Last time, we looked at how Biblical Poetry speaks to our hearts by employing certain structural design elements.
What more can we learn about the poetry found in the Bible by examining the use of metaphor and how should we understand the metaphors Biblical poems contain?
Watch Episode 10 by clicking HERE. Come back after the video to continue reading.
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Metaphors help us to make sense of and communicate intangible feelings and concepts by connecting them with the tangible elements of our lived experience in the world. They help us to make sense of our lived experience.
Metaphors are also highly cultural since they appeal to the common experience and language of the communities in which they arise. Therefore, some Biblical metaphors may not make sense to us today unless we first unpack their meaning to the original audience. This is an area where Bible commentaries can be extremely helpful to us when we read Scripture.
Another way to interpret metaphors in the Bible is to look at how the same metaphors are employed in other parts of Scripture. An excellent example of this is offered in the video regarding the metaphor of the sea in Scripture.
The video also points out the role that the narrative portions of Scripture play in informing the metaphors found in Biblical poetry. Likewise, the metaphors found in Biblical poetry can deepen our understanding of the narrative portions. This reinforces the need to not only read Scripture but to meditate on it as well.
Finally, a metaphor can be interpreted by observing the self-evident characteristics that connect a subject to the metaphor being used. Essentially, looking for the parts that overlap.
I think it's valuable to consider all these things as we read Biblical Poetry and as we encounter the metaphors employed therein.
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