Holy Spirit in understanding the text, and reading the text in the midst of biblical community are some of the best practices for ascertaining the meaning of the biblical text.
However, knowing what is says, what it meant, and even what it means is one thing. Living out and obeying the commands of the Bible is quite another. God ultimately invites us to know the Author of the magnificent collection of writings and live out His commands. Rather than just simply reading the Bible, let the Bible read and transform you!
