Peter Gentry is a phenomenal Hebrew scholar and a professor at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky.

In How to Read and Understand the Biblical Prophets, Gentry gently explains the reason a “literal” reading of the prophets leads to confusion. He argues that we must consider authorial intent, literary genre, and literary structure in order to arrive at a truly accurate understanding of the biblical text.

Below are a few insights from the book:

• “Repetition is at the heart of Hebrew discourse.” (41)
• “With broad strokes the prophet paints a panoramic picture in which the near and distant futures of his vision are set side by side.” (72)
• “The literal meaning is the meaning as determined by the rules of the particular genre or the kind of literature.” (85)