Genres and Figures of Speech Overwhelming for many, the Bible presents challenges as one begins to read it. Written by multiple authors, and inspired by God, it displays a variety of genres and figures of speech sprinkled throughout for the reader to experience. Becoming familiar with several of the different genres and figures of speech within the Bible, a person’s understanding of it will increase.
Genres
Apodictic Law One of two major types of legal material present in the Old Testament, apodictic law deals in matters of moral and religious concerns, explicit in defining right and wrong. Referred to as the “absolute law,” it addresses the audience in second person using direct commands. Two well-known types of apodictic law are prohibition and admonition (Klein, Blomberg, & Hubbard, Jr., 1993). Prohibition directly commands in a negative fashion, for example, “You shall not …show more content…
An example is Psalm 98:8; the rivers and mountains represent people (Klein, et al., 1993).
Amphibologia
Amphibologia refers to a phrase or word that has double meanings and both meanings are true. In John 19:22 Pilate’s response “What I have written, I have written” first states “a matter of fact” and second, “to dismiss an inconvenient subject” (“Amphibologia”, 2016, para. 8).
Types
A prophetic symbol, type symbolizes Old Testament people or events that relate to New Testament antitypes (“Literary Forms in the Bible”, 2016). Romans 5:14 speaks of Adam as “the one to come,”, meaning Christ, as an example. Having a familiarity with the various genres and figures of speech found in the Bible, an individual will discover new meanings as they read it. Found in both Old and New Testament, the genres discussed provide an overview of history, prophecy, and law in the Bible. Figures of speech appearing haphazard at best bring to light new significance to the author’s
Genres
Apodictic Law One of two major types of legal material present in the Old Testament, apodictic law deals in matters of moral and religious concerns, explicit in defining right and wrong. Referred to as the “absolute law,” it addresses the audience in second person using direct commands. Two well-known types of apodictic law are prohibition and admonition (Klein, Blomberg, & Hubbard, Jr., 1993). Prohibition directly commands in a negative fashion, for example, “You shall not …show more content…
An example is Psalm 98:8; the rivers and mountains represent people (Klein, et al., 1993).
Amphibologia
Amphibologia refers to a phrase or word that has double meanings and both meanings are true. In John 19:22 Pilate’s response “What I have written, I have written” first states “a matter of fact” and second, “to dismiss an inconvenient subject” (“Amphibologia”, 2016, para. 8).
Types
A prophetic symbol, type symbolizes Old Testament people or events that relate to New Testament antitypes (“Literary Forms in the Bible”, 2016). Romans 5:14 speaks of Adam as “the one to come,”, meaning Christ, as an example. Having a familiarity with the various genres and figures of speech found in the Bible, an individual will discover new meanings as they read it. Found in both Old and New Testament, the genres discussed provide an overview of history, prophecy, and law in the Bible. Figures of speech appearing haphazard at best bring to light new significance to the author’s