READING SKILLS · LITERARY LENS
Imagery and Metaphor in Biblical Literature
Observe the concrete world evoked by figurative language before reducing it to an abstract idea.
FORM · OBSERVATION · CONTEXT
Literary features become useful when they can be demonstrated
Begin with wording, placement, repetition, sequence, or sound that another reader can verify. Then test what the feature contributes within its immediate and larger context.
WHAT TO NOTICE
Move from observation to interpretation
Source imageIdentify the body, object, landscape, animal, weather, or social action pictured.
Selected traitsA metaphor activates some features of an image, not every possible association.
ContextTest the feature within the whole scene, poem, speech, or book.
ComparisonCheck another translation and record what becomes clearer or less visible.
TRY IT YOURSELF
Psalm 1:3–4
Make two lists: every feature of the planted tree and every feature of chaff. Only after completing both lists, record how the contrast works. Complete the work on paper, in your own document, or in Private Study Notes.
- Read the complete cited passage.
- Mark the specific words, patterns, or narrative features named above.
- List observations before proposing their effect.
- Save both your strongest conclusion and one remaining question.
Save your observations privatelyUse My Notebook to keep your markings, comparisons, and questions together.
Open Private Study Notes →