Genres and Figures of Speech Overwhelming for many, the Bible presents challenges as one begins to read it. Written by multiple authors, and inspired by God, it displays a variety of genres and figures of speech sprinkled throughout for the reader to experience. Becoming familiar with several of the different genres and figures of speech within the Bible, a person’s understanding of it will increase.
Genres
Apodictic Law One of two major types of legal material present in the Old Testament, apodictic law deals in matters of moral and religious concerns, explicit in defining right and wrong. Referred to as the “absolute law,” it addresses the audience in second person using direct commands. Two well-known types of apodictic law are prohibition and admonition (Klein, Blomberg, & Hubbard, Jr., 1993). Prohibition directly commands in a negative fashion, for example, “You shall not commit adultery” (Exodus 20:14, NIV). Admonition is a positive command such as “Honor your father and mother” (Exodus 20:12). Two additional subgenres are participle law and the law of retaliation (Klein, et al., 1993). Participle law deals with capital crimes, Exodus21:15 is a typical example. In this example, the participle is “anyone who,” while the penalty is set with the main verb, “put to death” (Klein, et al., 1993, p. 343). The law of retaliation pertains to crimes involving bodily injury and penalty. Deuteronomy 19:21 clearly depicts that the penalty fits the crime, “eye for eye, tooth for tooth.” When interpreting law in the Old Testament, an individual need to adhere to a number of principles. First, they must “interpret law relationally” (Klein, et al., 1993, p. 345), and secondly, they will need to understand the ageless truth it communicates. Additionally, they should consider the original meaning of the law and its relationship to the cultural background at the time. In addition, consideration of the collection of laws of which it is a part provides for additional evidence (Klein, et al., 1993). Acts as History Klein, Blomberg, and Hubbard, Jr. describe the genre of Acts as “theological history” (1993, p. 418). It is a narrative of events occurring over the course of time, interjecting theological truths providing the reader an understanding of the early beginnings of the Church. In his writings, Luke purposefully describes a series of historical events that ultimately maps out the spread of Christianity in a clear thematic approach, first to the Jews and then the Gentiles (Klein, et al., 1993). Points worth considering when interpreting Acts historically include an awareness of the many occurrences that Luke writes and where they fit within the storyline. For example, in Acts 8, the conversion stories are important to know its placement within the spread of Christianity to the Gentiles (Klein, et al., 1993). Second, studying Luke and Acts as unit because of their thematic parallels benefits the interpreter. For instance, Acts 9:36-43 and Luke 8:40-42, 49-56, describe individuals raised from the dead by Peter and Jesus, respectively. Lastly, understanding the importance of Pentecost in Acts 2 benefits the interpreter as it provides a clear transition point from the Old Testament covenant to the new covenant (Klein, et al., 1993). Nativity Stories in the Gospels The nativity stories in Matthew and Luke run parallel to Old Testament birth narratives, for instance the birth of Samuel (1 Samuel 1:1-2:11) and Isaac (Genesis 17:15-22, …show more content…
An example is Psalm 98:8; the rivers and mountains represent people (Klein, et al., 1993).
Amphibologia
Amphibologia refers to a phrase or word that has double meanings and both meanings are true. In John 19:22 Pilate’s response “What I have written, I have written” first states “a matter of fact” and second, “to dismiss an inconvenient subject” (“Amphibologia”, 2016, para. 8).
Types
A prophetic symbol, type symbolizes Old Testament people or events that relate to New Testament antitypes (“Literary Forms in the Bible”, 2016). Romans 5:14 speaks of Adam as “the one to come,”, meaning Christ, as an example. Having a familiarity with the various genres and figures of speech found in the Bible, an individual will discover new meanings as they read it. Found in both Old and New Testament, the genres discussed provide an overview of history, prophecy, and law in the Bible. Figures of speech appearing haphazard at best bring to light new significance to the author’s
Genres
Apodictic Law One of two major types of legal material present in the Old Testament, apodictic law deals in matters of moral and religious concerns, explicit in defining right and wrong. Referred to as the “absolute law,” it addresses the audience in second person using direct commands. Two well-known types of apodictic law are prohibition and admonition (Klein, Blomberg, & Hubbard, Jr., 1993). Prohibition directly commands in a negative fashion, for example, “You shall not commit adultery” (Exodus 20:14, NIV). Admonition is a positive command such as “Honor your father and mother” (Exodus 20:12). Two additional subgenres are participle law and the law of retaliation (Klein, et al., 1993). Participle law deals with capital crimes, Exodus21:15 is a typical example. In this example, the participle is “anyone who,” while the penalty is set with the main verb, “put to death” (Klein, et al., 1993, p. 343). The law of retaliation pertains to crimes involving bodily injury and penalty. Deuteronomy 19:21 clearly depicts that the penalty fits the crime, “eye for eye, tooth for tooth.” When interpreting law in the Old Testament, an individual need to adhere to a number of principles. First, they must “interpret law relationally” (Klein, et al., 1993, p. 345), and secondly, they will need to understand the ageless truth it communicates. Additionally, they should consider the original meaning of the law and its relationship to the cultural background at the time. In addition, consideration of the collection of laws of which it is a part provides for additional evidence (Klein, et al., 1993). Acts as History Klein, Blomberg, and Hubbard, Jr. describe the genre of Acts as “theological history” (1993, p. 418). It is a narrative of events occurring over the course of time, interjecting theological truths providing the reader an understanding of the early beginnings of the Church. In his writings, Luke purposefully describes a series of historical events that ultimately maps out the spread of Christianity in a clear thematic approach, first to the Jews and then the Gentiles (Klein, et al., 1993). Points worth considering when interpreting Acts historically include an awareness of the many occurrences that Luke writes and where they fit within the storyline. For example, in Acts 8, the conversion stories are important to know its placement within the spread of Christianity to the Gentiles (Klein, et al., 1993). Second, studying Luke and Acts as unit because of their thematic parallels benefits the interpreter. For instance, Acts 9:36-43 and Luke 8:40-42, 49-56, describe individuals raised from the dead by Peter and Jesus, respectively. Lastly, understanding the importance of Pentecost in Acts 2 benefits the interpreter as it provides a clear transition point from the Old Testament covenant to the new covenant (Klein, et al., 1993). Nativity Stories in the Gospels The nativity stories in Matthew and Luke run parallel to Old Testament birth narratives, for instance the birth of Samuel (1 Samuel 1:1-2:11) and Isaac (Genesis 17:15-22, …show more content…
An example is Psalm 98:8; the rivers and mountains represent people (Klein, et al., 1993).
Amphibologia
Amphibologia refers to a phrase or word that has double meanings and both meanings are true. In John 19:22 Pilate’s response “What I have written, I have written” first states “a matter of fact” and second, “to dismiss an inconvenient subject” (“Amphibologia”, 2016, para. 8).
Types
A prophetic symbol, type symbolizes Old Testament people or events that relate to New Testament antitypes (“Literary Forms in the Bible”, 2016). Romans 5:14 speaks of Adam as “the one to come,”, meaning Christ, as an example. Having a familiarity with the various genres and figures of speech found in the Bible, an individual will discover new meanings as they read it. Found in both Old and New Testament, the genres discussed provide an overview of history, prophecy, and law in the Bible. Figures of speech appearing haphazard at best bring to light new significance to the author’s