The Bible contains many metaphors, including sustained traditions and parables, but their intended meanings are not always clear. Some metaphors become permanently associated with Christianity, while others require knowledge of the Bible to understand. The original meaning of some metaphors may be lost in translation, but personal interpretation is also important.
A biblical metaphor is a figure of speech that appears in the Christian Bible or is otherwise associated with that text. Some metaphors are so deeply associated with the Bible that they are called biblical metaphors even outside of that document. There are many different examples of metaphors used in the Bible, including many sustained metaphorical traditions. It can sometimes be difficult to determine if a term is being used metaphorically in the Bible, and even the intended meaning of the metaphors is not always clear. The use of non-literal language in the Bible can lead to very different interpretations of its meaning.
Many biblical metaphors appear in multiple places in the Bible. References to Christ’s followers as sheep, for example, are common, as is the metaphorical description of Christ as a shepherd. Other metaphors compare groups to animals or plants. On a larger scale, many parts of the Bible use parables to make important philosophical points. Parables are essentially metaphorical stories that use this figure of speech to make a point about a topic not addressed in the parable itself.
In some cases, a biblical metaphor can be so important that it becomes permanently associated with Christianity and the Bible. The biblical metaphor that names Jesus as shepherd, for example, is so important to faith that the term “shepherd” is used outside the Bible to refer to Jesus. This is only true of some popular metaphors in the Bible, as not all metaphors used in the Bible are permanently associated with that text.
You can even use images from the Bible to create an effective metaphor. In some cases, this can even be thought of as a biblical metaphor. Metaphorically calling something a burning bush, for example, requires an understanding of the Bible for the meaning. Some authors use snakes in metaphors specifically in reference to the Bible. The effectiveness of this type of metaphor depends in many cases on the knowledge of the reader.
One problem with biblical metaphors is that the Bible is often read in translation and the original intention of many metaphors has been historically lost. In some cases, the original meaning of the metaphor can be recovered through historical research and knowledge of the period, but in other cases the metaphors may not even be apparent. Many alternative interpretations of the Bible, for example, state that the Holy Grail is a kind of metaphor, although the intended meaning is not always understood. In some interpretations, the Grail is understood as the womb of Mary Magdalene.
The Bible is filled with many metaphors and only a detailed reading informed by historical information can discover their intended meaning. For Christians, however, the intended meaning is not always the most important meaning. Many people read the Bible as literature and many others read the Bible purely as a religious text without considering its history. In these cases, the meaning of the Bible depends on personal interpretation and the construction of meaning within the text itself.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
