The Bible is used in many ways—as a sacred text, a vehicle for divine inspiration, and a source for preaching and teaching, to name a few. It was only in the middle of the previous century that scholars began to treat the Bible as a work of literature. When viewed as literature, the various tools of literary criticism become available to use in the pursuit of meaning.

As with all the Oxford Very Short Introductions, The Hebrew Bible as Literature does a masterful job condensing a broad field into a small package without sacrificing nuance. Tod Linafelt divides the Hebrew Bible into two major streams, poetry and prose, before sharing how to read these two types of literature.

Linafelt’s book is resplendent with examples drawn from across the Hebrew Bible. More than one of his examples has worked its way into a course I teach on biblical interpretation. I would highly recommend this book to any thoughtful Christian looking to deepen their understanding of the Hebrew Bible.

Linafelt, Tod. The Hebrew Bible as Literature. Oxford UP, 2016.