Go Figure! An Introduction to Figures of Speech in the Bible – by Julia Hans, PhD
How can I tell if a Bible verse is literal or figurative? What’s the difference between metaphor and metonymy? How can I understand a parable? And what’s the function of figurative language anyway?
Go Figure! An Introduction to Figures of Speech in the Bible answers these and other questions about figurative language used in Scripture. With its blend of scholarship and humor, the book appeals to a variety of students. For newcomers, it serves as a way into the complex arena known as figures of speech. With many examples culled from popular culture, the book speaks to a new generation of students. At the same time, for those more seasoned in the Scriptures, the endnotes, bibliography, introduction, and appendices offer ample material for further study.
The book is organized by subject: Figures of Repetition, Figures of Understatement or Overstatement, Figures of Omission, Figures Using Human Attributes, Figures of Exchange, Figures of Comparison, Rhetorical Questions, and Idioms and Other Familiar Figures.
In the Appendices, you will find two essays that illustrate how a knowledge of figures of speech might be used in your biblical studies. Along with the essays, the appendices also provide a list of helpful print and digital resources, and answers to commonly asked questions about figures of speech.
If you know about E. W. Bullinger’s masterpiece, Figures of Speech Used in the Bible Explained and Illustrated, but find that resource difficult to navigate, then Go Figure! is for you. It takes a difficult and at times complex subject and makes it easy to understand so that all students of the Bible may benefit from this important subject.
How can I tell if a Bible verse is literal or figurative? What’s the difference between metaphor and metonymy? How can I understand a parable? And what’s the function of figurative language anyway?
Go Figure! An Introduction to Figures of Speech in the Bible answers these and other questions about figurative language used in Scripture. With its blend of scholarship and humor, the book appeals to a variety of students. For newcomers, it serves as a way into the complex arena known as figures of speech. With many examples culled from popular culture, the book speaks to a new generation of students. At the same time, for those more seasoned in the Scriptures, the endnotes, bibliography, introduction, and appendices offer ample material for further study.
The book is organized by subject: Figures of Repetition, Figures of Understatement or Overstatement, Figures of Omission, Figures Using Human Attributes, Figures of Exchange, Figures of Comparison, Rhetorical Questions, and Idioms and Other Familiar Figures.
In the Appendices, you will find two essays that illustrate how a knowledge of figures of speech might be used in your biblical studies. Along with the essays, the appendices also provide a list of helpful print and digital resources, and answers to commonly asked questions about figures of speech.
If you know about E. W. Bullinger’s masterpiece, Figures of Speech Used in the Bible Explained and Illustrated, but find that resource difficult to navigate, then Go Figure! is for you. It takes a difficult and at times complex subject and makes it easy to understand so that all students of the Bible may benefit from this important subject.
How can I tell if a Bible verse is literal or figurative? What’s the difference between metaphor and metonymy? How can I understand a parable? And what’s the function of figurative language anyway?
Go Figure! An Introduction to Figures of Speech in the Bible answers these and other questions about figurative language used in Scripture. With its blend of scholarship and humor, the book appeals to a variety of students. For newcomers, it serves as a way into the complex arena known as figures of speech. With many examples culled from popular culture, the book speaks to a new generation of students. At the same time, for those more seasoned in the Scriptures, the endnotes, bibliography, introduction, and appendices offer ample material for further study.
The book is organized by subject: Figures of Repetition, Figures of Understatement or Overstatement, Figures of Omission, Figures Using Human Attributes, Figures of Exchange, Figures of Comparison, Rhetorical Questions, and Idioms and Other Familiar Figures.
In the Appendices, you will find two essays that illustrate how a knowledge of figures of speech might be used in your biblical studies. Along with the essays, the appendices also provide a list of helpful print and digital resources, and answers to commonly asked questions about figures of speech.
If you know about E. W. Bullinger’s masterpiece, Figures of Speech Used in the Bible Explained and Illustrated, but find that resource difficult to navigate, then Go Figure! is for you. It takes a difficult and at times complex subject and makes it easy to understand so that all students of the Bible may benefit from this important subject.
Book Features:
More than 1200 Bible verses
Topical arrangement
Expanded definitions
Research from various disciplines, spanning several generations
Examples from popular culture
Examples from the Scriptures
Annotated bibliography
Scripture Index
Original essays
Q and As
“I found the book to be an easy-to-understand presentation of many of the figures of speech frequently used in the Bible. I trust this work will be a valuable introductory study of figures of speech to students of the Scriptures in the years to come.” – Rev. Walter J. Cummins, author of A Journey Through the Acts and Epistles: The Authorized King James Version with Note and a Working Translation, Vols. 1 and 2.