Key Terms
Genre — The type or category of literature — like narrative, poetry, law, prophecy, or letter. Each genre has its own conventions.
Literary Conventions — The built-in rules of a genre — the expectations that both the author and original readers shared about how that type of writing works
Key Concepts
- Different types of writing communicate differently
- The Bible contains multiple genres — each with its own rules
- Misidentifying genre leads to misinterpretation
Scripture Focus
Psalm 23:1 (poetry)
Genesis 1:1 (narrative)
Proverbs 22:6 (wisdom — observation, not guarantee)
Learning Objectives
- Explain why genre identification is essential — reading poetry as history or proverbs as promises leads to confusion
- Identify the six major biblical genres (narrative, law, poetry, wisdom, prophecy, epistles) and describe what makes each one distinctive
- Show from familiar examples how recognizing genre changes interpretation
Resources
Download the companion handout for this lesson to review key terms and concepts offline.
Download Lesson Handout (PDF)