How to Read Narrative, Poetry and Discourse in the Bible

Tim Davis

Here’s the big idea: the Bible is filled with unique literary categories. Therefore, you should read each literary type according to its kind.

Ray Lubeck “found that the Bible contains 502 chapters of predominantly narrative, 387 chapters of poetry, and 272 chapters of discourse.”[1] That’s 44% narrative, 33% poetry and 23% discourse.

Of course, there are sub-categories—or “genres”—within these three categories of literature. For example, there's apocalyptic literature, prophetic literature, epistles, proverbs or psalms. And each genre should be interpreted according to the author’s intended purpose.[2]

But instead of getting lost in the weeds, let’s explore each literary type from a bird’s-eye perspective. This will give you a better understanding of the landscape and how to interpret each literary type. 

NARRATIVE

Whether you realize it or not, a story (or series of stories) governs the way you think about your daily life. Do you get out of bed in the morning with a sense of meaning and purpose? A story is driving that emotion. Do you feel lost at work. A story drives that emotion, too. 

No matter who you are, "you think, dream and plan your life by rehearsing and mentally playing out stories."[3]

This is why it’s so important to read the Bible as a story. Competing narratives surround us. Our application, then, is to fill our minds and emotions with the true story of the world.  

But how do we do this?

I’ll let Lubeck answer that question for me. “Through stories, we learn how to see patterns, how to understand people and the way that nature and things work, we discover the consequences of people’s behaviors, we distinguish right from wrong, and we grasp the important things in life.”[4]

Now to be clear, the Biblical authors faithfully record historical events; however, the accounts we have in Scripture are not transcribed reports based on raw surveillance footage. To say it another way, two things can be true at the same time. Historical narratives give us real history though the authors selected which details to tell us. Historical narratives give us real history that's thoughtfully composed. Historical narratives give us real history that's theologically oriented.

The biblical authors selectively, thoughtfully and theologically craft historical narratives to guide us to see each event the way God does.  

Therefore, when you read Biblical narrative, you want to do your best to discern the author’s intent. 

To do so, ask questions like, “Why is the author telling me this? What would I lose if the author left this story out of his book? Is the author linking me to other stories through repeated words or patterns? What characters and locations are mentioned? How does the author want me to respond—with awe, wonder, action, humility, gratitude or sorrow?”

Here’s the bottom line: be a good listener. The author wrote what he wrote—and how he wrote—for a reason. Do your best to listen well.[5] 

POETRY

If there’s a fire at work, yell “fire”, and get to the nearest exit quickly. In other words, if you have something urgent to say, just say it.

This point is somewhat ironic, however, given the fact that nothing could be more urgent than the knowledge of God. Yet, he found it fitting to fill 33% of the Bible with poetry. This begs the question, “Why would God choose to use imaginative, emotional language to describe reality instead of a theological treatise, with its greater clarity and precision of expression?”[6]

If you’re drawn to music, theater or the arts, I'm sure you can answer this question.

Poetic language uses very little to say a lot. It’s terse. And when poetry is done well, it intensifies your reflections and leaves you pondering its themes for hours, maybe days. 

Here’s the bottom line: when you approach Biblical poetry, remind yourself that the author wants to “elicit an emotional response from the reader, such as shock, empathy, fear, hope, or worship.”[7]

DISCOURSE

The Bible expresses theological truths differently depending on the category of literature. For example, instead of finding theological truths in events (as in narrative) or images (as in poetry), “in discourse it is ideas that “happen” on center stage.”[8]

To illustrate, go back to the beginning of this article. My “hook” was a statement of fact—a premise. I proceeded to clarify, illustrate and defend this point. Though my “hook” could’ve been a short story or a thought-provoking image, I chose, instead, to craft an argument and defend it. 

This is what you should expect from discourse in the Bible.

Biblical authors—like the Apostle Paul in the New Testament—introduce theological ideas, define these theological ideas and illustrate these theological ideas with the hope of directing their readers toward a God-honoring response.[9]

If you need an example as to how Biblical authors advance their “ideas” through arguments (and please note, an “argument” is different from being “argumentative”), then read through Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. In it, Paul begins with a cosmic “60,000 foot” perspective. But like a funnel, he swiftly advances his argument downward toward the nitty-gritty aspects of life. Paul is, in effect, demonstrating how lofty theological ideas influence our daily life.

Here's the bottom line: follow the author’s logic, arguments and ideas. That’s where their meaning is found.

CONCLUSION

Hopefully these thoughts help you navigate the narrative, poetic and discourse sections scattered throughout the Bible. Each literary category functions uniquely. All three types are intended to help us love the LORD our God with every facet of our being.