4 Helpful Steps for Breaking Down Biblical Metaphors

Biblical metaphors can be incredibly difficult to understand. What does it mean when Jesus says believers are “the salt of the earth?” How is God’s word a “lamp unto my feet?” In what way are our “sins like scarlet?” Almost every passage of Scripture uses metaphorical language to communicate truth.

Therefore, you have the ability to interpret and understand biblical metaphors if you are to understand large chunks of Scripture. Not everything in Scripture is a metaphor. Identifying what is and isn’t a metaphor is also a crucial skill. But once you identify a metaphor in a Bible passage, you must have right tools to grasp what the metaphor means.

I have attached a worksheet below to help you think through and analyze biblical metaphors. Oftentimes, when you break a bible passage into its components, you will start seeing metaphorical language. This tool will help you unpack that metaphors significance.

If you want to know how to use this worksheet or you aren’t sure what a metaphor really is, keep reading. In the following sections I will first give a helpful definition of “metaphor” and then walk through the different steps you use in the worksheet to understand it.

Understanding how to interpret Biblical metaphors will increase the depth of your Bible study and decrease mistakes you make when studying a text.

What is metaphor?

The Equation

One of the more helpful non-Christian books I have read recently is “I is an Other: The Secret Life of Metaphor and How it Shapes Our World” by James Geary. I highly recommend reading through it if you are able. No book will make you think through metaphor and its use in language more than this volume.

The basic definition given in this book is a metaphor compares something you don’t know with something you do know. In other words, you compare two completely different things to reveal something about those things. Oftentimes, metaphors compare something abstract with something more concrete.

For example, “sin” is abstract, hard to understand. But when it is compared with “scarlet”, you can start to understand the word “sin” better. It is a stain. It is somehow related to the color of blood.

Metaphor uses a simple equation: X = Y. X is something you don’t understand. Y is something you do understand. By setting these two things in relation to each other, truth and reality are communicated more clearly.

This might seem incredibly complicated. But trust me, you use metaphor on a daily basis (and in almost every sentence). For example, when was the last time you said to someone “I see what you are saying?” That is a metaphor. You cannot literally “see” with your eyes words that someone speaks to you.

In this example, you are using the metaphor “seeing = knowing”. “Knowing” is abstract. What does it mean to know something? But “seeing” is pretty easy to understand. You “see” things all the time. By making “seeing” equal to “knowing”, you better understand what “knowing” means.

Metaphor is a way of communicating something difficult to understand by using something easy to understand. It takes characteristics of one thing and gives it to another.

Why is this important? The Bible uses metaphor everywhere. In parables, in proverbs, in poetry and in prophecy. You cannot get away from it. God has graciously chosen to reveal truth to us using metaphor. This makes the truth easier to grasp and understand.

Two Pitfalls to Avoid

There is one more comment to make before moving on to how you break down biblical metaphors. Just because the Bible is full of metaphorical language does not mean every single passage is a metaphor. Do not fall into the trap of spiritualizing and allegorizing every single text of Scripture. The Bible is full of enough obvious metaphors without you adding more to the text.

Understanding what metaphor is and isn’t becomes important in passages like Galatians 4 where Paul compares the law and the promise to Ishmael and Isaac. Metaphors use real things. Paul is not saying Ismael and Isaac weren’t real people. He is comparing real people with real abstract truths (law and promise).

Metaphor does not make everything into an allegory or spiritualize every single verse. Metaphor takes one real thing and compares it with another real thing.

With those caveats in mind, let’s move on to using the Biblical metaphors worksheet to understand some texts in Scripture.

Steps for understanding Biblical metaphors

Step 1: Set up equation

On the top of the worksheet, there is a section to write down the metaphor and the Bible reference. When you are studying a passage of Scripture, see if there are any key metaphors in your text. Remember, a metaphor takes one thing and explains it in terms of another.

An example of a key metaphor is “The Lord is my Shepherd.” If you were studying Psalm 23, you would write that metaphor at the top of the worksheet. God is being compared with a shepherd and since you know God is not literally a shepherd, you should immediately recognize the Psalmist is using metaphorical language.

Another example is “the fruit of the Spirit”. The Holy Spirit does not literally make believers into a fruit tree. Therefore, Paul is comparing the work of the Spirit to fruit metaphorically. In this case, you might write “Work of Spirit = fruit” at the top of the worksheet.

I often try to write the metaphor in the form of X = Y. Since I have an engineering background, it helps for me to visualize what the metaphor is actually comparing. But if you find equations scary, just write down the sentence in the text which you think contains the metaphor.

Oftentimes, the first half of the sentence gives one part of the metaphor and the second half gives the other part of the metaphor. That is the case in the metaphor “though your sins be like scarlet”. Sin is the first part of the metaphor, and scarlet is the second part.

Step 2: Describe characteristics

After you write down the metaphor itself, the next part of the worksheet has you write down the characteristics of each half of the metaphor. Ask yourself “What words would I use to describe the first half? What words would I use to describe the second half?”

For “the Lord is my shepherd”, the first half of the metaphor is “the Lord” and the second half is “shepherd.” So first ask yourself “What words would I use to describe the Lord?” Write them down on one side of the worksheet. I normally shoot to have 3-5 different words. Next, ask “What words would I use to describe a shepherd?” and write them on the other side of the worksheet.

The purpose of this step is simply to understand the components of the metaphor. If you don’t know what is being compared, you won’t be able to understand the significance of the comparison.

For the metaphor “the fruit of the Spirit,” I would it into “the Spirit” and “fruit.” Under “the Spirit” I might write “part of the Trinity,” “dwells inside believers”, and “empowers believers.” Then, under “fruit”, I might write “grows on a tree,” “sweet”, and “variety of different types.”

Once you are satisfied with your understanding of each half of the verse, move on to the next step.

Step 3: Compare & contrast

Now that you understand each half of the metaphor, ask yourself “How is the first half of the metaphor similar to the second half? How is it different?” In the worksheet, first write down the similarities between the two things before writing how they are different. In the previously mentioned book on metaphor, the author says “a good metaphor is like a good detective story…its solution shouldn’t be immediately apparent in advance.”

This step is where you “solve the mystery” so to speak. Once you think through the similarities between the two different things being compared, you start to understand what the metaphor is getting at. The author also says “every metaphor has strengths and weaknesses and can break down.” This is why you ask in what ways the two parts of the metaphor are different: you can see where the metaphor breaks down.

In the example of “the Lord is my shepherd,” the similarities you might write down are “the Lord cares for His people like a shepherd cares for his sheep,” or “the Lord provides for His people like a shepherd provides for his sheep,” or “the Lord leads His people like a shepherd leads his sheep.” Some obvious differences are the Lord does not have an occupation as a shepherd. Nor does God physically care for physical sheep.

In the example of “the fruit of the Spirit”, some similarities could be “the work of the Spirit in your life produces something like a tree produces fruit,” or “the Spirit produces positive effects in your life just like fruit is normally a tasty, positive thing.” Obvious differences are the work of the Spirit isn’t physical like fruit nor is it visible or consumable in the same way fruit is.

These are just brief examples. Take your time on this step and do not rush. This is where the real work for understanding biblical metaphors happens. If you spend enough time on this step, the point of the metaphor will usually show itself clearly. Once you have written down the similarities and differences, you are ready to move on to the final step.

Step 4: Succinctly summarize

You have found the metaphor, thought about the metaphor and (hopefully) solved the metaphor. Now, it is time to summarize what you’ve understood. Looking at the similarities and differences you found, try to answer this final question “What truth is this metaphor trying to illustrate, clarify, or make memorable?” Try to write one or two sentences at the most at the bottom of your worksheet.

For “the Lord is my shepherd” example, look back at all the similarities and differences. There are a lot of similarities I proposed. If I had to summarize them all, I would write “The Lord is our shepherd in that His people are completely dependent on Him, and He provides completely for His people.” That one sentence captures most of the similarities and avoids any of the differences.

In “the fruit of the Spirit” example, I would summarize the similarities with “The work of the Spirit is like fruit in that the Spirit produces a definite, good and visible effect in a believers life. There are a variety of good effects and they grow with time.” These two sentences capture the similarities of the work of the Spirit and fruit. It also incorporates a difference: the fruit of the Spirit should be visible, just not in the same way literal fruit is physically visible.

Now that you have your summary, you can see the metaphors importance in whatever text you are studying and you can also succinctly summarize your study to another believer.

You can also take your summary of the metaphor and start thinking through the applications it has to your life.

Conclusion

Congratulations! You have now done an in depth study of a biblical metaphor. This type of method is incredibly useful for prophecy, parables, proverbs, and poetry in Scripture. But metaphorical language is also sprinkled throughout the Epistles and even in Narrative passages.

The important takeaways: find the metaphor. Break it down into two halves. Compare and contrast those two parts. Then summarize your findings.

I truly believe understanding Biblical metaphors more clearly will take your Bible study to the next level. Even though metaphorical language can be scary, the method laid out in this post and in the attached worksheet gives you an easy step by step process to understand the metaphor before you.

Metaphors aren’t the only thing to look for in a Bible passage. If you want more important things to look for in a Bible passage, see this post.

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