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Proverbs: Genre

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Proverbs 1:1: “The proverbs of Solomon…”

This first phrase of Proverbs is the title for the entire book. Note first that the goal of the author is not to provide hard and fast “laws” to govern all behavior. He does not aim to form a comprehensive code of “prophecies” or “ethics” by which we can measure our progress in obedience. Rather, he writes “proverbs.”

As Derek Kidner puts it, “there are details of character small enough to escape the mesh of the law and the broadsides of the prophets, and yet decisive in personal dealings.”[1] In other words, while God’s law addresses the foundational principles undergirding all godly virtue, and while the prophecies shock people into returning from their sin back to these core moral principles, the proverbs address issues like “what should I do when I wake up tomorrow morning?”

Dictionary.com defines a proverb as “a short popular saying, usually of unknown and ancient origin, that expresses effectively some commonplace truth or useful thought.” That’s how native English speakers use the word “proverb,” and most translators find it adequate to represent the original Hebrew term.

What’s the point? Simply that the compiler of Proverbs reveals commonplace truths in short, memorable sayings. He’s describing principles of everyday living. He wants us to know the Lord in the messy and disorganized details of life.

close up photo gasoline fuel pump
Photo by Ekaterina Belinskaya on Pexels.com

Proverbs help address questions such as: should you buy a house or continue renting? When is your child old enough to become romantically involved with someone? When your friend sins, should you confront him or cover it over in love? Should you take that new job offer? How soon should you pay off your debt? Which octane gasoline should you put in your tank? What could you say to your non-Christian neighbor that would be both bold and winsome?

Biblical proverbs are high-mileage statements with suped-up verbal turbines. They contain nuggets of truth crafted attractively and concisely to provoke consideration. They arise from the daily experience of those who, like Solomon, live life with their eyes open.

[1] Proverbs: An Introduction & Commentary (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1964), p.13.

This post was first published in 2012.

Proverbial Disclaimer: Those who click affiliate links bring joy to the blogger’s soul; they will suffer no increase in cost to themselves.

Do You Know What You are Reading?

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The Bible is not a monolithic book by a single author. Yes, God is behind the entire thing, but he chose to inspire dozens of authors in dozens of different contexts to communicate his message to the world. So depending on where you are in the Bible, you could be reading any of a number of different genres.

Tommy Keene tackles this issue with much clarity, encouraging us to be sure to identify the genre of any given book or part of the Bible we are reading. Genre has perhaps more influence over what we can expect from a text than anything else.

Genre defines how a certain literary event fits within culturally adjacent literary events. To ask about a work’s “genre” is to ask “how is this work similar to other works, and how does that allow me to better interpret what it is trying to accomplish?” Furthermore, determining discourse type, or literary context, is key to interpreting what you are reading. Imagine you get it wrong. Imagine, for example, that you confuse fiction with non-fiction, or satire with genuine news, or the political stump speech with actual policy, or South Park with a child’s cartoon show. You’re likely in for some interpretive troubles. If you want to interpret any of these things correctly, you need to know how the genre works.

Keene gives a few very simple yet effective strategies for determining the genre of your text. We would do well to heed his counsel.

Check it out!

How to Read Genesis 1-3

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I have benefitted much from the scholarship of Vern Poythress over the years. And in this article, he provides an excellent overview of the key issues that shape the way we ought to read the Bible’s opening chapters.

In my Wednesday posts, I usually link to articles much shorter than this one. But despite its length, Poythress’s article is effectively aimed at non-scholars in plain language. He addresses matters such as who God is, who wrote the book of Genesis, what genre Genesis 1-3 is, and how Genesis 1-3 compares with other ancient literature. Here is the abstract, summarizing the entire piece.

ABSTRACT: The beginning of the book of Genesis is not, as some claim, a mythical or poetic account of creation. It is historical narrative, telling the same story that unfolds in the patriarchs, the exodus, and the establishment of Israel. And, being from God, it speaks truly. Modern readers may not learn everything they would like to know about creation from Genesis 1–3, but they will find everything they most need to know. They also will find an account of creation unlike anything outside the Bible. Compared to the creation myths of Israel’s neighbors, Genesis stands majestically alone.

If that piques your interest, this piece is well worth a good look. Check it out!

You Already Know How to Read the Bible

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Alan Shlemon makes a great point in this article: Reading the Bible requires rules we already know. Though the OIA method, for example, may seem like something new to learn, with a whole set of rules to follow—it is actually something you already do instinctively with many things you read on a daily basis.

Shlemon highlights three fundamental principles:

  1. What is the author talking about in the surrounding text (context)?
  2. What is the historical occasion for why the author wrote (history)?
  3. What literary style is the passage written in (genre)?

He gives examples of how we do these things already, instinctively, such as:

If a sports headline reads, “Cowboys Shoot Down Eagles,” everyone knows that men with revolvers didn’t shoot any birds. We all recognize that sports news is written in a particular literary style, where teams are often named after people (e.g. Cowboys, 49ers, etc.) and animals (e.g. eagles, dolphins etc.). No one is confused. For some reason, however, the same people who understand that news headlines are written in different literary styles, ignore the different literary styles of Scripture.

Check it out!

Literary Study Bible: Just Enough Help Without Distraction

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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.

The Differences Between Law and Wisdom

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The relationship between law and wisdom is a tricky topic that requires careful thought. Too many fall into oversimplification, as though law has to do with right or wrong, and wisdom has to do with the gray areas of life. Or as though law communicates universals and wisdom (especially Proverbs) offers only probabilities.

So robust thinking, that makes sense in plain language, is hard to find.

Here is an excellent post at Beautiful Christian Life that offers you just that—robust thinking in plain language.

Though I don’t have any strenuous disagreements, I would prefer to give less weight to theological frameworks in shaping the presentation of what the law is. But the author’s presentation of wisdom is terrific.

Check it out!

The Genre of Luke’s Gospel

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I’ve been studying Luke these days, to prepare for a new sermon series at our church. And this Sunday, I’ll kick off the series with a book overview.

To help me grasp background matters, I’ve been working my way through a course with Logos Bible Software on Luke’s gospel, taught by Dr. Andrew Pitts. The course has been outstanding, and Pitts’s comments on the genre of Luke have been particularly stimulating.

Overall Genre

Certainly, Luke belongs to the genre of historical narrative. However, there are many sub-categories of genre that fall under the umbrella of historical narrative. On a large scale, there are epics, histories, and biographies. On a small scale, there are miracle stories, confrontation stories, healings, teaching, parables, and origin stories.

Regarding Luke, Pitts argues that there is a difference between ancient biography and ancient history. Biographies focus on one individual, the subject, who is praised or lifted up in some way, and readers are called to imitate or follow that figure. Histories, however, focus more on events than on any particular person, and they are concerned with explaining why something is the way it is, or with making a political or social point in light of the relevant history.

jean louis mazieres (2018), Creative Commons

Comparing the Four Gospels

I have always presumed Luke to be the same genre as the other gospels. Of course, it’s closer to Matthew and Mark, which is why those three are often referred to as the “synoptic” (similar perspective) gospels. John is unique, with a completely different style and method of narration.

However, Pitts argues that, at least with respect to genre, the oddball among the four gospels is really Luke. He suggests that Matthew, Mark, and John are biographies, but Luke is a history.

Why does he conclude this?

  • Ancient biographies tend to introduce their subject in the first sentence (or very close to the first sentence). Matthew 1:1, Mark 1:1, and John 1:1 all reference Jesus as the book’s subject. But Luke doesn’t even mention Jesus until Luke 1:31, and then only in predictive speech. Jesus doesn’t become a character or subject until Luke 2:7, or even Luke 2:11. This late mention of the chief subject would be very unusual for a biography. But such late mention of a major protagonist fits right with the expectations for a narrative history.
  • Compared to ancient histories, ancient biographies have a much higher density of citation of authoritative sources to support the portrait of the biography’s subject. Matthew, Mark, and John all fit the parameters of citation density (quoting the Old Testament, in their case) expected from biography. Luke’s density of OT citation is much lower, fitting more closely the parameters of ancient history. (Though Luke cites the OT more times than Mark does, Luke is much longer than Mark, thus making his density of citation significantly lower than Mark’s.)
  • When Luke does introduce his subject matter in the first verse, he terms it “the things that have been accomplished among us” (Luke 1:1). He doesn’t speak of a person, but of a series of events. This is what we’d expect from a history, not a biography.
  • Luke is the only gospel with a sequel (the book of Acts), so we need to read Luke and Acts as a single work in two parts. And Acts clearly moves well beyond the life of Jesus of Nazareth, telling the tales of a number of Jesus’ followers. It might be possible to say that Luke-Acts is a collection of biographies, with Jesus’ life being the first subject. But compendiums of biographies were also known in the ancient world, and there is no other example of such a collection following a single narrative thread (from the first subject, to the second, to the third, etc., instead of treating each biography as a completely separate narrative). If Luke-Acts were a collection of biographies, it would be the only ancient document to take this meta-narrative approach. However, Luke-Acts does follow the standard expectations of an ancient history, moving from one event, to another, to another, in a seamless overarching narrative.

What Difference Does It Make?

What difference does it make whether Luke is biography or history?

Simply that we’ll better observe Luke’s focus, which enables us to focus there with him. Since Matthew, Mark, and John are biographies of Jesus, we read them rightly when we focus on the person of Jesus. Of course, we can’t ignore what Jesus did or what resulted from his work. But with the emphasis on who he was, the other things fall into place as implications of the main idea (Jesus himself).

But if Pitts is right that Luke-Acts presents itself as history, then we’ll better understand Luke-Acts if we focus on what that two-volume work says about the Christian movement. Of course, we can’t ignore who Jesus is when we read Luke-Acts; the movement’s founder is, well, the movement’s foundation. But the identity and character of Jesus, in Luke’s case, are more the implications than the main idea.

Another way to state the hypothesis is that the biographies of Matthew, Mark, and John are meant to tell us, first and foremost, about Jesus. And the history of Luke (along with Acts) is meant to tell us, first and foremost, about Christianity.

This understanding of Luke’s genre is one piece of the puzzle that is Luke’s purpose in writing, along with his main point. In future posts, I may revisit Luke with yet more pieces of that puzzle.

How a Veteran Preacher Finally Learns to Read a New Testament Epistle

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This is a guest post by Talbot Davis, pastor of Good Shepherd Church in Charlotte, NC, and author of five books with Abingdon Press. You can follow his blog or find him on Facebook.

Editor’s Note: We are delighted to publish guest writers who come from different sectors of Christianity—and who reach different conclusions—than we do, as long as they share our assumptions and wrestle directly with the biblical text. Talbot’s arguments are worth considering, even though we differ with some of his conclusions.

I have been reading the New Testament for a long time, but I realize that I am only now learning how to read its epistles correctly. And to read the New Testament well, you need to read the epistles (Romans, I & II Corinthians, Galatians, et al) accurately.

Here’s what I’ve recently discovered: For years, I have read those documents as if they are examples of modern American letter writing. But that’s not what they are. They are instead examples of ancient Greek speech-making. And there is a world of difference between those two genres.

One of the best texts to observe what I’m talking about is the beginning of letter to the Ephesians. Check out the opening twelve verses, keeping in mind that Paul is himself Jewish, while Ephesus, in modern-day Turkey, is populated primarily by Gentiles.

And keep in mind that Ephesians was dictated before it was written, and that, when delivered to Ephesus, it was read out loud before ever being studied in silence.

Notice in particular all the references to “us” and “we” in this section.

1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God,

To God’s holy people in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus:

2 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

3 Praise be to the God and Father of OUR Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed US in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. 4 For he chose US in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love 5 he predestined US for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— 6 to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given US in the One he loves. 7 In him WE have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace 8 that he lavished on US. With all wisdom and understanding, 9 he made known to US the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, 10 to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.

11 In him WE were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, 12 in order that WE, who were the first to put OUR hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. (Eph 1:3-12, NIV)

If you read this according to the rules of modern American letter writing, all the “us” and “we” references are a way of including you, the reader, into what the author is saying. So those who are modern American Christians assume from the beginning that Paul is including the original Ephesians as well as the current readers into these opening words.

Except that’s not what he is doing. Remember: Ephesians is not an example of modern American letter writing. Instead, it is ancient Greek speech-making.

And in the argument Paul builds for Ephesians, WE and US refers to Paul and his kin: the Jews. You get the gist of what he is doing if you imagine that he is standing on a platform with two fellow Jews addressing a room full of Gentiles. And with each “we” and “us” he points to his Hebrew colleagues on the stage.

Verse 12 is especially critical to this understanding: “We, who were the first to put our hope in Christ . . . ” Who were the first to hope in Christ? Not the Ephesians! Meaning this section can’t be inclusive. Instead, Romans 1:16 tells us who were the first to hope in Christ: “For I am not ashamed of the Gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.”

A-ha!

(By the way, understanding that “we” are the Jews and not the broader, fledgling Christian community goes a long way to explaining all the references to predestination and to being “chosen.” Well, yes. That’s how we understand God’s relationship with Israel.)

Back to Ephesians. After that lengthy opening section with all its focus on “we” and “us,” everything changes at 1:13:

13 And YOU also were included in Christ when YOU heard the message of truth, the gospel of YOUR salvation. When YOU believed, YOU were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is a deposit guaranteeing OUR inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory. (Eph 1:13-14, NIV)

The transition from “we” to “you” is instantaneous, dramatic, and purposeful. Imagine that Paul suddenly points to his audience: AND YOU (Gentiles!) WERE INCLUDED IN CHRIST JUST LIKE WE WERE!

It’s a compelling example of ancient Greek speech-making, not modern American letter writing.

From the beginning, then, Ephesians is about this divine fusion of “we” and “you”; the creation of something brand new out of “us” and “them.”

If you naively assume that “you” are included in the “we” of the first twelve verses, you miss the entire point of the book.

6 Ways to Benefit from Reading Genealogies

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Writing for the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals, Matthew Holst has some very helpful tips for one of the most difficult Bible genres for modern readers.

The genealogies in Scripture are so important that it may rightly be said that we cannot fully see the glory of the metanarrative (i.e. the storyline) of the Bible without them.

His 6 tips are:

  1. Read them.
  2. Pay attention to every word.
  3. Pay attention to every missing word.
  4. Consider how they remind us of life and death.
  5. Consider how they present to us two seeds.
  6. Consider how they present to us a faithful, promise-fulfilling, covenant-keeping God.

We get out of genealogies from what time we are willing to put in. If we are prepared to spend the time, do the work and be guided by the Spirit, we will be presented with potted-histories of God’s kindness to man. So we must read the genealogies of Scripture and study them. They, like every other part of Scripture, are profitable for doctrine, reproof, correction and instruction in righteousness, that you may be made perfect, equipped for every good work  (2 Timothy 3:16).

Check it out!

The Trick of Observing Genre

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Fee Read BibleGordon Fee and Douglas Stuart wrote, “There is a real difference between a psalm, on the one hand, and an epistle on the other. Our concern is to help the reader to read and study the psalms as poems, and the epistles as letters…These differences are vital and should affect both the way one reads them and how one is to understand their message for today.”[1] Since genre influences our entire approach to a text, Fee and Stuart’s bestselling book on Bible interpretation focuses there. Make sure to observe genre.

Genre is normally simple in its identification. The two primary genres are poetry and prose; every text fits in one of those two categories. Within prose, we find narrative, law, letters, and apocalyptic literature (symbolic visions). Within poetry, we find psalms, songs, and proverbs. Some genres, like prophecies and wisdom literature, are written in either poetry or prose (for example, see Ecclesiastes and Ezekiel, which frequently alternate). In addition, the Bible has many sub-genres like speeches, genealogies, parables, dialogue, fables, diatribes, instructions, and epics.

Genre is also complex in its ramifications. Once we identify the genre, the real trick is to read it accurately. For example, consider the moment of Jesus’ birth. Luke says it occurred outside of hospital or inn and that it captured the attention of only a few shepherds (Luke 2:6-16), but Revelation says there were great signs in the heavens and a cosmic conflict with a devouring dragon (Rev 12:1-6). The differing genres of these two books help us to make sense of the differing accounts.

Since I can’t cover all the ramifications of genre in this short post, I commend Fee and Stuart’s How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth for further study. I’ll simply illustrate observation of genre with Genesis 1:1-2:3 (which I’ll call simply “Genesis 1”).

The primary observation is straightforward: This text, like most of Genesis, presents itself as historical narrative. The author reports events through the use of characters, setting, plot, climax, and resolution. He tells a story with a setting and a matter-of-fact style (“God said…God created…It was so.”). Thus Genesis 1, like all biblical narratives, tells a story of true events.

Now many interpretations of Genesis 1 hinge on the observation of genre. Some interpreters use Genesis 1 to explain Christianity’s compatibility with scientific evidence of origins. Others observe that Genesis 1 isn’t a science textbook. Either way, the argument is basically centered on the text’s genre.

Because Genesis 1 was written in the genre of historical narrative, we can conclude the narrator believed the act of creation really happened. Though Genesis 1 speaks of seemingly implausible things like light (Gen 1:3) without a sun (Gen 1:14-15), plants (Gen 1:11) without pollinating insects (Gen 1:24), a good-but-initially-unfinished earth (Gen 1:2), and an eternal, almighty God whose words held it together (Gen 1:1, 3, 6, etc.), the author presents them all as neither fable nor fairy tale.

However, we must not read historical narratives too strictly. Sometimes the chronology is all mixed up (for example, compare the order of events in the four Gospels). Biblical narratives are beautifully written and intentionally structured because every narrator has an agenda, and that agenda is more important than anything.

But that agenda doesn’t contradict the narrative’s factuality.

Many biblical witnesses confirm the factuality of Genesis 1. Moses thought this act of creation really happened (Ex 20:11). So did Isaiah (Is 42:5, 45:18). So did Jonah (Jonah 1:9), Nehemiah (Neh 9:6), Paul (2 Cor 4:6), and Peter (2 Pet 3:5). So did Jesus (Mark 10:6).

Thus, as we read Genesis 1, we must avoid either pushing the details too far or ignoring their historicity altogether. Observing the narrative genre prepares us for this task.

[1] How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth, Zondervan, 2009 (Kindle Locations 204-206). Disclosure: This is an affiliate link, so if you click it and buy stuff you’ll support the site at no extra cost to yourself.