What do you hear when you read?

We're all aware that the meaning of a sentence in English can be altered by where we put the emphasis. Take the simple sentence "I like you". Depending on how it's said, it could mean "I like you, even if no-one else does," "I like you, but I don't love you" or "I like you, but not him". Unless we're given some clue from the context, we don't know in what sense the sentence is being used.

The meaning we read into a text can also be influenced by what we already know about the context. With dialogue, a lot will depend on what we know, or assume, about the speaker. I was thinking about this while reading Genesis 3 recently.

God says to Eve " “What is this that you have done?” (v 13). It's obviously a question, but how should we read it? What tone of voice does God take?

If we think of God as the cosmic policeman, we'll probably read it as if he's interrogating Eve, notebook and pencil in hand. If we think of God as the powerful king of the universe, we'll read it as a stern demand for an answer.

If we think of God as the good creator, we'll hear the tone of horror in his voice that any artist would express if he found his newly finished work vandalised. But if we picture God as a loving father, we'll hear the same anguish in his voice as a parent who has found their daughter almost unconscious with an empty pill bottle in her hand. What do you hear when you read it?