Don't Miss the Meaning: Understanding Genre

Laurie Goree

From a young age, I believed in the Bible's inerrancy, authority, and trustworthiness. However, I became alarmed and concerned when I noticed that some things I read in my daily devotions didn’t seem to align with reality. For instance, “…the twisting of the nose produces blood…" (Proverbs 30:33) and "A gentle answer turns away wrath…," (Proverbs 15:1). I could think of times those results didn't happen. Did this mean I couldn't trust the Bible? I didn't think so, but I didn't know how to reconcile the inconsistencies. It turns out that I was missing a key principle of good Biblical interpretation: understanding genre.

WHAT IS GENRE?

The Bible is a collection of sixty-six books, written by many authors through the guidance of the Holy Spirit. God chose to communicate His Word to us through various literary styles, or genres. The Bible encompasses seven distinct genres, each requiring a unique approach to grasp its intended message.

NARRATIVE

Narrative is the most extensive genre in the Bible. It conveys the stories God wants us to be familiar with to know Him and His work through creation, the fall, Christ's coming to earth, and the establishment of the Church. Through these stories, we can observe how God interacts with His people and how they interact with each other. Sometimes the stories do not give us direct commentary about whether people's actions are good or bad. We often need to look to different parts of Scripture to clarify how God perceives the attitudes and behaviors in the story.

POETRY

Psalms is a book filled with poetry, and many other books of the Bible have poetry interspersed. Poetry uses literary devices like phrasing, hyperbole, and repetition to evoke emotional responses. Poetry is a good tool for worship and prayer but isn't always intended to convey measurable data.

WISDOM

Wisdom literature gives us practical insights into wise and foolish living. The books of Proverbs and Ecclesiastes, both written by King Solomon, are written in this genre.

The Book of Proverbs contains many statements that sum up important truths – not necessarily promises about how things will always be. Ecclesiastes relays Solomon's perspective of a meaningful life, but since he was living in opposition to God's plan when he wrote it, his wisdom and perspective is tainted with cynicism and despair.

PROPHECY

Prophecy conveys the stories of the messages God sent to His people through His prophets. Those messages included warnings of consequences for disobeying His Word and convey the hope that God would bring through Christ's redemption and our ultimate restoration when He returns. Knowing at least the basic historical narrative of Scripture is necessary to understand this genre.

GOSPELS

The Gospels include the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. These books are primarily written in a narrative genre, and each book has a particular focus in conveying stories of Jesus's life on earth. Matthew, Mark, and Luke are referred to as the synoptic Gospels, covering many of the same stories but with different emphases. The Book of John has mostly unique and often more detailed stories about Jesus.

EPISTLE

The epistles are letters written to people and churches after Christ's resurrection and ascension. They give us guidance on Christian living, ministry, and doctrine. They also include personal and specific messages for particular people and churches from the time of the writing.

APOCALYPSE

Apocalyptic literature includes the Book of Revelation and several apocalyptic passages within some of the Old Testament prophecy books. For most people, this is the most challenging type of literature to interpret. It uses dramatic imagery and figurative language, describing God's judgment and actions at the end of time and the beginning of a new heaven and earth.

Recognizing and understanding these seven literary styles will help you interpret Biblical passages according to their intended meaning and message. What I learned from a young age remains true: we can rest in the truth and reliability of the Scriptures. So, as you read and study the Bible, take time to identify the genre, and let that guide you into deeper insight and stronger faith.