Bible as Literature | Knowable Word

Know Your Literary Devices

December 16, 2022 By Peter Krol

Though your top priority when studying the Bible is to grasp the author’s main point, you will do well to develop a few skills to help you get there. One such skill is the ability to spot various literary devices. You don’t need to memorize a lengthy list of such devices, as long as you can recognize them when you see them. It’s sort of like being the father of a large number of children. Sometimes you mix up the names, but you can always point them out in a crowd when necessary.

Word Devices

Some literary devices have to do with the use of words. Identifying key words can help you grasp the author’s main point.

Repetition is perhaps the easiest device to observe. You would do well to begin any study by simply looking for, counting, and highlighting repeated words. For example, Genesis 14 repeats the word “king” more than 28 times, giving that word tremendous prominence in the author’s argument.
Continuity is similar to repetition, except it refers to repeated synonyms, thoughts, or ideas. So if a particular concept is repeated in a passage, even without repeating the identical word, it is worth taking note of. For example, Psalm 145 contains continuity of the ideas of “praise” for God’s “works,” even though the poem uses a variety of words (such as “bless,” “thanks,” etc.) to communicate those ideas.
Inclusio is a particular kind of continuity, where the same word, phrase, or idea is repeated at the beginning and end of a passage. In addition to marking structural boundaries, an inclusio often highlights the author’s thesis. For example, Psalm 8 begins and ends with “O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth,” showing that the poem’s main idea has something to do with how God’s majesty is made visible on earth.

Logic Devices

Some literary devices reveal a text’s logic, which will help you to grasp the argument (main point) an author is making.

Comparison is when two or more things are shown to be similar to one another. For example, in 2 Timothy 2:3-6, Timothy on mission is compared to a soldier, an athlete, and a farmer. By figuring out what the points of comparison are, you’ll better understand why Paul gives the instructions of verses 1-2.
Contrast is when two or more things are shown to be different from one another. For example, Ephesians 2:1-3 describes what “you were,” and Eph 2:4-6 contrasts it with a big “but God.” Now, you still need to get to the “so that” in Eph 2:7 in order to grasp the main point, but the contrasting sections of 1-3 and 4-6 make the main idea of v.7 really shine.
Climax is when a text builds up to a high point. In narrative, “climax” specifically refers to part of the plot, near the end of the story, where the tension reaches its high point before being resolved (for example, Mark 2:10 is the climax of Mark 2:1-12). In other text types, a climax occurs when an author builds his argument up to a high point or fever pitch. For example, the argument of Romans 8 builds to the climax of Rom 8:38-39.
Causation is when a passage moves from cause to effect. For example, God’s condemning sin in the flesh by sending his own Son (Rom 8:3) is the cause of the righteous requirement of the law being fulfilled in us (Rom 8:4).
Substantiation is when a passage moves from effect to cause. For example, lack of condemnation (Rom 8:1) is an effect substantiated by the fact that the Spirit has set you free from the law of sin and death (Rom 8:2).

Structure Devices

Some literary devices reveal a text’s structure, which enables you to grasp the organization of the material and identify the sentence or section that contains the author’s overall argument or main point.

Preparation or Introduction provides setting or background for the events or ideas that will be presented. For example, 1 Samuel 3:1-3 contains not the passage’s main point but the necessary background information (in this case, the story’s setting) for the main point to make sense. Drawing a major principle of theology or application from that setting would not be wise.
Refrain is the regular repetition of a line or phrase in poetry to mark of sections. For example, the refrain of “Restore us, O God; let your face shine, that we may be saved” divides Psalm 80 into three sections (Ps 80:1-3, 4-7, 8-19).
Explanation or Analysis presents an idea or event followed by its interpretation. For example, Jesus tells a parable in Mark 4:3-8 and then explains it in Mark 4:14-20. This interpretation is pretty important for understanding any parable (Mark 4:13), which subverts the conventional wisdom that parables must have only one point (since Jesus makes many points in his explanation of this parable!).
Summarization is a clear statement in the text that identifies the main point or intended takeaway. In these cases, we do not have to do much “digging” into the mysteries of the text to grasp the main point; the author comes right out and says it! We do well to pay attention. For example, Hebrews 8:1 summarizes the main idea of chapters 7 and 8. For another example, “Thus Esau despised his birthright” in Gen 25:34 summarizes the scene in Gen 25:29-34. (The author clearly and explicitly blames Esau for this incident; why do so many interpreters ignore this summarization and keep the focus of blame on Jacob? See also Heb 12:16.)

Conclusion

This list doesn’t cover every possible literary device employed by biblical authors, but it contains what I have found to be the most common and directly useful ones when observing a passage. Again, you don’t need to memorize the list, but you should be able to spot these “children” in a sea of words when you buckle down to observe the text. It’s not sufficient to propose a main point for your passage based on what simply feels right. You should be able to defend that proposed main point from the text itself—primarily by enumerating the literary devices that directed you toward your main point.

Literary Study Bible: Just Enough Help Without Distraction

May 1, 2020 By Peter Krol

Many study Bibles these days come with a whole lot of study and very little Bible. This is why we typically recommend them only as tools for research and not as personal Bibles. The temptation to rely on the notes is too challenging to overcome when the notes and comments dominate the page.

However, I’m pleased to introduce you to a resource that upends these tables: the ESV Literary Study Bible. This study Bible is almost all Bible, with just the right amount of nudging to assist your study. Though this resource has existed since 2007, Crossway just republished in in March 2020 with updating and fresh typesetting.

Why Another Study Bible?

There are so many study Bibles on the market. What might interest you in this one?

First, the thrust of this study Bible is the literary analysis of the Scripture. Precious few resources exist to help us understand the Bible as literature, and this one does just that quite well. There is very little comment on theological questions or matters of historical interest. You won’t find any word studies or interpretive debates here. What you will find instead is a brief literary analysis of every passage of the Bible. That is, instead of debating what the text means, the editors help you to see not only what is said but how it is said.

Second, the book introductions are fabulous. They provide some of the best book outlines I’ve seen in print. They also walk through the various literary devices and literary intentions of the book, setting readers up to study that book on their own.

Third, the commentary is brief. On average, each chapter of Scripture gets only one paragraph. And that commentary is placed before the text. The commentary’s chief purpose is to summarize the chapter and outline the literary genres and devices found within the text.

Fourth, the best part of this study Bible is that it never presents itself as having done your study for you. It clearly pushes the reader toward further study of the text. The introductions and commentary only nudge us in the right direction, expecting us to build on those observations as we pursue our study.

Weaknesses

This study Bible fills a particular niche (literary analysis), and thereby won’t provide you with a one-stop shop for Bible study.

Also, at times the literary analysis comes across as pedantic, offering many labels for various devices without ever advancing into the practical benefits of recognizing such devices. For example, in the Psalms, we confront an incessant repetition of the components of lament (cry to God, definition of the crisis, petition, statement of confidence in God, and vow to praise God). But at times these components are presented in such a dry, academic way, that we are never moved toward heartfelt lament along with the psalmist.

Conclusion

This study Bible will not help you with either interpretation or application. The help it provides stays exclusively in the realm of observation. And only a few parts of observation at that (structure and genre).

But such specialization enables this study Bible to do what it does with speed and efficiency, and then get out of the way. I happily recommend it to you.

You can see how the Literary Study Bible compares to other study Bibles, with respect to how they help or hinder OIA Bible study, in my study Bible buying guide.

Disclaimer #1: Crossway offered me a complementary copy of the Literary Study Bible in exchange for an honest review.

Disclaimer #2: Amazon links are affiliate links. Clicking them and making a purchase will provide a small commission to this blog at no extra cost to yourself.

5 Suggestions for Reading the Book of Job

February 12, 2020 By Peter Krol

Bill Kynes does a fine job equipping us to read the book of Job to great profit. He offers 5 main suggestions:

Appreciate the book’s literary form.
Don’t rush through it.
Read Job with an eye to its dramatic character.
Read Job’s words sympathetically.
Wrestle personally with the questions Job raises.

There is much here to help you study this book well.

Check it out!

A Complete Handbook of Literary Forms in the Bible

March 20, 2015 By Peter Krol

As a young missionary and student of the Bible, I once received counsel to check out certain commentaries written by scholars who didn’t believe the Bible to be true. This counselor wasn’t trying to lead me away from the true faith but toward it, because he suggested, “Many liberal scholars are more willing than conservatives to take the Bible at face value. Since they don’t care what the Bible says, they have nothing to lose by being honest about its message.” Having grown tired of endless word studies and thin defenses of dogmatic opinions on every page of some conservative commentaries, I gave it a try.

And I began learning to read the Bible as a work of literature.

(Please note: Not all commenters are created equal. Some unbelieving scholars take offense at the Bible’s message and seek to undermine it at every turn. I’m not writing about them, but about their colleagues who approach the Bible with more indifference than aggression.)

This approach helped me for a time, leading me to learn from brilliant (though spiritually foolish) writers how beautiful and well-written the Scriptures are. I learned how important structure was to ancient authors. I gained a keener eye for devices like characterization, comparison and contrast, inclusio (bookends), and repetition. I realized how important the original audience is to our interpretation. I learned to set aside my preconceptions, since I often had to suspend my disgust for the commentator’s assumptions in order to sharpen my ability to observe the text and delight in the ancient artistry.

Enter Leland Ryken.

Dr. Ryken showed me that I didn’t have to simmer in unbelieving scholarship in order to read the Bible for what it is: literature.

One of my earliest “wow” experiences was being required to read selections from Ryken’s Words of Delight: A Literary Introduction to the Bible for a seminary course. The book was so good, I finished it on my own as soon as the course ended. And I’ve returned to it regularly ever since.

Ryken teaches college-level English and trusts God’s word. I praise God for his service to the kingdom of God in our generation, through his teaching career and long list of published works. And I was delighted when this man I deeply respect was willing to endorse Knowable Word.

Crossway caught my eye when they offered me a copy of Ryken’s recent work, A Complete Handbook of Literary Forms in the Bible, in exchange for an honest review. This handbook appeared to be a useful tool for any student’s library.

And Ryken’s Handbook delivers on a grand scale. Ryken gets literature, and he gets the Bible.

The Handbook lists about 270 different forms Bible passages follow and gives definitions, explanations, and examples for each form. The handbook’s introduction explains why literary form matters: Writers communicate meaning through form. If we ignore form, we often miss the meaning. There is no content in the Bible communicated without a form. And a biblical understanding of inspiration requires us to recognize the inspiration of not only words and content but also the shape those words take.

Ryken explains:

The most obvious lesson that this handbook reveals is that the Bible is much more infused with literary forms and techniques than we realize. In fact, I predict that anyone who browses in this book for ten minutes will be shocked by the extent to which literary forms and techniques are present in the Bible. (Kindle loc. 381)

Dr. Ryken is a prophet indeed. The Handbook will help you understand forms like soliloquy, three-plus-one motifs, parody, insult, irony, hero stories, fantasy, foreshadowing, envelope structure, apostrophe, coming-of-age stories, stories of villainy, and lament psalms, to name but a small percentage of forms.

I would imagine using this reference often, except for one significant flaw that undermines its usefulness to average Bible readers like me. It has no Scripture index. This handbook is useful only to those already familiar with the extensive literary terms. If I’m reading Job 3, and I want to learn more about how soliloquies work, this handbook offers a marvelous explanation. But if I’ve never heard the term soliloquy, the handbook will be of no use to me.

I would give this book 5 stars if it had a Scripture index tying Bible references to the names of literary forms found in them. Without such an index, unfortunately, I can’t see most readers benefitting from this handbook—unless they’re either steeped in the terminology of literature or reading other reference works making use of that terminology.

You can find the Handbook at Amazon.

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Amazon links in this post are affiliate links. If some people care about this blog by reading it, how much more do those care who click the links and thus support the blog at no cost to themselves. That’s an example of an a fortiori literary form, which I learned about from Ryken’s Handbook.

Are Bible Narratives Story or History?

August 14, 2013 By Peter Krol

The blog of the Mat-Su Valley Frontiersmen recently posted an article entitled, “When Reading the Bible, Do you Really Understand?”

In the article, the retired Rev. Howard Bess asks a series of excellent questions to guide one’s reading of the Bible. Who wrote this passage? When did he write? To and for whom did he write it? What were the circumstances of the writing? What literary devices did the author use? In other words, Bess encourages Bible readers to consider both historical context and literary sensibilities. So far, so good.

But, I don’t think Bess ends up at the right conclusions. He asserts that story and history are different things, and thus he concludes that Bible narratives presented as stories must not be historical. He likewise asserts that the Matthew 1-2 and Luke 1-2 (narratives of the birth of Jesus) cannot be reconciled with each other, and thus cannot be historical. He asserts the same thing about the resurrection narratives in the four Gospels.

I urge you to read the article and consider Bess’s arguments. Consider: How does he get off track? How would you respond to someone who draws similar conclusions about the Bible’s historicity?

Check it out!

How can the Bible be true if we know snakes and donkeys don’t talk?

September 18, 2012 By Peter Krol

Robin Schumacher at the Christian Post just posted a great article entitled “Talking Snakes, Donkeys, and Believing the Bible.”

In his article, he discusses how to read the Bible as literature. Then he goes on to discuss the implications on stories like talking snakes (Genesis 3) and talking donkeys (Numbers 22-24). Can the Bible be true when we know such animals don’t talk in real life?

Check it out!

How’d You Do That? (5/3/12, continued)

May 8, 2012 By Peter Krol

Here are two more Bible study principles I employed in last Thursday’s post:

2. Read the Bible as Literature

Every book of the Bible is a book. Each of these books was written by a person to a group of people. We ought to read these books like we read other books. That means they have a beginning, a middle, and an end. The ideas flow from one thought to the next. This is why I’ll work through Proverbs 1-9 section after section.

3. Pay Attention to Context

This point flows right out of the previous one. When we forget that the Bible is a collection of books, it’s easy to read a verse here and a verse there as we feel inspired. However, each of those verses has a context. There is a literary context (the thoughts written before and after) and a historical context (the person who wrote the book, and the circumstances under which he wrote it).

Here’s an example. If I told you that on May 3, The New York Times quoted Tobias Meyer as saying, “I have all the time in the world,” what would you think of? Does the quote inspire you or frighten you? Do you share the sentiment, or do you envy it?

It’s impossible to evaluate such questions when the quote is isolated from any context! So let me fill you in with more details.

Tobias Meyer is an auctioneer. A few days ago, painter Edvard Munch’s famous work, “The Scream,” came up for auction. Once the bidding reached $99 million, the participants paused, likely in anticipation of the $100 million milestone. At this moment, Mr. Meyer exclaimed, “I have all the time in the world.” As you know, auctioneers are not known for taking time or for drawing things out. This moment was one to be savored.

The bidding continued, and the painting finally sold for $119.9 million, becoming the most expensive piece of art in history. See the full article here.

Now that you know the facts in their context, does the quote take on new significance?

Let’s do the same whenever we study the Bible, making sure we understand it rightly in its context. I will seek to do it in Proverbs by focusing on Solomon’s main points and flow of thought. You can do it as you read the Bible, too.