Interpreting Poetry
The Bible is comprised of many types of literature, each adding to the depth and richness of God’s disclosure of his person and work in the world. However, the beauty added by the use of various genres is missed if the reader does not learn to pay attention to the types of literature and how they are to be interpreted. Just as in secular literature we know that poetry is read and interpreted differently from biography, and newspaper accounts are interpreted differently from novels, so in the literature of the Bible we must learn to look for and listen to how the genres are used by the Holy Spirit to unfold redemption’s story. Let’s consider the poetry of the Bible.