Surprised by the Bible - Chapters 7–9: Genre, Discourse Analysis, and Application

A set of vocabulary-style flashcards covering key concepts from the notes on Genre, Discourse Analysis, and Application in Surprised by the Bible.

Divinely Prescribed Genre

God-designated biblical genres such as narrative, prophecy, poetry/lyric, and epistles; each genre feeds the soul like a food group.

Biblical Genre Diet

A balanced intake of genres: about 50% narrative, 22% prophetic, 15% wisdom/poetry, 8% epistolary, 1.5% apocalyptic.

Narrative Arc

Story components: setting, characters, problems, conflict, escalation, crisis, resolution, and falling action.

Story Arc in Scripture

Reading Bible narratives with a story-arc lens helps track the overarching Messiah storyline.

Already and Not Yet

Prophetic literature often presents timelines with fulfilled and future fulfillments, like a mountain range of fulfilled and future prophecies.

Baseline Prophecy Pattern

The common prophetic cycle: sin, exile or punishment, restoration or mercy.

Epistolary Pattern

Opening salutations, purpose, indicative/doctrine, imperative/instructions, and localize greetings in letters.

Mid-letter Pivot

In many epistles, the text shifts from doctrine and justification to sanctification and commands.

Discourse Analysis

A method focusing on meaning at levels above sentences, emphasizing structure, coherence, and how the text moves.

Discourse Markers

Connective or nonverbal cues like so, therefore, behold; act as traffic lights guiding reading.

Cohesion vs Coherence

Cohesion is the explicit linking within the text; coherence is the implicit lexical and conceptual connections across the text.

Inclusios

Framing devices with repeated phrases at book boundaries that help link sections.

Sign vs Thing (Text vs Event)

Distinguish that the text is a sign about events, not the exact events themselves; words point to things.

Backgrounds in Hermeneutics

Contextual knowledge can inform interpretation but should not dominate; prioritize the text itself.

Event-Text Priority

Interpret events through the text and its authorial strategy rather than forcing background details to define meaning.

Canon-Conscious Reading

Reading with awareness of the Bible as a unified canonical whole.

Creed-Conscious Reading

Reading guided by creedal boundaries (Nicene, Chalcedonian, Athanasian) to keep interpretation orthodox.

Trinity-Focused Reading

Reading that reflects the Triune nature of God shaping interpretation of Scripture.

Christ-Transfixed Reading

Centering interpretation on Christ as the focal point of Scripture.

Implication-Oriented Reading

Focus on the Bible as implying truths for all people across time, not just immediate guidance.

Church-Covenanted Reading

Reading within the life of the local church through preaching, worship, and communal practice.

Family-Rooted Reading

Reading oriented toward family life and transmission of biblical understanding across generations.

Scripture for Teaching, Rebuke, Correction, Training

2 Timothy 3:16: all Scripture is inspired and profitable for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness.

Balance of Genres

Avoid overemphasizing epistles or apocalyptic; cultivate proficiency across narrative, prophetic, and wisdom/poetry.

Implicational vs Applica­tion

Implication describes the Bible's broad, cross-generational impact; application is a subset of that reach.

Providential Hearing

God guides passage from inspiration to preaching; the Word lands in hearers through conscience and Spirit.

Discourse Examples: Ruth

Ruth demonstrates frame narration with time stamping; pacing shifts show narrator’s values.

Discourse Examples: Proverbs 10–15

A master two-ways metaphor with a repeated but/contrastive structure guiding interpretation.

Discourse Examples: Malachi

A courtroom mode with accusation, rebuttal, and evidence; a unified book framed as dialogue.

Discourse Examples: 1 John

Conversational, looping repetition rather than linear argument, shaping a relational mood.

Discourse Examples: Judges

Moral death spiral illustrating escalating corruption and the need for divine restraint.

Discourse Examples: Job

A tsunami of accusations culminating in God’s reversal and a revised understanding of suffering.

Psalm 78 and Implication

Historically oriented psalm showing how past deeds implicate and instruct future generations.

Nehemiah 9 and Implication

Levites recount history to motivate covenant renewal and obedience among post-exile Israelites.

Backgrounds vs Text (Sailhamer/Augustine)

Distinguish things from signs; texts have compositional integrity and meaning independent of background details.