Bible Study--Style and Structure

There are three modes of expressing thought in Biblical literature, styles, about which the student should be aware. Each has special characteristics that he should be careful to observe. For information beyond what is found here, consult Robert A. Traina, Methodical Bible Study, pages 68-71.

This is the style most familiar to students. It is the style one encounters when he reads a physics book or a newspaper article. This mode expresses its thought logically and every word or phrase contains significant information. Close observation is very important. The epistles are part of the body of logical literature.

An Illustration

This is an illustration of the erroneous results of not treating logical literature logically. In this illustration there is also a problem of confusing the Doctrine of Revelation with the Doctrine of Illumination.

One writer, Charles Pinkney, says, ". . . In the silence of Prayer we listen and hear his voice and see him demonstrate the actions we should follow. . . . Declaring his will becomes the word of faith (http://fairmount-nd.com/PMPweb/Book/5maccs.html; this page is no longer posted on the net but a copy can be found at http://web.archive.org/web/20040305163925/http://fairmount-nd.com/PMPweb/Book/5maccs.html, viewed December 2, 2004, dated June 22, 2002)."

Pinkey's doctrine may be similar to the movements that has been critiqued by the Apologetics Index: ". . . rhema is said to be the 'spoken Word of God,' while logos is considered the 'written Word of God.' . . .The danger of the rhema vs. logos doctrine can be seen in some of the current renewal and revival movements, where experience and extra-Biblical revelation are increasingly taking precedence over the written Word of God (http://www.apologeticsindex.org/r00.html, viewed December 2, 2004, copyrighted 1996-2003)."

In a less radical, but somewhat similar, way, Bill Gothard believes in special "applications" of Scripture to specific individuals. Others might not see this "application:" "In the New Testament, the Word of God is generally referred to by the Greek word logos. Jesus is identified as the Living Word (logos). However, there are many references that use the Greek word rhema to define the Word of God. A rhema is a precise direction of Scripture for a particular person or circumstance. When Jesus told Peter to cast his net on the other side of the boat, Peter replied, 'Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word [rhema] I will let down the net' (Luke 5:5). Jesus did not tell every one to cast their nets on the other side of the boat—only Peter (http://www.billgothard.org/topics/hermeneutics.php, viewed December 2, 2004, copyrighted 2002-2004)."

Logos is often used of the Christian proclamation as a whole and rhema usually relates to individual words and utterances (O. Betz, "rhma," The New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology, Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1971, volume 3, page 1121). However, this is quite a bit different than saying that rhema is used of inspired utterances for a specific individual who prays or reads the Bible.

Later in Pinkney's article, he seems to use 1 John 2:27 to buttress his emphasis on present day extra-Biblical revelation:

"As for you, the anointing which you received from Him abides in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you; but as His anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you abide in Him (1 John 2:27, NASV, underlining added: Pinkney abbreviates the verse leaving out the last clause.)."

In the most extreme interpretation, this verse by itself is thought to indicate that we can receive direct revelations from God. It could mean that a believer does not need a teacher to help him with his understanding nor does he even need the Bible. This is especially appealing to the slothful and to those who are too prideful to take the advice of more mature believers. The lazy student can receive a direct revelation from God without expending effort in studying the Bible and accessing the teachings of others.

However, in logical literature, we must understand how one verse, like 1 John 2:27, fits in with all the elements of a complete book. Other evidence may radically effect how we interpret a single verse. This is certainly the case with 1 John 2:27. We find that the Apostles had proclaimed the Word to the recipients (1:1-4). We also know that the recipients were learned in the Word (1:14b; 2:20-21). The Apostle John also knew that false teachers were about to arrive and that they would attempt to convince the recipients to replace the true doctrine they already knew with false doctrine (2:18-19, 22-23). John uses the epistle to make sure that the recipients would not be influenced by the doctrine of the false teachers (2:24-26). Thus, the teachers in verse 27a are the false teachers! The recipients do not need to be taught by them because they were well taught in the Word illuminated to them by the Holy Spirit as taught by the Apostle(s), the true teachers (2:27b).

In logical literature one must consider every little detail of the text if he is to successfully discover what God has said.

For the purpose of this discussion, prose is the mode of expressing thought that makes use of stories. A story is literature like The Empire Strikes Back or Uncle Tom's Cabin. In the Gospels and other examples of Biblical prose, the selection of stories and scenes and/or the order in which they are presented has been designed to teach doctrine to the reader. It can also be called narrative.

In prose the flow of thought presented through the telling of stories is more important than the minute detail of each individual story. For this reason reputable scholars advise students not to press the fine details of parables too much to find doctrine but rather to discover it from the integrating thought. Irving L. Jensen, Independent Bible Study, pages 70-72, gives such advice.

Matthew is usually thought to be written in chronological order as a history of the Lord's life. But this is not correct. Portions of Matthew are not arranged in chronological order as the following table demonstrates. The information for the table has been taken from Albert Cassel Wieand, A New Harmony of the Gospels, revised edition, page 266.

Matthew was written to teach first century Jews that their rejection of the Messiah resulted only in the postponement of His millennial kingdom. Though the Gospel follows the life of Christ in broad strokes, details have been rearranged to reinforce the theme since the course of His life is secondary to the author's purpose.

An Outline of Matthew 13:53-17:9
Matthew's Order	Teaching
13:53-17:9	Summary of the Section: The correct identification of the Messiah was the occasion for further revelation while the absence of such an identification caused a shifting of His ministry from Jews to Gentiles and was a sign of a lack of spiritual enlightenment on the part of the Jews.
13:53	Bridge Between Sections
13:54-58	Citizens of the Messiah's hometown refused to believe that His wisdom and miracles came from God.
14:1-12	Herod recognized the supernatural origin of the Messiah's miracles but, because of a bad conscience, associated them with a resurrected John the Baptist.
14:13-33	As a contrast, the Messiah's disciples associated His miracles with the Son of God.
14:34-15:20	The Pharisees and scribes default by making no identification because of their lack of spiritual discernment due to their defiled hearts.
15:21-39	The Messiah begins to direct His ministry to the Gentiles when they begin to make positive identifications of His Person.
16:1-12	On the other hand, the lack of positive identification on the part of that current Jewish generation led to a reduction of the Messiah's ministry towards the Jews.
16:13-19	Peter correctly identifies Jesus as the Christ (Messiah), son of the Living God, because the Father had enlightened him, and receives blessings.
17:1-8	At the manifestation of the King's glory, the Father identified the Messiah as His beloved Son.
16:20; 17:9	Peter's and the Father's identifications were to be kept secret to avoid propelling the resultant events out of the providential timetable.

Matthew 13:54-58 records that Jews in the Lord's hometown refused to receive the authentication provided by His miracles. For this reason, the author places this account in a section that shows that Jews who correctly identified the Lord as the Messiah (in green above) received further revelation while those who refused to make the identification (in red above) caused a shifting of His ministry from Jew to Gentile (Matthew 13:53-17:9). If Matthew 13:54-58 had been placed chronologically it would have been placed between Matthew 9:32-34 and 9:35-38.

Remember, the ordering of events in Biblical prose is designed to promote the desired teaching.

John 6 is another example of how stories are selected to teach a doctrine as they unfold. John is in chronological order but not every incident is mentioned (John 21:25). It was written with the purpose of teaching doctrine over the purpose of relating complete details of the chronological life of Christ. John 6 begins with the Jews excitedly proclaiming Jesus as the Messianic Prophet (John 6:1-14) and then as the Messianic King (John 6:15-24). As Jesus begins to reveal His current role of Messianic Priest from heaven (John 6:25-52) most of His lesser disciples misunderstand and reject Him (John 6:53-66). The first sixty-six verses of John 6 were selected by the author to show the intensity of the Lord's fall in popularity. Finally He questioned the loyalty of the twelve main disciples in verses 67-71. The author intended to teach that even when Jesus was very unpopular, the twelve disciples remained faithful to Him by reminding themselves of what He did for them (verse 68) and by reminding themselves of His Divine origin (verse 69).

Examples of poetry in the English language include The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and the words to many Christian hymns. English poetry is most recognizable when it utilizes rhythm and rhyme and when it especially appeals to emotion.

The Book of Psalms is a book of Jewish poetry. Poetry may also be found in the prophetic books and elsewhere

Unlike English poetry, Hebrew poetry, which amounts for most of the poetry in the Bible, does not have to make use of rhythm and rhyme. Rather parallelisms and figures of speech are the recognizable characteristics of Hebrew poetry. They will be discussed on a later page.

Structure is the framework that holds clauses, sentences, paragraphs, segments, subsections, sections, divisions, and books together in a way that aids the transfer of the author's thoughts to the reader. Without structure a book would only contain unrelated thoughts. With structure a book has an integrating theme. Click here for an example of structure in Matthew 2:13-23.

Observation of the structure is also useful in determining how to dissect the text into divisions.

A complete discussion of grammatical structure involves the relationships of various parts of speech and is explained in beginning English grammars available at bookstores and libraries. Although it is not a detailed grammar, some students may find the following source an inexpensive but useful tool to jog their memory about English grammar: Frank X. Braun, English Grammar for Language Students.

Biblical structure also involves grammatical relationships within paragraphs including a heavy use of conjunctions. Conjunctions are words that connect clauses and sentences. "And" and "therefore" are conjunctions. Conjunctions will be addressed on the next page.

An Illustration

The understanding of grammar is important. For example, one commentator teaches that grace enabling the Christian's life, is merited: "As we respond to the grace God gives us, He gives more grace (http://www.billgothard.com/topics/grace.php, viewed December 2, 2004, copyrighted 2002-2004):" Earlier in the article Bill Gothard states that grace with respect to salvation is unmerited. But his section on the progression of grace in the godly life presents this idea of meriting grace. More information on this problem in Gothard's theology can be found in chapter 5 of Don Veinot, Joy Veinot & Ron Henzel, A Matter of Basic Principles, Springfield, MO: 21st Century Press, 2002, pages 139-163)." Gothard's teaching seems to turn on 2 Peter 3:18:

“. . . grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. . . . (2 Peter 3:18, NASV).”

The verb in the clause is “grow.” The subject of the clause is supplied by the verb in Greek and is second person, plural, and active. It is the “you” of the previous context. Because the verb is active, the subject is performing the action of the verb. The clause indicates that it is the recipients of 2 Peter who are growing, not the grace. The growth of the believers occurs in the midst of grace (like a germinating seed in rich, watered earth) or grace is the cause of the growth.

Second Peter 3:18 does not support the teaching that using grace responsibly begets more grace. God's grace is truly unmerited favor.

Thus the grammar (English or Greek) preserves the true meaning of this verse. It structurally brings the verse together in accordance with the author's intent.

Biblical structure also involves relationships between paragraphs and larger units in which various structural laws are utilized. Structural laws are definitions of the various relationships between paragraphs and larger units that are often observed in Scripture (e.g., comparison, contrast). These laws will be covered on a later page.

Finally, Biblical structure makes use of various structural materials. These materials are used when the structural laws are applied. For example, if persons are used as material, the structural law of contrast may be utilized to emphasize the differences between the persons. For more information on structural materials, see Robert A. Traina, Methodical Bible Study, pages 55-59.

Biographical Material in 2 Chronicles 10:1-36:16
Chapter	King	Critique
10-12	Rehoboam	Bad (12:14)
13	Abijah	Good
14-16	Asa	Good (14:2)
17-20	Jehoshaphat	Good (20:32)
21	Jehoram	Bad (21:12-13)
22:1-9	Ahaziah	Bad (22:4)
22:10-23:15	Athaliah	Bad
23:16-24:27	Joash	Good During Life of Jehoiada (24:2)
25	Amaziah	Good But Not Completely (25:2)
26	Uzziah	Good (24:4)
27	Jotham	Good (27:2)
28	Ahaz	Bad (28:1)
29-32	Hezekiah	Good (29:2)
33:1-20	Manasseh	Bad (33:2)
33:21-25	Amon	Bad (33:22)
34-35	Josiah	Good (34:2)
36:1-4	Joahaz	Bad
36:5-8	Jehoiakim	Bad (36:5)
36:9-10	Jehoiachin	Bad (36:9)
36:11-21	Zedekiah	Bad (36:12)

The first material is made of persons. An extended section, 2 Chronicles 10:1-36:16, makes use of the kings of Judah as material with which the structural laws may be applied. Wicked kings are contrasted with good kings. The frequent repetition of wicked kings provides justification for the judgment of Judah by Babylon.

The Historical Material in the Book of Daniel
Aramaic Addressed to the Gentile Nations 2:4-7:28			Hebrew Addressed to Israel 1:1-2:3; 8:1-12:13
Chapter	Description	Date of Event	Chapter	Description	Date of Event
2	The Great Statue	603-602 BC*	8	The Ram, Goat, & Little Horn	Around 550 BC*
3	The Image of Gold	605-562 BC	9	Seventy Weeks of Years (through the Tribulation)	Around 538 BC*
4	The Tall Tree	605-562 BC	10:1-12:3	The Future from the Persian Empire to the Eternal State	535 BC*
5	Handwriting on the Wall	539 BC*		amly-duw amlu-/m erbm ahla-yd hmv xwhl
6	The Prayer Injunction	Uncertain		Let the name of God be blessed forever and ever . . .
7	Four Great Beasts	556-555 BC*		Daniel 2:20a
These dates are from Gleason L. Archer, Jr., Daniel, The Expositor's Bible Commentary, volume 7, pages 6, 39, 70, 84, 96, 107. Unmarked dates reflect the reign of the appropriate king and are from John H. Walton, Chronological Charts of the Old Testament, page 65. The event would have taken placed during that reign. The dating of chapter 6 depends on accurately identifying Darius. In any case, chapters 7 and 8 are out of chronological order. Thus, Daniel is built out of historical material. (Chapter 1 is introductory and indicates a period of public service from roughly 605 BC through 537 BC [Archer, page 6].) John F. Walvoord contends that chapter 7 takes place chronologically between chapters 4 and 5 (Daniel, the Key to Prophetic Revelation*, pages 149-150).

This material is made of events not arranged strictly to chronological order. The events described in the chapters of Daniel have not been ordered chronologically, but there is progression in the author's thought as he seeks to reinforce the Jews' hope in a future messianic kingdom.

Chronological material is similar to historical material except that the events are ordered according to the sequence in which they happened. Albert Cassel Wieand indicates that the events of the Gospel of John have been ordered chronologically (A New Harmony of the Gospels, pages 265-268).

When a choice must be made between historical and chronological materials, it is assumed to be historical unless obvious chronological characteristics are observed.

The material used is made of locations or of nations. Exodus is so structured moving from Egypt (1:1-12:36), to Sinai (12:37-18:27), and at Sinai (19:1-40:38).

In a way biographical and geographical material could be classified as historical or chronological material since they all often involve events. However, the biographical and geographical categories are to be preferred over historical or chronological when persons, places, or nations are emphasized in the portion being observed.

Ideas are the material with which the ideological type is constructed. Romans exhibits such structure by logically moving from the need of salvation (1:18-3:20), to the way of salvation (3:21-5:21), to the practice of salvation (6:1-8:39), and finally to the relationship of Israel and salvation (9:1-11:36).

	Logical Style	Prose Style	Poetry Style
Biographic Structural Material		2 Chronicles 10-36	Job 3-42
Historical Structural Material		Daniel
Chronological Structural Material		John	Habakkuk
Geographical Structural Material		Exodus	Jeremiah 46-51
Ideological Structural Material	Romans		Psalm 139

Biographical Material and Poetic Style in Job 3-41

Passage

4-5

6-7

9-10

12-14

16-17

23-24

26-31

32-37

38-41

Speaker

Job

Eliphaz

Job

Bildad

Job

Zophar

Job

Eliphaz

Job

Bildad

Job

Zophar

Job

Eliphaz

Job

Bildad

Job

Elihu

God

According to style, Job is poetry. Although Job is chronological, the observation may be made that persons and their attitudes carry the thought process of the writer. For example, the attitude of Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar is contrasted with the attitude of Elihu. God's attitude is contrasted with the attitude of Job. Job's attitude is contrasted with the attitudes of Eliphaz, Bildad, Zophar, and Elihu. Thus the structural material utilized in Job is biographical.

Chronological Material and Prose and Poetry Styles in Habakkuk

First Complaint

Habakkuk

1:2-4

First Answer

God

God

1:5-11

Second Complaint

Habakkuk

1:12-2:1

Second Answer

God

God

2:2-20

Resultant Praise

Habakkuk

3:1-19

Habakkuk is poetry. A conversation between Habakkuk and the Lord is recorded (1:1-2:20) followed by Habakkuk's reaction that is recorded as a psalm (3:1-19). If the content of the conversation between Habakkuk and the Lord were decided to be the primary feature of the structural material, the material would be classified as chronological. If the character of the persons were the primary feature, the material would be biographical. Sometimes it is difficult to make the required decision. In such cases the benefits of the procedure probably are greater than the usefulness of the category.

Geographical Material and Poetry Style in Jeremiah 46:1-51:64

Passage

46:2-28

4:1-7

48:1-47

49:1-6

49:7-22

49:23-27

49:28-33

49:34-39

50:1-51:64

Nation

Egypt

Philistia

Moab

Ammon

Edom

Damascus

Arabia

Elam

Babylon

Jeremiah 46:1-51:64 is a series of poetic prophecies concerning the future of various nations.

Ideological Material and Poetry Style in Psalm 139
Argument	Verses
Although David was originally concerned that the Lord's attributes cannot be opposed;	16
once David understood that the Lord exercises His attributes for David's benefit;	7-13
he praised the Lord,	14-18
assumed the Lord's enemies as his enemies,	19-22
and surrendered himself to the Lord's purposes.	23-24

Psalm 139 is arranged ideologically. Although David was originally concerned that the Lord's sovereignty cannot be opposed (verses 1-6); once David understood that the Lord exercises His sovereignty for David's benefit (verses 7-13); he praised the Lord (verses 14-18), assumed the Lord's enemies as his enemies (verses 19-22), and surrendered himself to the Lord's purposes (verses 23-24).

Non-Chronological Order of a Part of Matthew
Chronological Order	Matthew's Order
1. Demoniac Cured	9:32-34
2. Nazareth Rejection	13:54-58
3. Touring Galilee	9:35-38

STYLE

Logical Literature

Prose

First Example: Matthew

Second Example: John 6

Poetry

STRUCTURE

Grammatical Structure

Structural Laws

Structural Materials

Biographical

Historical

Chronological

Geographical

Ideological

INTEGRATION OF STYLE AND STRUCTURE MATERIAL

Biographical-Poetry

Chronological-Poetry

Geographical-Poetry

Ideological-Poetry