What Genre Is the Bible?

This is a five-part series on How To Read Your Bible. These steps include Prayer, Translation, Genre, Context, and Costly Obedience. The hope is that whether you’ve been reading the Bible for many years now or don’t know where to start, this will be a helpful resource for you and the people around you to explore and dive deeper into God’s Word!

WHAT

The story of God’s people reveals God working with his people, and the same is with his Word. God uses imperfect people to capture God’s perfect heart for his people, written over a span of about 1500 years, across a collection of 66 books, with a variety of genres.

Genre is a type of writing with certain characteristics that affect the way you read it and what you understand of it. Genre is everywhere - from the books you read to the movies you watch; it’s also in the Bible. Far from boring, the Bible is full of stories of action and mystery, plot twists, impressive records of historical accounts, beautiful, raw, and heart-wrenching poems, of letters from jail and everything in between! God wants you to enjoy reading his Word!

There is a wide gap in cultural, historical, and literary context between you and the Biblical writers. With a variety of Biblical genres, some being unfamiliar or more forgotten over time, this means that it takes time, study, and curiosity to discover how Biblical writers used genre to communicate a message.

WHY

Imagine this: You finally get a package for a new bookshelf you’ve been waiting to get. You find all the pieces needed to assemble it. As you’re reading what you think is the instruction manual, you begin reading about the history of the company that made this bookshelf. Not only are you confused, but you might be a bit irritated that what you’re reading isn’t what you were expecting.

This same thing can happen when it comes to reading the Bible. Without knowing how or what you’re reading, you might be left confused, lost, or disappointed. This is why genre matters. The more you understand the genre, the more you will understand the message the author was trying to convey and enjoy what you are reading.

HOW

Here’s a quick practice to experiencing why genre matters:

  • Quick! Open your Bible to any passage and start reading.

  • Wherever you land, try to see what genre you are reading.

    • Does it read similarly to anything you’ve read before - a poem, a letter, something unfamiliar?

  • Do some research! Watch this short video from the Bible Project to find what genre it is you’re reading.

    • What did you learn about this genre?

    • How will knowing this affect the way you read?

  • As you continue reading the Bible, make a rhythm of finding what genre you’re reading and how this genre uniquely communicates. Get curious! Familiarize yourself with the different genres of the Bible. Sometimes, different books will have multiple genres.

RESOURCES

Here’s a helpful guide to genres of the Bible!

Start HereEliana Park