Much of the Bible is written in poetry. There are several reasons for this preference. First of all, the target audience of many of the prophets was illiterate. The patterned words and condensed meaning of poetry promoted easy remembrance of in-depth messages for people who would only hear the message read. Later, they could internalize the depths of the meaning of the message as lines of poetry resounded in their memory while they performed the rounds of manual labor that were an essential part of their daily lives. Another reason that poetry was necessary for the messages that the prophets spoke is that the dense language of poetry was the only way they could take the complex ideas and sights that they had received from heaven and present them in limited human language.
Poetry is characterized by a predictable pattern and figurative language. The pattern of ancient Hebrew poetry was parallelism and the chiastic structure, which deserves a post all on its own, but basically a chiasm is described as a mountain-shaped communication. The top of the mountain is the climax, or most important idea, of the poem, i.e., the main idea is in the middle of a passage, not the end. Ideas, or the counter to the ideas, are parallel on each side of the mountain. However, in this post, I want to examine figurative language, so I will leave a more detailed explanation of chiasms for a later time. The other component of poetry is figurative language. Figurative language includes metaphors, similes, personification, hyperbole, and symbolism. Except for figurative language in music, many people today lack experience in comprehending poetic imagery. This deficit in the ability to use and interpret figurative language is a serious barrier that the novice Bible student must overcome.
Why is there so much figurative language in the Bible? Well, we often say that a picture is worth a thousand words, but figurative language can communicate a thousand ideas in one word. For example, when God spoke of His people as a vineyard in Isaiah 5, He was painting a picture that would communicate a multitude of timeless messages both in Isaiah’s day and throughout the ages. “Let me sing for my beloved my love song concerning his vineyard: My beloved had a vineyard on a very fertile hill” (Isaiah 5:1). In the original passage in Isaiah, God speaks of the care that He took to create and protect His vineyard and of His disappointment when the vines that should have produced sweet grapes instead turned into wild sour fruit. Thus, the vineyard became a symbol of God’s care and protection of His people, as well as a symbol of human ingratitude. This same symbol was repeated throughout the Bible. Each time more significance was added to the symbol. Jesus would take this symbol and add even more implications to the vineyard scenario with the parables of the laborers’ wages (Matthew 20) and the servants killing the son of the owner of the vineyard (Matthew 21/Mark 12). Then Jesus would enlarge upon the theme even further with His beautiful exposition of our relationship to our Savior. “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). By using figurative language, God is able to communicate complex ideas in word pictures that linger in our minds and unfold with layer after layer of meaning as we meditate on His word. In short, the authors of the books of the Bible used figurative language as the most effective means to communicate the depth of meaning and emotions that they perceived during their communion with God.
The student of the Bible must delve into the implications of the symbols and metaphoric language of the Bible to comprehend the lessons that are so essential to our walk with Jesus. There are some basic principles that can help in interpreting figurative language.
The first principle is that the Bible stays fairly consistent in the use of a symbol or metaphor. Being under eagle’s wings always refers to being protected. A symbolic woman almost always represents God’s people, whether pure or a harlot. A serpent or dragon is always evil. (Remember that and think of the great sacrifice Jesus made when you read about how Jesus must be lifted up like Moses’ serpent on a pole!) There are a few deviations from this rule, like leaven being evil most times, but good sometimes. However, even these deviations help us to see the aspect of the symbol that is the focus of the figurative language. In the case of leaven, the message is not good and evil as much as the idea of a little spreading throughout the whole group. Evil spreads, but good can also spread. In short, if you learn the basic meaning of a symbol or metaphor, you will find it easier to understand the next passage that uses that same figurative language.
The second principle of understanding the figurative language in the Bible is the principle of first use. Find the first use of the symbol or metaphor, and you will find the basic kernel of meaning that stays true even as more layers of significance are added to the initial symbol. For example, chapter three of Genesis gives us the knowledge that a serpent is the enemy of God and harms humans. This symbol remains true throughout the Bible. However, it may be difficult with some symbols to determine the first appearance in the scriptures since most of the Bible is not arranged in chronological order. For example, the book of Job is one of the oldest books, yet it appears as the eighteenth book. This can be confusing for a novice Bible student. If you are unsure of the first use of the symbol or metaphor, it is helpful to examine how it is used in multiple passages in the Bible instead.
The third principle to keep in mind is that our modern symbols are not necessarily the same in meaning as the Bible’s symbols. It is true that the Christian heritage of the western world guarantees that there are many shared symbols between the Bible and most people’s cultures, but because modern life is extremely different from the times of the Bible, some symbols have become obsolete in many people’s lives. We no longer observe sowers spreading seed by hand, and olive oil lamps are outside of most people’s experiences. The symbol of a horn does not speak to us of power as it did in ancient times when watching animals show dominance and fight with their horns was a daily sight. Even symbols that are not anachronistic may have become corrupted by misinterpretation and worldly thinking. For example, a rod brings to mind beatings and oppression because of popular cliches and worldly thinking; however, in the Bible, a rod was not a weapon to hurt people; it was a tool to protect the sheep (i.e., the people of God). On the other hand, our worldly fascination with fighting and war has made the sword an attractive symbol, yet the Bible usually speaks of swords with negativity. It is extremely important for the Bible student to separate modern ideas of a symbol from the actual Biblical meaning of the symbol. Question your understanding and let the Bible interpret itself rather than inserting your own meanings into the symbol.
Fourth, look at the sanctuary for meaning. Many of the symbols of the scriptures have a connection to the temple services described first in Exodus and Leviticus but expounded upon and enlarged in later books. Jesus’ reference to us as the light of the world can be traced back to the lamps of the Holy Place. The bread of life has a connection to the table of shewbread, as well as the manna pot kept in the ark of the covenant. Understanding the sanctuary can shed light on a lot of the figurative language of the scriptures.
Finally, when you have difficulty understanding a symbol’s specific meaning, there are several steps you can take. First, you can usually at least get a feeling for whether the symbol denotes something positive or negative from the context. This is a good place to start. Commentaries can be helpful but remember that there is a lot of figurative language that is disputed. Thus, various commentaries may disagree upon the implications of a symbol or metaphor. I have found that the best solution for understanding difficult passages with figurative language is to first let the Bible interpret itself, and then give myself time to digest the symbol. Frequently, the Holy Spirit will give me an experience or show me a new verse that makes the confusing symbol flower into beautiful meaning.
You may be a poor reader who finds figurative language and poetry challenging to understand, but as you delve into the Bible more and more, the symbolic thinking of the scriptures will begin to imprint on your mind, and the Holy Spirit will make the meaning clearer and clearer. Also, do not feel that listening to the scriptures on YouTube or audio on your phone is inferior to reading the words on the printed/electronic page. Remember, one of the original reasons for poetic writing was so that people would HEAR and remember the ideas. Whether you read or listen to God’s word, the figurative language that communicates the messages from heaven can enrich your life and deepen your appreciation of God’s love for You. Learning to understand the symbols and metaphors of the Bible may take work, but the reward is worth the effort.