Figurative Language. Commonly Used Used without a 2 nd thought –She is as pretty as a picture; I’m caught between a rock and a hard place; My cup is running.

Figurative Language

Commonly Used

• Used without a 2nd thought– She is as pretty as a picture; I’m caught between a

rock and a hard place; My cup is running over

• When a child hears it and takes it literally, the result can be very disturbing– If you do that one more time, you are going to be in

hot water

• We must be careful to understand the figurative language of the Bible lest we become confused as to the Lord’s intent

A Simile

• An explicitly stated comparison using the words “like” or “as”– Psalm 1:1-3 “Blessed is the man Who walks not

in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful; But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree Planted by the rivers of water, That brings forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper.”

A Simile

• Luke 10:3 “Behold, I send you out as lambs among wolves.”

• Matthew 25:32 “He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats.”

• Genesis 22:17 “I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the sea shore.”

A Metaphor

• It uses comparison by direct assertion in which one thing is described in terms of another– God told Jeremiah that he made him “a fortified city,

and an iron pillar, and bronze walls against the whole land” (1:18)

– “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want” (Psalm 23:1)

– Jesus told his disciples, “Take, eat; this is My body” (Matthew 26:26), since he was bodily present at the time of that statement, we know he meant the bread metaphorically represented his body

Metonymy

• When the name of one thing is used for another because the 2 are frequently associated (or one calls the other to our mind)– When Jesus said, “This cup is the new covenant in

My blood, which is shed for you” (Luke 22:20), he was obviously talking about the contents of the cup, not the cup itself

– When Abraham told the rich man, “They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them” (Luke 19:29), he was referring to their writings

– “At the mouth” in Deuteronomy 17:6 stands for the words, or testimony, which comes out of the mouth

Allegory

• The main subject is dropped out and one similar in qualities and circumstances is put in its place

• In Psalm 80, a vine is put in place of Israel• Paul uses a soldier’s armor to describe the

Christian’s means of defense against the enemy, Satan (Ephesians 6:11-17)

• In Galatians 4:21-5:1, Paul compares Moses’ law to Ishmael, the son of the handmaid, and the law of Christ to Isaac, the son of Abraham’s wife, who was a free woman

Synecdoche

• A figure of speech in which a part is used to stand for the whole, or a whole for the part– In John 3:16, the “world” particularly is concerned with

all men in the world– In Genesis 46:27, “soul” stands for the person– One condition of salvation may be mentioned in place

of all conditions (Acts 16:31; 1 Peter 3:21)– A plural may be put for the singular (Genesis 19:29;

21:7; 46:7)– A definite number may be put for the indefinite (Psalm

50:10; 1 Corinthians 14:19)

Irony

• “From the Greek eironeia, dissimulation; as a figure, it means to dissemble in speech—to say one thing, while another is meant” (Dungan, p. 316).

• “The figure is so called when the speaker intends to convey a sense contrary to the strict signification of the words employed: not with the intention of concealing his real meaning, but for the purpose of adding greater force to it” (Bullinger, p. 807).

• Used to express a meaning other than the one stated, a form of ridicule whereby one show’s another’s error by appearing to take his side

Irony

• Job 12:2 “No doubt you are the people, And wisdom will die with you!”

• 1 Kings 22:15 “Then he came to the king; and the king said to him, ‘Micaiah, shall we go to war against Ramoth Gilead, or shall we refrain?’ And he answered him, ‘Go and prosper, for the LORD will deliver it into the hand of the king!’”

• The following verse shows irony was detected and questioned by Ahab.

Sarcasm

• Sarcasm is defined by Dungan as follows: “to tear flesh like dogs; to bite the lips in rage; to speak bitterly; to sneer”– It differs from irony because it carries a stronger,

even more hateful tone– 1 Kings 18:27 “And so it was, at noon, that Elijah

mocked them and said, ‘Cry aloud, for he is a god; either he is meditating, or he is busy, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is sleeping and must be awakened.’”

Sarcasm

• It was used by the soldiers mocking Jesus before his crucifixion.– Matthew 27:29-31 “When they had twisted a

crown of thorns, they put it on His head, and a reed in His right hand. And they bowed the knee before Him and mocked Him, saying, ‘Hail, King of the Jews!’ Then they spat on Him, and took the reed and struck Him on the head. And when they had mocked Him, they took the robe off Him, put His own clothes on Him, and led Him away to be crucified.”

Sarcasm

• It was also used by the chief priests and scribes.– Mark 15:31-32 “Likewise the chief priests also,

mocking among themselves with the scribes, said, ‘He saved others; Himself He cannot save. Let the Christ, the King of Israel, descend now from the cross, that we may see and believe.’ Even those who were crucified with Him reviled Him.”

Hyperbole

• Deliberate exaggeration for emphasis– The 10 spies said they were grasshoppers in their own

eyes when compared to the sons of Anak (Numbers 13:33; Deuteronomy 1:28)

– John said there were many other things Jesus did, “which if they were written one by one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written” (21:25)

– Paul describes himself as “less than the least of all saints” (Ephesians 3:8)

– Paul described himself as the chief, or greatest, of sinners (1 Timothy 1:15)

Apostrophe

• An address to an absent person as though he were present, or an address to inanimate things– After Absalom’s death, David cried out in his

chambers and spoke as if his son were there (2 Samuel 18:32-33)

– Paul spoke to death as though it were a person (1 Corinthians 15:55)

– The Psalmist described God’s miracles at the Jordan and Red Sea, then asks those 2 waters some questions (Psalm 114:5-6)

Personification

• When an inanimate object is described as if it were alive, or animals are given the feelings of men– Used by the Psalmist to describe the miracles used by

God to deliver Israel from Egyptian bondage and into the land of promise (114:3-4)

– Moses tells of the earth opening her mouth to swallow up the people in Korah’s rebellion (Numbers 16:31-32)

– Habakkuk depicts the mountains with human emotions and the deep as having a voice (3:10-11)

– Isaiah describes the rejoicing at the overthrow of the king of Babylon as extending to the trees (14:7-8)

Interrogation• Uses questions to plainly declare for, or against, a

certain point, in other words, no real answer is desired– Nicodemus used it to point out that the law did not

allow a man to be condemned without a hearing (John 7:50-51)

– Paul used it to declare himself a free man, an apostle, one who had seen Jesus and one of the teachers who started the work at Corinth (1 Corinthians 9:1)

– Paul also used it to show that Jesus’ name is the only one we should wear and he is the only man we should follow (1 Corinthians 1:13)

Euphemism

• An agreeable expression which is substituted for something delicate, offensive, or unpleasant

• In Genesis 4:1, it says Adam “knew” his wife and she bore a son

• Acts 7:60 says Stephen “fell asleep,” instead of saying he died

• Paul used similar wording in talking about brothers in Thessalonica who had died (1 Thessalonians 4:13)

Parable

• A story with facts that are true to life which is used to illustrate spiritual truths– In the Greek, para = beside and ballein = to

throw, hence to throw along beside for the purpose of comparison

Parable

• Dungan observed 4 basic purposes of parables (Matthew 13:10-17; 2 Samuel 12:1-14)– To conceal the truth– To reveal the truth– To embalm the truth– To cause men to assent to the truth before they

realize such truth will expose their guilt

Typology

• A type is an O. T. person, event or thing that foreshadows a N. T. person, event or thing– Both the type and anti-type must be actual things

in history, with the anti-type always being superior to the type

– The 2 will not be exactly the same, but one main item of correspondence will be found

Typology

• Melchisedec was a type of Christ, in that he was priest and king.– Genesis 14:18-30– Hebrews 5:6; 6:20-7:2

• The brass serpent was lifted up in the wilderness to remove the effect of the sting of the serpent, just as Christ was lifted up on the cross to remove the effects of sin and the sting of death.– Numbers 21:9– John 3:14-15

Symbol

• A sign which, when seen, reminds one of something else

• The rainbow serves as a token of God’s promise never to destroy the world again by water (Genesis 9:8-17)

• Jeremiah (1:13-14) describes a seething pot, or caldron (Note: Dungan says to be able to see into such would indicate it was tilted to the point of endangering a man with scalding and symbolizes the punishment coming on Jerusalem and Judea)

Rule 1: Let the Author Interpret Figurative Language for You

• Jesus interprets the parable of the sower in Luke 8:4-15

• Ezekiel 37:1-10 tells of a valley full of dry bones

• The prophet went on to explain that the valley of dry bones represented Israel and her lost hope, which God was going to restore and put life back into

Rule 2: Look for the Meaning as Explained by Other Inspired Men

• Isaiah 7:14 tells of a virgin that would conceive, bear a son and call his name Immanuel

• Matthew 1:18-23 explains that this foretold the virgin birth of Jesus Christ

• Peter explains that the events of the day of Pentecost in Acts 2:1-21 are a fulfillment of Joel 2:28-32

Rule 3: Let Clear Teaching on the Same Subject Guide Our

Understanding of Less Clear

• Psalm 41:9 says, “Even my own familiar friend in whom I trusted, who ate my bread, has lifted up his heel against me.”

• Peter told the others David foresaw the betrayal of Jesus by Judas (Acts 1:15-18)

Rule 4: Be Careful Not to Make an Analogy Say Too Much

• Our heavenly Father should not be considered an “unjust” judge because of the parable meant to teach persistence in prayer (Luke 18:1-8)

• We must also realize that figures can be used to represent different things– Jesus is called the “Word” (John 1), but not

every use of “word” refers to him