Is the Bible Literal or Figurative?

I’m a writer who loves to write about the world in my imagination. But when I write stories, I want people to understand that it is not an autobiography but a version of a reality I know personally or a combination of real stories I’ve put together.  It’s important to me that the reader understands where I’m coming from; otherwise, they will miss the important truth that I’m trying to illustrate with my words.

And I have a feeling that if we don’t look at the author’s intended meaning (whether literal or figurative), we will (as readers) misconstrue or overinterpret things found in scripture. (See my previous post on the Author’s Intended Meaning.)

Another main thing you must identify when reading through scripture is to ask yourself, “Is this to be taken literally or figuratively?” If you are reading through the Psalms and you are applying it as though it is literal- well, have fun with that. When you’re delving into the prayers of men, and possibly women, interlaced with poetry… you are in for a wild ride.

So, here’s the dealio. There’s a lot of weird stuff in scripture… (valley of dry bones, trees that clap their hands, Jesus is the light of the world… just to name a few.)  When we look at these weird things… the only thing we can do is ask ourselves- Is this for real? Or a metaphor for something? When reading the Bible, you really need to understand grammar… or your head will swim.

Let’s look first at some examples of figurative language in the Bible.

Figurative

Most people, when reading the Bible, whether believers or not, usually can understand the Bible. When the words point to something they don’t agree with or whether something seems far-fetched or confusing, that’s when issues come to the surface. There are ways to decipher the text’s original meaning, however. Take a look below.

Similes in Scripture

Most of us can spot a simile from a mile away. A simile is a phrase found within a sentence with the word “like” or “as” to compare two obviously different things. For example, in Isaiah 53:6, we find it written, “All we like sheep have gone astray.” It’s pretty clear here that the author is comparing us to sheep who have wandered. We are acting like sheep… that wander…therefore, the author uses it to prove a point.

Metaphors in Scripture

When we look at metaphors found in scripture, they can be slightly harder to identify. According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, a metaphor is a figure of speech in which a word or phrase pointing to one object or idea is used in place of another to suggest a likeness. John 14:6 is a perfect example of this, where Jesus says, “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” By making this statement, Jesus declared that only He (and following His Way) could lead a person to the Father. He also declared that he was the Truth of God… living in the flesh. Finally, he declared that he was the holder of the key to Life… eternal life. Whoa. (Metaphors are the braver, bolder cousin to the simile.)

Other Figurative Language

While researching to write this post, I realized that by writing this, I had opened a can of worms.

There are not only our easily recognized metaphors or similes… but there are also figures of association, personification, illusion, understatement, completion, etc. (Here’s a super detailed article on the many areas of figurative in the Bible if you want to TOTALLY geek out: Click Here!).

And it wasn’t until I was knee-deep in a Psalms Project dissecting them for figures of speech that I realized the vastness of Scripture. If you’re really wanting to thoroughly understand all the nitty-gritty of metaphoric language, Ethelbert Williams Bullinger wrote an intense book for you called “Figures of Speech Used in the Bible.” If you want a quicker version highlighting a couple of examples from each, check out the notes from this class lecture. But here’s the point: Scripture is full of metaphorical language. You cannot just read something and always assume it is literal.

Moral of the story: Remember that the passage of Scripture you’re trying to figure out was written to a specific audience at a specific time by a specific author. Start with historical context and work from there. Check out other commentaries to determine if they believe it’s figurative or literal… but don’t always take their word for it. 

Literal

However, there are hundreds, if not thousands, or millions of times in Scripture when something that seems figurative is, in fact, literal. Case in point: Ezekiel. This prophet had a lot of things going for him, and not necessarily good things. In Ezekiel 4:1-15, God outlines several odd things that the prophet is to do as a sign-act for the people of Jerusalem. It reads,

“Now, son of man, take a block of clay, put it in front of you and draw the city of Jerusalem on it. 2 Then lay siege to it: Erect siege works against it, build a ramp up to it, set up camps against it and put battering rams around it. 3 Then take an iron pan, place it as an iron wall between you and the city and turn your face toward it. It will be under siege, and you shall besiege it. This will be a sign to the people of Israel. 4 “Then lie on your left side and put the sin of the people of Israel upon yourself. You are to bear their sin for the number of days you lie on your side. 5 I have assigned you the same number of days as the years of their sin. So for 390 days you will bear the sin of the people of Israel. 6 “After you have finished this, lie down again, this time on your right side, and bear the sin of the people of Judah. I have assigned you 40 days, a day for each year. 7 Turn your face toward the siege of Jerusalem and with bared arm prophesy against her. 8 I will tie you up with ropes so that you cannot turn from one side to the other until you have finished the days of your siege. 9 “Take wheat and barley, beans and lentils, millet and spelt;put them in a storage jar and use them to make bread for yourself. You are to eat it during the 390 days you lie on your side. 10 Weigh out twenty shekels of food to eat each day and eat it at set times. 11 Also measure out a sixth of a hin of water and drink it at set times. 12 Eat the food as you would a loaf of barley bread; bake it in the sight of the people, using human excrement for fuel.” 13 The Lord said, “In this way the people of Israel will eat defiled food among the nations where I will drive them.” 14 Then I said, “Not so, Sovereign Lord! I have never defiled myself. From my youth until now I have never eaten anything found dead or torn by wild animals. No impure meat has ever entered my mouth.” 15 “Very well,” he said, “I will let you bake your bread over cow dung instead of human excrement.”

What? This is crazy. God asks the prophet to do four separate sign-acts:

Sign Acts of Ezekiel

Play War with Toys

• Take a block of clay and draw the city of Jerusalem on it (essentially make a mini toy Jerusalem)

• Lay siege to it (play war)

  • Build a ramp up to it (this was a new Babylonian method for siege)

  • Set up camps

  • Put battering rams around it (new Babylonian method)

• Take an iron pan and place it as an iron wall between you (Ezekiel acting in God’s place) and the city (showing a severing of the relationship)

  • Turn your face toward it (as God has done)

Put the Sin of the People of Israel Upon You

• Lay on your left side for 390 days (the same number of days as years of the people’s sin)

Put the Sin of the People of Judah Upon You

• Lay on your right side for 40 days (one day per year that Judah sinned)

• Turn your face toward the siege of Jerusalem

• Prophesy against her with bared arm

*Yahweh God will tie him up with ropes so that Ezekiel cannot turn from one side to the other until he’s completed the number of days.

Eat Bread Cooked over Excrement

• Sprout wheat, barley, beans, lentils, millet and spelt in jar

  • Use the sprouted grains to make bread for yourself (small, round loaves)

  • Eat this during the 390 days you are on your left side

  • Eat 20 shekels of food each day at set times

  • Measure out 1/6 hin of water and drink it at set times

  • Bake it in the sight of the people, over a fire of human excrement (GROSS.)

It seems to me that understanding whether something is literal or figurative can take time. It can take immersing yourself in Scripture and learning how the ancient Israelite people wrote. It can take learning about the historical and cultural implications that some phrases, words, and themes meant to the Hebrew people.

So, don’t beat yourself up if you find yourself scratching your head the next time you open a book of Wisdom or one of the Prophets. Give yourself grace. Ask questions of believers and pastors around you, and don’t give up. And finally, do your own research while relying on the Holy Spirit for guidance.

If you’re still stuck, you can email us at Behold! (If you haven’t subscribed, sign up below to join the Behold Collective today!)

:)