Writing Styles of the Bible

Summary

This video explains that although the Bible tells one unified story, its books are written in different literary styles, and reading it well requires recognizing each one. It identifies three main styles — narrative (43% of the Bible), poetry (33%), and prose discourse (24%) — and describes how each communicates differently and what each invites a reader to do. It also notes that most biblical books blend several styles, so a reader needs to be familiar with how each type works in order to know what questions to ask.

Key Points

Different Aisles in the Bookstore

• Like walking into a bookstore where each aisle holds a different kind of literature, different styles create different expectations.
• All of it is literature, but the styles communicate in very different ways.
• If you ignore the style a passage is written in, you miss the brilliance of each book.

The Three Main Styles

• Narrative makes up about 43% of the Bible.
• Poetry makes up about 33% of the Bible.
• Prose discourse makes up the remaining 24%.

Narrative

• Nearly half the Bible is narrative, and this is no accident — stories are the most universal form of human communication, and our brains are hardwired to take in information through story.
• Stories help us make sense of seemingly random events by putting them in sequence so we can see meaning and purpose.
• Good stories have a character who wants something, allowing the author to explore big questions like who we are and what is important.
• Good stories involve conflict and usually end in resolution, giving us hope for our own stories.
• Most Bible characters are deeply flawed; we are not meant to imitate them but to see ourselves in them and view our own lives and failures from a new perspective.
• Types of narrative include historical narrative, narrative parables, and short biographical narratives like the four Gospels.

Poetry

• One out of every three chapters in the Bible is poetry.
• Poems speak through dense, creative language, linking images and using metaphor to evoke emotion and imagination and help us envision the world differently.
• We tend to form mental ruts and familiar paths that are hard to escape through logic; good poetry forces us off the familiar path into new territory.
• Types of biblical poetry include songs or psalms, the reflective poetry of the wisdom books, and the passionate resistance poetry of the prophets.

Prose Discourse

• Prose discourse makes up a quarter of the Bible and includes speeches, letters, and essays.
• Its focus is building a sequence of ideas into one linear argument that requires a logical response.
• It persuades through reason, forcing the reader to think logically and consistently and then act on the conclusion.
• Biblical discourse appears in law collections, in wisdom literature, and in the letters written by the apostles.

Books Blend Styles

• Most books are not written in a single style; they have a primary style (such as narrative) with poems, parables, or collections of laws embedded within.
• Every biblical book is a unique combination of literary styles.
• To read a book well you need to be familiar with each literary type so you know what to pay attention to and what questions to ask.

Notable Quotes

"If you don't pay attention to what style it's written in, you will miss out on the brilliance of each book."

"Most Bible characters are deeply flawed. You should not be like them. But we are supposed to see ourselves in them."

"What good poetry does is force you off the familiar path into new territory."