Old Testament Genre
Last revised: 12/30/99

In the Hebrew Bible four broad literary forms, i.e., genre, are found: Narrarives, Legal Materials, Poetry, and Wisdom Literature. Each of these contains smaller genre. Identification of these patterns is very important to correct exegesis of a given scripture text from the Old Testament. An exploration of the nature and function of each of these literary forms is the topic of this discussion.
 

Narrarives

• Primeval History
• Deuteronimic History (1/2 Samuel; 1/2 Kings)
• Court History of David (2 Sam. 9-20 & 1 Kings 1-2)
• Chronicles

• Law Codes
• Covenant Code
• Designed for agriculturally based society
• Contains civil and criminal laws as well as religious laws
• Deuteronomic Code
• A restatement of the law, updating it to a changed situation
• Levitical (Priestly) Code
• Most complex and scattered throughout the Pentateuch
• Latest of the three codes to come into existence
• Primarily concerned with proper worship
• Basic elements
• Sacrifice and Sacrifices
• Whole burnt offerings
• Cereal offerings
• Peace offerings
• Sin offerings
• Guilt offerings
• Holidays and Holy Days (Lev. 23:1-44)
• The Holiness Code (Lev. 17-26)

Wisdom Literature

• Practical Wisdom
• Philosophical (Speculative) Wisdom