Understanding God's Character Through Scripture's Various Genres

The Bible presents a multifaceted portrait of God's character across its diverse genres, from the poetic language of the Psalms to the prophetic declarations of Zechariah. To grasp the complexity of God's nature, one must consider the various ways Scripture reveals God's character.

The biblical concept of knowing God is rooted in the Hebrew words "'El", "'Eloah", and "'Elohim", which convey strength and power ^[3]. The names associated with God in the Bible, such as Deuel ("the knowledge of God"), Jediael ("the science, or knowledge, of God"), and Eldaah ("knowledge of God"), further underscore the significance of understanding God's character ^{[1, 2, 4]}.

Scripture employs a range of literary genres to convey God's character, including wisdom literature, prophetic writings, and epistles. In Proverbs, the pursuit of wisdom is linked to the fear of God, which is described as the beginning of knowledge (Proverbs 1:7, 9:10). The book of Job poses profound questions about God's nature, with the rhetorical query, "Can you fathom the mystery of God? Or can you probe the limits of the Almighty?" (Job 11:7) ^[5].

The apostle Paul's writings in Romans and Ephesians highlight the revelation of God's character through the gospel. In Romans 1:21, Paul notes that humanity's failure to honor God despite knowing Him stems from a suppression of truth ^[6]. Ephesians 3:3 describes the mystery of the gospel as being made known to Paul through revelation, underscoring the idea that God's character is revealed through the proclamation of Christ ^[10].

The Psalms, a collection of poetic and devotional writings, portray God's character through expressions of praise, lament, and trust. Psalm 119:125 illustrates the psalmist's desire to understand God's testimonies, which are described as wonderful ^[12]. The prophetic book of Zechariah emphasizes God's passion for His people and His word, highlighting the personal nature of God's character (Zechariah 8:2) ^[11].

The New Testament epistles, such as Colossians, encourage believers to put on the new self, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator (Colossians 3:10). This renewal is associated with the revelation of God's character through Christ ^[13].

The various genres of Scripture collectively present a rich and nuanced portrait of God's character. By examining the biblical text through its diverse literary forms, one can gain a deeper understanding of God's nature and attributes. The Reformed tradition, as represented by Calvin's commentary on Genesis, emphasizes the importance of understanding the names and attributes of God as revealed in Scripture ^[7]. Similarly, Baptist and Reformed interpreters, such as John Gill, highlight the significance of Scripture in revealing God's character and will ^{[8, 9, 10, 12]}.

Sources

Hitchcock's Bible Names “Hitchcock's Bible Names: Deuel — the knowledge of God”
Hitchcock's Bible Names “Hitchcock's Bible Names: Jediael — the science, or knowledge, of God”
Easton's Bible Dictionary “Easton's Bible Dictionary: God — (A.S. and Dutch God; Dan. Gud; Ger. Gott), the name of the Divine Being. It is the rendering (1) of the Hebrew 'El, from a word meaning to be strong; (2) of 'Eloah_, plural _'Elohim. The singular form, Eloah, is used only in poetry. The plural form is more commonly used in all parts of the Bible, The Hebrew word Jehovah (q.v.), the only other word generally employed to denote the Supreme Being, is uniformly rendered in the Authorized Version by "LORD," printed in small capitals. The existence of God is taken for granted in the Bible. There is nowhere any argume”
Hitchcock's Bible Names “Hitchcock's Bible Names: Eldaah — knowledge of God”
Job ““Can you fathom the mystery of God? Or can you probe the limits of the Almighty? -- Job 11:7”
Romans (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Romans 1:21: 1:21 To know God in Scripture usually means to have an intimate, saving relationship with him (see 2 Cor 5:16; Gal 4:9; Phil 3:8, 10). Here, however, they knew God means that people knew about God. All people have some understanding of God through creation, yet they do not do what is right based on that knowledge. Rather than learn more about God, they worship gods of their own making.”
CCEL (Reformed) “Calvin, Commentary on Genesis, Vol. 1 (Gen 1-23), section 6.10: be found to Vitringa and others. Against this view, however, Hengstenberg argues with considerable force, in his Dissertation “on the Names of God in the Pentateuch;” and if some of his reasonings in the use of these names seem too refined for the simplicity of the Holy Scriptures, and for the comprehension of those to whom the Scriptures are chiefly addressed, yet we may discover the germ of very important truths, thought they may be, in some degree, hidden beneath a variety of fanciful developments. By a very careful examination”
Proverbs (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Proverbs 22:20: Have not I written to thee excellent things,.... In the Scriptures. Some render it, "three things" (c); and think that Solomon refers to the three divisions of the Scriptures among the Jews, the law, the prophets, and holy writings; so Jarchi; but some of those writings then were not: or to the three books wrote by him; the Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Songs. Others render it, "in a threefold way" (d), as the Targum and several versions; that is, in various ways, in different forms and styles, in order the better to inform and instruct. But it is best, with ”
Hebrews (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Hebrews 1:1: God, who at sundry times and in divers manners,.... The apostle begins the epistle with an account of the revelation God has made of his mind and will in former times: the author of this revelation is God, not essentially, but personally considered, even God the Father, as distinguished from his Son in the next verse; for the revelation under the Old Testament is divine, as well as that under the New; in this they both agree, in whatsoever else they differ: and this revelation was made at several times, at different seasons, and to different persons; and consisted of ”
Ephesians (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Ephesians 3:3: How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery,.... Or "is made known unto me": so the Alexandrian copy, and some others, and the Vulgate Latin version. The Gospel, which is sometimes called a mystery, the mystery of the Gospel, the mystery of godliness, and the mystery of faith: the several doctrines of the Gospel are the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven; such as a trinity of persons in the Godhead, the union of the two natures in Christ, the saints' union to Christ, and communion with him, the resurrection of the dead, and the change of living saints, ”
Zechariah (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Zechariah 8:2: 8:2 Passion (or jealousy, zeal) is a basic element of the Old Testament concept of God (see also 1:14). God’s passion identifies him as a personal deity, not an abstract natural force. God is passionate for his word and for the people of his covenant. His passion results in punishment for sin, restoration for repentance, and reward for the pursuit of righteousness.”
Psalms (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Psalms 119:125: PE.--The Seventeenth Part. PE. Thy testimonies are wonderful,.... The Scriptures, which testify of God, his mind and will, are wonderful both with respect to the author of them, the things contained in them, and the use and advantage of them. They give an account of the wonderful works of creation; of their author and matter; of the manner, order, and time of their being wrought: they relate many wonderful events of Providence, both in a way of mercy and judgment; they declare several surprising miracles, wrought by Moses and others, and exhibit many marvellous t”
Colossians (Methodist/Wesleyan) “Adam Clarke on Colossians 3:10: And have put on the new man - See on Rom 12:1-2 (note). Is renewed in knowledge - Ignorance was the grand characteristic of the heathen state; Knowledge, of the Christian. The utmost to which heathenism could pretend was a certain knowledge of nature. How far this went, and how much it fell short of the truth, may be seen in the writings of Aristotle and Pliny. Christianity reveals God himself, the author of nature; or, rather, God has revealed himself, in the Christian system with which he has blessed mankind. Christianity teaches a man the true knowledge both ”

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