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Metaphor in the Bible

Metaphor is one of the main stylistic devices ofimagery. It is widely used in the Bible and the
imagery of the Holy Book largely depends on this stylistic
device.

Metaphor is a comparison reduced to a single word
expressing similarity without the signs of comparison. A
simile says that it is like this, a metaphor says it is this. In
Luke 13:31-32, Jesus says of Herod: “Go and say to that fox.”
If he had said, “Go and tell that man that is like a fox,” it
would have been a simile, but Jesus used the forceful
metaphor.

In 1 Corinthians 3:16 “You are a temple of God” is a
metaphor. In Matthew 26:26-28 Jesus takes a loaf and says “this is my body” and he
takes up a cup and says “this is my blood of the covenant”: these are metaphors. How
many controversies on the Lord’s Supper would have been settled if brethren had
realized that this was metaphorical language! 

The Bible gives us not only examples of metaphors in words or sentences, but also
metaphorical narratives. The way the author of Mark’s gospel tells the stories of the two
blind men, to whom Jesus gives sight, provides an illuminating example. The two stories
frame the great central section of that gospel – a section that describes Jesus’ final
journey to Jerusalem, contains three solemn sayings about this impending death and
resurrection, and speaks of discipleship as following Jesus on his journey.

Mark places the story of the blind man of Bethsaida at the beginning of this section.
Jesus restores his sight in two stages. After the first, the blind man sees people but not
clearly: “They look like trees walking”. After Jesus lays his hands on him a second time,
the blind man sees “everything clearly”.

At the end of the section is the story of a blind beggar named Bartimaeus. He cries
out to Jesus, “Have compassion on me!” Jesus asks, “What do you want me to do for
you?” In superbly evocative language, Bartimaeus expresses his desire: “Let me see
again.” Then we are told, “Bartimaeus regained his sight and followed Jesus on the
way”. 

Unlike metaphors in fiction, which may maintain a strongly individual character,
Biblical metaphors have a real basis. Although it would be rather difficult to show
examples of allegories in the genealogy of Adam, Cain or Noah in Genesis, it is a fact
and it has been proved that various ideas are contained in the names given in
chronological sequence, conveying certain symbolic meanings to the names Noah (rest,

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Linguistics Armenian Folia Anglistika

Gourgen Gevorgyan