The Bible often speaks through images. God is called a shepherd and a rock. Wisdom stands in the street and calls out. Jesus describes Himself as a door.
These statements are not meant to be taken literally. Each image is chosen to make a specific point.
This brings up a good question: If the wording is figurative, can the passage still have one clear meaning?
Yes, it can—and does. Understanding a metaphor or symbol can take effort, especially when it comes from an ancient culture. But the writer had a specific meaning in mind. We start by looking for that original meaning, and our own ideas about the image come afterward.
Figurative Speech Is Ordinary Speech
People speak figuratively every day.
We call a reliable friend a “rock.” We describe a busy morning as “chaos.” We say that someone is carrying the weight of the world on their shoulders. No one stops to imagine a person holding the planet.
We understand these expressions because we know what the comparisons mean. Biblical writers also used images that were familiar in their time, though many of them are less familiar to us today.
Psalm 23 begins with the words, “The Lord is my shepherd.” The rest of the psalm tells us how to understand that description. It speaks about green pastures, quiet water, right paths, danger, and protection.
All these details help us see which parts of the shepherd image are important. The writer is talking about God’s guidance and care. It would not make sense to include every fact about shepherds and sheep in the verse.
Jesus uses another familiar image in John 10:9 when He says, “I am the door.” He is speaking about the way people enter into safety and salvation through Him. The image makes sense once it is read as part of the conversation around it.
The words are figurative, but the meaning is still clear.
A Figure of Speech Still Has Rules
Before deciding what a biblical image means, it helps to see what kind of expression the writer is using.
A simile compares one thing with another by using words such as “like” or “as.” A metaphor makes a comparison without those words. An idiom uses a familiar expression whose meaning may not come directly from the individual words. Hyperbole exaggerates on purpose. Personification allows an object or idea to speak or act like a person.
These common forms of figurative language work in different ways. Knowing which one is being used helps us avoid misunderstanding the statement.
Proverbs 8, for example, allows wisdom to speak as a woman in a public place. She calls to people and urges them to listen. The writer turns wisdom into a voice that can be heard or ignored.
Once we see what the writer is doing, we can ask a clearer question: What is this figure saying in this passage?
Why Biblical Images Are Sometimes Misunderstood
Most modern readers are far removed from the world of the Bible.
We might not know much about the farming, family life, politics, jobs, geography, or animal behavior that the first readers understood. An image that was once familiar may now need some explanation.
Translation can make things harder. Some idioms sound natural in Hebrew or Greek but seem odd when translated directly into English. The words might be easy to recognize, but the meaning of the whole expression can still be unclear.
Problems also come up when people treat biblical symbols like they always mean the same thing. For example, a lion does not always mean the same thing in every part of Scripture. The same goes for images like a vineyard, lamp, seed, shepherd, or mountain. They can mean different things in different passages.
The context of the passage shows how the image is being used.
When people disagree today, it is often because of missing background, missed grammar, or assumptions they bring to the passage. This does not mean that every interpretation is equally valid.
How to Work Out What a Figure Means
The best place to start is by looking closely at the text itself.
When a statement appears figurative, ask a few basic questions:
- What kind of expression is this?
Look for a metaphor, simile, idiom, symbol, hyperbole, personification, or another known figure of speech. - What does the image point to?
Work out who or what the writer is describing. - Which part of the image matters?
A comparison almost never includes every detail about the object being used. Look for the action, feature, or relationship that fits the passage. - What does the surrounding passage say?
Read the whole paragraph or section. Pay attention to the grammar, the people involved, and what response the original audience was expected to have.
This is the basic work of the historical and grammatical approach to biblical interpretation. It looks at the language, setting, literary form, and original audience before determining what the author or speaker is referring to.
A good interpretation should consider both the words on the page and the flow of the passage. If an explanation relies on ideas that are not mentioned in the text, it goes beyond what the writer meant.
Meaning and Application Are Different Things
Two people may apply the same passage to different situations while agreeing about what it means.
A person facing illness may find comfort in Psalm 23. The same psalm may help someone dealing with grief, family pressure, or fear about the future. Their circumstances are different, but the shepherd image has not changed.
Each way of applying the passage comes from the same description of God’s guidance and care.
Interpretation is about what the writer meant. Application is about how that truth relates to our lives today. Keeping these questions in order helps make sure our personal experiences do not change the meaning of the text.
Our experiences can help us connect with a passage, but they cannot determine what the writer originally meant.
How This Issue Relates to Amos 3:3–8
Cliff R. Loriot gives this issue detailed attention in The Sovereign Lord Yahweh Has Spoken! He Has Roared Like a Lion!
His study examines the statements in Amos 3:3–8 and the forms through which they communicate. Amos 3:8 includes figurative wording involving a lion. Loriot considers what the figure refers to and what Amos expected his audience to understand.
He approaches the passage through its original language, setting, grammar, and surrounding argument. The figure is treated as part of Amos’s communication, not as an open symbol that can carry any meaning a reader chooses.
The full explanation Is given in the book. For this discussion, the relevant point is simple. A writer can choose an indirect form and still say something definite.
More information about the passage is available in Why Amos 3:3–8 Is Difficult to Interpret. A separate article, What Does the Lion Imagery in Amos Really Mean?, looks more closely at the lion imagery.
Final Thoughts
Figurative language in the Bible ultimately conveys one clear meaning. Finding it may take some knowledge of grammar, history, literary style, and the original audience. Doing this work helps keep our interpretation focused on what the writer actually said.
A metaphor is not just a chance to guess. It is a common way to use one thing to talk about another. Once we understand the image, what it refers to, and the main point of comparison, we can read the statement as the writer meant it.
In conclusion, a figure of speech still communicates one clear idea.