IDIOMS and FIGURES OF SPEECH in the BIBLE

[betsy]

This thread is inspired by a lengthy discussion I've recently had about transubstantiation - the belief by some that the bread and wine during Communion literally become the flesh and blood of Christ.  My view is that, it's not to be taken literally.

 

It's not the ability of Jesus to perform miracles that's in question here.  If He can raise the dead, He can do anything. 

It's the inconsistencies it presents with the Scriptures when it's taken literally.  If you're eating human flesh, and drinking human blood - you're committing cannibalism.  Furthermore, it means He's being sacrificed - going through His passion and death every time we have communion!  His death was the ultimate sacrifice - thus His last Words were, "It's finished!"   Communion is supposed to be symbolical - to remember what He'd done for us, and the meaning of that ultimate sacrifice.  The benefit for mankind!

 

Jesus had taught so many times using PARABLES - synonymous with allegory.  Why is it so difficult to accept that bread/wine becoming His flesh/blood, is another figure of speech?

 

John 6 was given as an argument to support transubstantiation, however.....the very same chapter proved that it's not to be taken literally. 

 

John 6

³² Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven. ³³ For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”

³⁴ Then they said to Him, “Lord, give us this bread always.”

³⁵ And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst. ³⁶ But I said to you that you have seen Me and yet do not believe. ³⁷ All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out. ³⁸ For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. ³⁹ This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day. ⁴⁰ And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day.”

Rejected by His Own

⁴¹ The Jews then complained about Him, because He said, “I am the bread which came down from heaven.” ⁴² And they said, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How is it then that He says, ‘I have come down from heaven’?”

⁴³ Jesus therefore answered and said to them, “Do not murmur among yourselves. ⁴⁴ No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day. ⁴⁵ It is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught by God.’^[e] Therefore everyone who has heard and learned^[f] from the Father comes to Me. ⁴⁶ Not that anyone has seen the Father, except He who is from God; He has seen the Father. ⁴⁷ Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me^[g] has everlasting life. ⁴⁸ I am the bread of life. ⁴⁹ Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and are dead. ⁵⁰ This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that one may eat of it and not die. ⁵¹ I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world.”

⁵² The Jews therefore quarreled among themselves, saying, “How can this Man give us His flesh to eat?”

⁵³ Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. ⁵⁴ Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. ⁵⁵ For My flesh is food indeed,^[h] and My blood is drink indeed. ⁵⁶ He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. ⁵⁷ As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me. ⁵⁸ This is the bread which came down from heaven—not as your fathers ate the manna, and are dead. He who eats this bread will live forever.”

⁵⁹ These things He said in the synagogue as He taught in Capernaum.

Many Disciples Turn Away

⁶⁰ Therefore many of His disciples, when they heard this, said, “This is a hard saying; who can understand it?”

⁶¹ When Jesus knew in Himself that His disciples complained about this, He said to them, “Does this offend you? ⁶² What then if you should see the Son of Man ascend where He was before? ⁶³ It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life. ⁶⁴ But there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who would betray Him. ⁶⁵ And He said, “Therefore I have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father.”

⁶⁶ From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more. ⁶⁷ Then Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you also want to go away?”

⁶⁸ But Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. ⁶⁹ Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”^[i]

 

 

^{Those are indeed quite clear instructions from Jesus!  He emphasized eating Him!  How can you not take that literally?  Why am I insisting that it's not to be taken literally?}

 

^{(continued......)}

Edited May 4, 2017 by betsy

[betsy]

First of all, if it's to be taken literally......why is it that none of the 12 Apostles ever tried to literally take a bite out of Him?  Of all the apostles, I imagine Peter would've been the one who would've tried.  And yet, no one did! Not even Peter took it literally, or asked about it.

 

Second,  not even one among His apostles questioned that statement.  Not even one among them had asked Him to expand on that.  Or, pointedly asked Him if He really meant it to be literally.  Wouldn't you?  If you're one of the apostles?

 

The apostles were with Him practically 24/7.  They've been in His rallies - they've heard His parables -  they know His style.  That's why no one questioned Him.  They knew it's not to be taken literally. 

 

 

 

So, why didn't Jesus stop the people from leaving Him?  It would've been simple to just explain that He didn't mean it literally, right?  Jesus let them leave because it's not about whether His statement about the bread is to be taken literally or not.......it's all about their lack of faith.   

 

John 6

⁴¹ The Jews then complained about Him, because He said, “I am the bread which came down from heaven.” ⁴² And they said, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How is it then that He says, ‘I have come down from heaven’?”

 

Many Disciples Turn Away

⁶⁰ Therefore many of His disciples, when they heard this, said, “This is a hard saying; who can understand it?”

⁶¹ When Jesus knew in Himself that His disciples complained about this, He said to them, “Does this offend you? ⁶² What then if you should see the Son of Man ascend where He was before? ⁶³ It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life. ⁶⁴ But there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who would betray Him. ⁶⁵ And He said, “Therefore I have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father.”

 

 

They were questioning His claim about being the Son of God.  His question to the apostles (and the response by Peter) had proven that the issue was about His claim as the Son of God.

 

⁶⁷ Then Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you also want to go away?”

⁶⁸ But Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. ⁶⁹ Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”^[i]

Edited May 4, 2017 by betsy

[betsy]

The figure of speech used above is called a Metonymy, and can also be called a metaphor.

 

 

Quote

 

Metonymy Definition

It is a figure of speech that replaces the name of a thing with the name of something else with which it is closely associated. We can come across examples of metonymy both from literature and in everyday life.

 

https://literarydevices.net/metonymy/

 

example:  When a statement comes out from the "White House" - we don't mean the building is speaking. The White House  refers to the President of the USA.

 

 

Quote

 

Metaphor

The metaphor is a dramatic image by which one thing is compared to another, but being represented figuratively as that very thing.

 

https://www.christiancourier.com/articles/477-what-are-transubstantiation-and-consubstantiation

 

 

 

 

There are many types of figures of speech used in the Bible.  That's what this thread will explore.

Edited May 4, 2017 by betsy

[betsy]

Simile....

....is the likening of one thing to another. The terms, "like" or "as" are usually used to liken.

 

2 Peter 3

⁸ But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.

 

Psalm 90

⁴ For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night.

 

Matthew 23

²⁷ Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness.

[betsy]

Hyperbole.....

.......is an idiom of overstatement.  An exaggeration to reinforce a point.

 

 

The statement of a camel going through a needle's eye as an EXAGGERATED comparison for how hard it is for the rich to follow Jesus,  is an example.

 

Matthew 19

²³ Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven.

²⁴ And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.

 

 

Luke 14

²⁶ If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.

²⁷ And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.

²⁸ For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it?

 

The term "hate," is an exaggeration.  In our current usage, we call it a "strong" word.

 

He's talking about discipleship - the sacrifices that has to be counted upon, and to consider it.  

The message is: we have to be willing to give up everything for Jesus.  Even if parents disown us for being Christians, we must be willing to choose Him over everything, including family.

 

This message is supported by another verse:

 

Matthew 19

²⁸ And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

²⁹ And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name's sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life.

 

 

 

 

Edited May 7, 2017 by betsy

[betsy]

Another example of hyperbole:

 

Matthew 5

²⁹ And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.

³⁰ And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.

 

 

Matthew 18

⁸ Wherefore if thy hand or thy foot offend thee, cut them off, and cast them from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life halt or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into everlasting fire.

⁹ And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire.

 

 

It is a warning Jesus gives against lusting with our eyes.....and He gave the remedy for it.  However, He used a real attention-grabbing radical remedy, and it becomes memorable.  

 

The message:  you have to remove from your life whatever it is that causes you to sin.  If you're committing adultery, you have to sever your relationship with your lover.  If you're into pornography, you have to throw out and sever everything that leads you to it.  This is part of repentance.

Jesus takes sin seriously - He wants us to take it seriously -  since it leads us to hell.

Edited May 7, 2017 by betsy

[betsy]

Hendiadys........

.......is another idiom of overstatement.  2-for-1.  Two or three things combined, to express the same meaning.

 

Psalm 27:1

 The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?

 

 

 

Quote

 

Luke 21:15
“for I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which none of your adversaries will be able to withstand or contradict.”

It is obvious that this verse is a figure of speech, because everyone has a mouth and therefore has no need for God to give them one. Actually, there are a couple figures of speech in this verse, and we will unpack them one at a time. “A mouth and wisdom” is the figure Hendiadys for “a wise mouth,” but the figure is better than the literal statement because saying someone has a “mouth” places emphasis on the fact that there will be much speaking. Someone may have a “wise mouth” but not say much, but someone who has a “mouth” says a lot. This is one of the instances where the literal expression “mouth and wisdom” and the figurative expression “wise mouth” are both true.

 

http://www.truthortradition.com/articles/figures-of-speech-hendiadys-two-for-one

 

 

 

[betsy]

Irony........

.........is an idiom of understatement.  It is saying one thing while meaning the exact opposite. 

  It is sarcasm, when used to taunt and ridicule.

 

(Idolaters)

Isaiah 44

¹² The blacksmith with the tongs works one in the coals,
Fashions it with hammers,
And works it with the strength of his arms.
Even so, he is hungry, and his strength fails;
He drinks no water and is faint.

¹³ The craftsman stretches out his rule,
He marks one out with chalk;
He fashions it with a plane,
He marks it out with the compass,
And makes it like the figure of a man,
According to the beauty of a man, that it may remain in the house.
¹⁴ He cuts down cedars for himself,
And takes the cypress and the oak;
He secures it for himself among the trees of the forest.
He plants a pine, and the rain nourishes it.

¹⁵ Then it shall be for a man to burn,
For he will take some of it and warm himself;
Yes, he kindles it and bakes bread;
Indeed he makes a god and worships it;
He makes it a carved image, and falls down to it.
¹⁶ He burns half of it in the fire;
With this half he eats meat;
He roasts a roast, and is satisfied.
He even warms himself and says,
“Ah! I am warm,
I have seen the fire.”
¹⁷ And the rest of it he makes into a god,
His carved image.
He falls down before it and worships it,
Prays to it and says,
“Deliver me, for you are my god!”

 

¹⁸ They do not know nor understand;
For He has shut their eyes, so that they cannot see,
And their hearts, so that they cannot understand.
¹⁹ And no one considers in his heart,
Nor is there knowledge nor understanding to say,
“I have burned half of it in the fire,
Yes, I have also baked bread on its coals;
I have roasted meat and eaten it;
And shall I make the rest of it an abomination?
Shall I fall down before a block of wood?”

 

 

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.”

 

 

(irony in Job's speech towards his friends)

Job 12

² “No doubt you are the people,
And wisdom will die with you!

Edited May 9, 2017 by betsy

[betsy]

Anthropomorphism..........

........................also known as "personification," is the attribution of human characteristics (anatomical and/or emotions) to inanimate objects, forces of nature or others. 

 

Biblical anthropomorphism attributes human characteristics to God.

 

God is spirit.  He is invisible.  And yet, this verses say:

 

Isaiah 59
59 Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save,
or his ear dull, that it cannot hear;

 

Exodus 3:20 "So I will stretch out My hand and strike Egypt with all My miracles which I shall do in the midst of it; and after that he will let you go.

 

To help us understand, God relates to us in human terms.

 

Quote

 

Remember, God works with us in our time frame.  He has endured not only eternity, but also human history as He moves through it and through and with people to bring about His sovereign will and purpose. 

Should we then assume that God would not relate to us in terms familiar to our own actions?  And should we not also assume that in so doing God will present aspects of Himself to us that would be paradoxical?  Take for example the fact that God is all powerful (Jer. 32:17,27 ), yet He rests (Gen. 2:2).  We see that God is in all places (Psalm 139:7-12), yet He asks Adam, "Where are you?" (Gen. 3:9).  We see that God knows all things (1 John 3:20).  Yet, we see that God says, "Now I know that you fear God..." (Gen. 22:12).

 

https://carm.org/anthropomorphism-god-relates-us-human-terms

Edited May 10, 2017 by betsy

[betsy]

Litotes or Meiosis.........

...........................is an understatement in which one thing is lessened in order to magnify another.   It's the opposite of exaggeration.  Litotes is rare, whereas hyperbole is common in the Bible.

 

 

Genesis 18

²⁷ And Abraham answered and said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord, which am but dust and ashes:

 

[betsy]

Euphemism...........

...............is the substitution of an indirect, or less-offensive term for something considered to be harsh or blunt.

 

(euphemism for sexual intercourse)

 

Genesis 4

And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain....

 

Leviticus 18:6
None of you shall approach to any that is near of kin to him, to uncover their nakedness: I am the LORD.

 

 

(euphemism for death)

1 Kings 2

Now the days of David drew nigh that he should die; and he charged Solomon his son, saying,

² I go the way of all the earth: be thou strong therefore, and shew thyself a man;

 

[betsy]

Antithesis...................

........................... "An opposition of words or sentiments occurring in the same sentence…" (Hermeneutics, by D. R. Duncan, pg. 346).

 

 

Rom 6:23

"For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord"

 

 

 

Quote

 

The Six Antitheses: Attaining the Purpose of the Law through the Teachings of Jesus

Eric D. Huntsman

 

Eric D. Huntsman was an associate professor of ancient scripture at Brigham Young University when this article was published.

 

With six powerful examples in Matthew 5:21–47, Jesus compared the demands of the law of the gospel with the requirements of the Mosaic law. In each, the Master cited an earlier proposition of the law, a thesis, and made an authoritative counterproposition, or antithesis, that called disciples to a higher standard of belief, motivation, and observance. In some cases, Mosaic prohibitions, each from the Ten Commandments, were strengthened—showing that keeping the spirit of the law frequently required more than keeping the letter of the law. In other instances, Mosaic dispensations or permissions that allowed certain behaviors in specific situations were effectively suspended, teaching that those living a higher law would not regularly find themselves in circumstances that required such practices.

 

https://rsc.byu.edu/archived/sermon-mount-latter-day-scripture/6-six-antitheses-attaining-purpose-law-through-teaching-0

 

Edited May 12, 2017 by betsy

[betsy]

Ellipsis....................

..................is an idiom of omission.  The expression is grammatically incomplete and the reader is required to add concepts in order to finish the thought.

 

 

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The English dictionary correctly defines Ellipsis as the omission of a word or words that are obviously understood but must be supplied to make the sentence grammatically correct. What the English Dictionary does not say is what is important about the figure Ellipsis and why God uses it. Ellipsis leaves out part of the sentence, and in doing so places special emphasis on the remaining part. What God leaves out of the text is de-emphasized, while what is left in gets extra emphasis.

  The figure of speech Ellipsis is a very good reason why English versions of the Bible should use italics when they supply words to the Hebrew and Greek text. Sadly, most English versions do not italicize the words they add, and so when it comes to Ellipsis, the translators have painted themselves into a corner. If they translate the verse literally and leave out the Ellipsis, the reader may not understand the verse at all, but if they supply the Ellipsis, the English reader has no hope of seeing the emphasis that God has put in the text. Thus, the use of italicized words in the text is a great argument for reading versions such as the KJV, ASV, Darby, HCSB [2] or the NASB. [3]

 

Emphasizing what is in the verse

2 Kings 25:4a (KJV)
And the city was broken up, and all the men of war fled by night…

In this case, the verb “fled” (or “ran away,” or “tried to escape”) is, by the figure Ellipsis, left out of the verse and thus de-emphasized. What is emphasized is that the men of war, who were supposed to be so brave, ran away at night.

 

 

Psalm 120:7 (KJV)
I am for peace: but when I speak, they are for war.

The italics in the King James Version allow us to see this Ellipsis perfectly. The Hebrew reads, “I peace; but when I speak, they war.” The previous verse shows that the people to whom the psalmist is referring hate peace. The Ellipsis could be filled as the KJV and many other versions do, which is very plausible, or it may be filled like this: “I love peace…they call out for war.” Or this: “I want peace…they vote for war.”

The point is that God has emphasized the stark difference between the two parties: “I…peace; they…for war.”

 

http://www.truthortradition.com/articles/the-figure-of-speech-ellipsis-as-used-in-the-bible

Edited May 13, 2017 by betsy

[betsy]

Allegory.......................

........................is a story in which events, ideas, or people, are represented by symbols of characters or events.  The story holds a symbolic parallel meaning.

 

The Parables by Jesus are the best examples of allegory. 

The Prodigal Son is an allegory  with the son representing the average person (sinful and self-centered), and his wealthy father representing God (merciful and forgiving).  The son's harsh hedonistic life and poverty represents the hollow life without God.  The son's humble return to home, represents his genuine sorrow, and an illustration of repentance.  The wealthy father's joyous and merciful  reaction to his return represents the mercy and joy of God when we turn from sin and seeks His forgiveness.

 

 

Edited May 14, 2017 by betsy

[August1991]

Betsy,

From what I can see, you are quoting above ("scriptures" as you say) various versions of the King James version of the bible. (King James I of England (1566-1625), aka James VI of Scotland, son of Catholic Mary of Queen of Scots, grandson of convert Protestant Henry VIII).

King James asked many 'learned' people in 1600 (or so) to translate/create/assemble, in English, a version of the Holy Bible. This is what you are quoting above - or versions of their creation.

====

The King James version is remarkable:

"The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want... "

But when I think in English, I prefer Shakespeare (1564-1616):

"The quality of mercy is not strained... "

And around the world, in any language, whatever the translation, people understand this:

"To be or not to be, that is the question."

 

Edited June 8, 2017 by August1991