Reading Scripture well: genre and context

Ages 13 to 17 Read alone · about 40 minutes

Read together

The Bible contains law, narrative, poetry, wisdom, prophecy, gospel and letters. Each genre asks to be read in its own way.

Ask: who wrote this, to whom, when, and in what form? Then ask what it says.

Do it

1. Choose three short passages from different genres, such as Psalm 23, Luke 15 and Philippians 4.
2. For each, write the genre, the likely audience and one question about context.
3. Read a study note or commentary from your tradition and compare its view with yours.
4. Discuss with a pastor, priest or teacher where Christians read differently.

Talk about it

• What genre is this?
• How would the original readers have heard it?

For the grown-up

THEOLOGY NOTE. How to interpret Scripture is a matter on which traditions differ (for example how tradition, church authority and personal reading relate). This lesson teaches shared reading skills, not one tradition's method. Please review it against your own church's teaching.

Mark as done

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Where this comes from

• Fee, G. D., and Stuart, D., How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth (Zondervan, 4th edition, 2014)
• Alter, R., The Art of Biblical Narrative (Basic Books, 1981)
• Pontifical Biblical Commission, The Interpretation of the Bible in the Church (1993)

Written with AI assistance and checked against the sources listed. Please read it before sharing it with a child.