Setting and figures in biblical narrative
The opening of Genesis names God and describes the earth, providing a setting for the events that follow.
You open the Bible to its very first page, expecting to meet people. Instead, Genesis opens on a dark, empty earth with no one in sight. So who is already part of this story before any person shows up?
4 minutes. No sign-up needed.
What you'll learn5 ideas
- The setting is where and when a story's events happen, like in the beginning and the heavens and earth in Genesis 1:1.
- The setting also includes what the surroundings are like, such as the dark, empty earth in Genesis 1:2.
- A figure is anyone who takes part in a story, human or not, like God creating in Genesis 1:1.
- Something a story mentions that doesn't take part, like the darkness in Genesis 1:2 or a fishing net, isn't a figure.
- A figure doesn't need a name, like the crowd that blocks Zacchaeus's view in Luke 19:3.
Chapter 5: Reading biblical narrative8 lessons · 29 min
- 1Biblical narrative3 min
- 2Setting and figures in biblical narrative4 min
- 3Sequence in biblical narrative4 min
- 4Narration and speech3 min
- 5Repetition in biblical narrative3 min
- 6Literary context in the Bible3 min
- 7Textual evidence in biblical interpretation3 min
- 8Challenge: Reading biblical narrative6 min