The first main genre is narrative. Narrative books of the Bible tell stories. These books feature a beginning, a middle and an end to their stories. In narrative books there are alot of characters involved and most of them are interacting with each other in meaningful ways. A few easy ways to keep track of the characters in a narrative book are to look out for archetypes, which is a set category that narrative characters can fit into. Some of the most common archetypes in the Bible are prophets (they speak the word of God), kings (they rule nations and are the heads of kingdoms), judges (they are appointed by God to rebuke the wicked and fight evil) and holy beings (they are spiritual beings that live in Heaven and are often described with awesome imagery). Jesus Christ is all of these. The narrative books of the Bible are written to tell stories, but they are also written to relay histroical accounts of events that happened on Earth.
Example of Narrative text: Exodus 7:14-25
The First Plague: Water Turned to Blood
14 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Pharaoh's heart is hardened; he refuses to let the people go. 15 Go to Pharaoh in the morning, as he is going out to the water. Stand on the bank of the Nile to meet him, and take in your hand the staff that turned into a serpent. 16 And you shall say to him, ‘The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, sent me to you, saying, “Let my people go, that they may serve me in the wilderness.” But so far, you have not obeyed. 17 Thus says the Lord, “By this you shall know that I am the Lord: behold, with the staff that is in my hand I will strike the water that is in the Nile, and it shall turn into blood. 18 The fish in the Nile shall die, and the Nile will stink, and the Egyptians will grow weary of drinking water from the Nile.”’” 19 And the Lord said to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt, over their rivers, their canals, and their ponds, and all their pools of water, so that they may become blood, and there shall be blood throughout all the land of Egypt, even in vessels of wood and in vessels of stone.’”
20 Moses and Aaron did as the Lord commanded. In the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of his servants he lifted up the staff and struck the water in the Nile, and all the water in the Nile turned into blood. 21 And the fish in the Nile died, and the Nile stank, so that the Egyptians could not drink water from the Nile. There was blood throughout all the land of Egypt. 22 But the magicians of Egypt did the same by their secret arts. So Pharaoh's heart remained hardened, and he would not listen to them, as the Lord had said. 23 Pharaoh turned and went into his house, and he did not take even this to heart. 24 And all the Egyptians dug along the Nile for water to drink, for they could not drink the water of the Nile.
25 Seven full days passed after the Lord had struck the Nile.
The second main genre is poetry. Poems written in the Bible are reflective, in that they are written to reflect upon what has happened in the past, what is currently happening in the present and what will happen in the future. They are written in a poetic nature, so these books feature figurative language such as metaphors, analogies and hyperbolees (of course poems about God do not have hyperbolee written as unrealistic exageration. Rather it is hyperbolee that illustrates the magnitude of God on a grand and infiite scale). Though poetry in the Bible is written with figurative intent, this does not mean that it was not also written with literal intent. The poets of Scripture wrote their poems using figurative language to illustrate reality; usually the reality of God and who He is.
Example of Poety text: Jeremiah 10:6-10
6 No one is like you, Lord;
you are great,
and your name is mighty in power.
7 Who should not fear you,
King of the nations?
This is your due.
Among all the wise leaders of the nations
and in all their kingdoms,
there is no one like you.
8 They are all senseless and foolish;
they are taught by worthless wooden idols.
9 Hammered silver is brought from Tarshish
and gold from Uphaz.
What the craftsman and goldsmith have made
is then dressed in blue and purple—
all made by skilled workers.
10 But the Lord is the true God;
he is the living God, the eternal King.
When he is angry, the earth trembles;
the nations cannot endure his wrath.
The third main genre is prose. Books that are prose are written not to tell stories, or be figurative, but they are written to be read and heeded. In prose the messages God wants to relay through His word are tpyically the clearest out of all the three main genres. Prose books are books of the law, letters written by early Christians from one to another or lists of events and genealogies. Some books written in prose might list or address some things that are supernatural and appear as though they should be read figuratively, but all list of events, genealogies, laws and written essays are meant to be read as soberly as someone reads a contract, a legal document or a family tree.
Example of Prose text: 1 John 1:5-10
Light and Darkness, Sin and Forgiveness
5 This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. 6 If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all[a] sin.
8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.
Sources
- The Bible (New International Verison)
- How to Read the Bible: The Bible Project
- Read the Bible: Calvary Church Pennsylvania