The Holy Bible is a spiritual book revealing the glorious truth of our Lord Jesus Christ and instructing the believers to a life of holiness. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 (ESV) says,
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.
At the same time, it is a work of literature that has literary aspects. It is a book consisting of 66 books, both in the Old Testament and the New Testament. Different genres are found in the Bible and are essential to correctly understand the message/ meaning of a particular book or biblical passage.
The Old Testament
The Old Testament (OT) was originally written in Hebrew. It is composed of 39 books with five classifications: Pentateuch (5), History (12), Wisdom (5), Major Prophets (5), and the Minor Prophets (12).
Pentateuch – the books of the law that include the first five books of the Bible.
- Genesis
- Exodus
- Leviticus
- Numbers
- Deuteronomy
History – contain the history of the nation of Israel.
- Joshua
- Judges
- Ruth
- 1 Samuel
- 2 Samuel
- 1 Kings
- 2 Kings
- 1 Chronicles
- 2 Chronicles
- Ezra
- Nehemiah
- Esther
Poetry/ Wisdom – consists of poems, songs, and/or wise teachings and instructions.
- Job
- Psalms
- Proverbs
- Ecclesiastes
- Song of Solomon
Major Prophets – prophetic writings that have longer contents.
- Isaiah
- Jeremiah
- Lamentations
- Ezekiel
- Daniel
Minor Prophets – prophetic accounts shorter than the major prophets but not less inspired nor less important.
- Hosea
- Joel
- Amos
- Obadiah
- Jonah
- Micah
- Nahum
- Habakkuk
- Zephaniah
- Haggai
- Zechariah
- Malachi
The New Testament
There are 27 books in the New Testament (NT) classified into the following: Gospels (4), History (1), Letters/ Epistles (21), and Apocalypse (1). The NT was written in Koine (common) Greek.
Gospels – record the life and ministry of Christ–including His death, and resurrection.
- Matthew
- Mark
- Luke
- John
History – record the works of the Holy Spirit in and through the lives of the apostles and the early Christian church.
- Acts/ Acts of the Apostles
Letters/ Epistles – letters written in the New Testament.
Pauline Epistles – letters from the apostle Paul to specific churches, and church leaders (pastoral epistles).
- Romans
- 1 Corinthians
- 2 Corinthians
- Galatians
- Ephesians
- Philippians
- Colossians
- 1 Thessalonians
- 2 Thessalonians
- Philemon
- Titus (Pastoral epistle)
- 1 Timothy (Pastoral epistle)
- 2 Timothy ((Pastoral epistle)
General Epistles– letters to the “universal” audience.
- Hebrews
- James
- 1 Peter
- 2 Peter
- 1 John
- 2 John
- 3 John
- Jude
Apocalypse – the revelation of the future events, specifically, the end times.
- Revelation
These genres/ classifications are important in our Bible study. Without the knowledge and understanding of these genres, we are prone to misinterpret and misapply passages in the Scriptures. Therefore, these must always be considered as we read and study God’s Word. In the next posts, I will share more Bible basics, steps on how to study the Bible correctly, and the importance of “rightly handling the word of truth” (2 Tim. 2:15). God bless you.
Soli Deo Gloria!