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Feed Yourself™ Lesson Fourteen

By Glenn Davis

Writing Techniques

"A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels:  To understand a proverb, and the interpretation; the words of the wise, and their dark sayings."  Proverbs 1:5-6

In Lesson 11, we saw that different books of the Bible are written in different styles.  The writers also used different techniques.  We will look at a few of them below.  Sometimes they are easy to spot; at other times, we must look carefully at the context to see what the writer is really saying.  Context is always important.  God used men and human writing styles to convey His holy Word to us.  That is part of Scripture's miracle.  God and man produced a work of God.  So we see in the Bible normal writing techniques.

Take time to look up and read the Scriptures, which illustrate the different techniques.

Hyperbole [hi  pr  bul  e]

A hyperbole is a deliberate exaggeration for emphasis or effect. You have probably done this if you have said, “If I’ve told you that once, I told you a thousand times!”  You most likely have not literally said it a thousand times, but you are emphasizing that you are tired of repeating yourself. In John 21:25, John uses hyperbole to emphasize how many works Jesus did that were not recorded.

Irony/Sarcasm

Irony is saying the opposite of what you really mean for emphasis.  God often uses irony in His acts of justice.  He had Pharaoh train Moses.  In Rev. 2:20-23, the woman who led others into sexual immorality is thrown into a bed of suffering.  God, in effect, said, “You like the bed so much, I will put you into a bed, but it will not be a bed of pleasure!”  Another example appears in 2 Sam. 6:20, where Michal, King David's wife, tells him he is distinguished.  Reading the whole verse shows she meant precisely the opposite.

Sarcasm is a type of irony, but it tends to mock or make fun of the person or thing being spoken of.  It is much easier to recognize in speech than in writing.  The Apostle Paul sometimes uses sarcasm, and one has to study the context carefully to see whether he is being sarcastic or serious.  Although it is controversial, Paul was likely quoting his opponent[s] in 1 Cor. 14:34-35 and then sarcastically commenting on what they said in verse 36.  This is the only way I know to explain the words of verse 36 in context.

Metaphor/Allegory

A metaphor is an implied comparison between two very different things.  Psalm 28:1 calls the Lord a Rock.  We know the Lord and a rock are entirely different, but the writer compares the firmness and stability of a rock with the firmness and stability of the Lord.  An allegory is an expanded metaphor.  It often develops the metaphor [or many metaphors] into a larger picture or story.  John 15:1-8 is an example of an allegory.

Parable

A parable is usually a short fictional story that shows a moral or spiritual truth.  Parables were a popular method of communication during Jesus' time.  Jesus was not doing something new; He was using a well-known technique.  Not every detail in the story has significance, but they all work together to make one point.  Jesus told many parables.  For example, the Good Samaritan [Luke 10:30-37] is a fictional story Jesus told to explain who a neighbour really is.  Often, Jesus Himself explained the meaning of the parable.

Personification

Personification is when something that is not a person is spoken about as if it were a person or had human characteristics.  For example, Psalm 98:8 says the floods clap their hands.  Obviously, floods do not have hands, but this poetic figure illustrates a point.

Simile

A simile compares two unlike things using the words "like" or "as."  In Hosea 6:4, a simile is used when God says the love of Ephraim and Judah is like the morning mist and early dew, which disappears.

Symbols

A symbol is when something represents something else.  In John 1:29, John the Baptist calls Jesus the Lamb of God.  In the Old Testament, the lamb was a real animal that was sacrificed, but it also symbolized Jesus and His sacrifice for sins.  People can also have symbolic significance.  For example, Isaac was probably in his twenties when Abraham was told to offer him as a sacrifice.  There is no way Abraham forced Isaac onto that altar.  Isaac was there only because he voluntarily obeyed his father and went to the altar.  While this is a historical story, it also symbolizes Christ obeying His Father and voluntarily going to the cross. Many things in the Bible - even historical books - have symbolic meaning, but that does not take away from the fact that they really happened.

It is also important that we follow normal grammar rules in reading and understanding the Bible.

WEEK FOURTEEN PROJECT

1.  Using your Bible and the SEC, find as many examples of the above writing techniques as you can during your Bible Study time.  Try to find at least one in each category.  Don't be discouraged if you find this difficult.  Just do your best.

2.  Continue with your daily reading/memorization program.

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Reference Works Used In This Course:

Bible Study Methods by Mrs. Shirley Davis

The International Inductive Study Bible by Harvest House Publishers

Effective Bible Study by Howard F. Vos, Zondervan

How To Understand Your Bible by T. Norton Sterrett, IVP

How To Study Your Bible by Kay Arthur, Harvest House

Independent Bible Study by Irving L. Jensen, Moody

How To Study The Bible For Yourself by Tim LaHaye, Harvest House

Return to Feed Yourself™ Lessons.

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