Understanding Hyperbolic, Metaphorical Imagery In The Bible

Hyperbolic, metaphorical imagery in the Bible is an exaggerated use of a metaphor to make an extreme point.

For example, stars falling, the sun and moon being darkened, the heavens being shaken are used by the Hebrew prophets and in Revelation to describe the fall of a nation.

We use hyperbolic, metaphorical imagery daily in our conversations, such as:

"We covered a ton of ground in our meeting today."

The meeting was not done outside on 2000 pounds of ground.

2000 pounds of ground was not covered during the meeting.

The phrase "we covered a ton of ground in our meeting today" is the use of hyperbole to show that a large amount of information was discussed and/or tasks accomplished among those attending the meeting.

When reading the Bible, such as Revelation, we must keep in mind that many times hyperbolic, metaphorical imagery is being employed to make an extreme point.

If we fail to keep this in mind, we will interpret metaphorical imagery literally, and therefore, misinterpret and misapply much of the Bible, including Revelation.

If you found this article helpful, you may enjoy Brad’s books, inclulding his book about Revelation: Click Here