Symbolic & Figurative Language in All 66 Books
Three examples from every book. These passages use metaphor, poetic imagery, idiom, allegory, or visionary/symbolic language rather than straightforward literal description. Context matters: figurative language does not automatically mean the surrounding event is non-historical.
Genesis
Genesis 4:10 — “The voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground.”
Genesis 49:9 — “Judah is a lion's whelp.”
Genesis 49:22 — “Joseph is a fruitful bough by a well.”
Exodus
Exodus 4:22 — “Israel is my son, even my firstborn.”
Exodus 15:15 — “The mighty men of Moab... shall melt away.”
Exodus 19:4 — “I bare you on eagles' wings.”
Leviticus
Leviticus 26:19 — “I will break the pride of your power.”
Leviticus 26:26 — “Ten women shall bake your bread in one oven.”
Leviticus 19:17 — “Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart.”
Numbers
Numbers 21:8 — “Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole.”
Numbers 23:24 — “The people shall rise up as a great lion.”
Numbers 24:9 — “He couched, he lay down as a lion.”
Deuteronomy
Deuteronomy 32:10 — “He kept him as the apple of his eye.”
Deuteronomy 32:11 — “As an eagle stirreth up her nest...”
Deuteronomy 32:15 — “Jeshurun waxed fat, and kicked.”
Joshua
Joshua 7:9 — “What wilt thou do unto thy great name?”
Joshua 23:14 — “Not one thing hath failed of all the good things.”
Joshua 24:15 — “Choose you this day whom ye will serve.”
Judges
Judges 5:4 — “The earth trembled, and the heavens dropped.”
Judges 5:20 — “The stars in their courses fought against Sisera.”
Judges 9:8 — “The trees went forth on a time to anoint a king over them.”
Ruth
Ruth 2:12 — “The LORD God of Israel, under whose wings thou art come to trust.”
Ruth 3:9 — “Spread therefore thy skirt over thine handmaid.”
Ruth 4:11 — “The LORD make the woman... like Rachel and like Leah.”
1 Samuel
1 Samuel 2:1 — “Mine horn is exalted in the LORD.”
1 Samuel 2:8 — “He raiseth up the poor out of the dust.”
1 Samuel 15:22 — “To obey is better than sacrifice.”
2 Samuel
2 Samuel 22:2 — “The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer.”
2 Samuel 22:3 — “My shield, and the horn of my salvation.”
2 Samuel 23:1 — “The sweet psalmist of Israel.”
1 Kings
1 Kings 8:27 — “The heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain thee.”
1 Kings 19:11 — “The LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains.”
1 Kings 22:19 — “I saw the LORD sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven standing by him.”
2 Kings
2 Kings 2:12 — “My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof.”
2 Kings 13:14 — “O my father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof.”
2 Kings 19:21 — “The daughter of Jerusalem hath shaken her head at thee.”
1 Chronicles
1 Chronicles 16:31 — “Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice.”
1 Chronicles 16:32 — “Let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof.”
1 Chronicles 29:11 — “Thine is the greatness, and the power, and the glory.”
2 Chronicles
2 Chronicles 6:18 — “Behold, the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain thee.”
2 Chronicles 20:12 — “We have no might against this great company... neither know we what to do.”
2 Chronicles 20:21 — “Praise the LORD; for his mercy endureth for ever.”
Ezra
Ezra 9:6 — “Our iniquities are increased over our head.”
Ezra 9:8 — “The LORD our God hath left us a remnant to escape.”
Ezra 9:15 — “Behold, we are before thee in our trespasses.”
Nehemiah
Nehemiah 1:6 — “Let thine ear now be attentive, and thine eyes open.”
Nehemiah 4:10 — “The strength of the bearers of burdens is decayed.”
Nehemiah 9:19 — “Yet thou in thy manifold mercies forsookest them not in the wilderness.”
Esther
Esther 4:14 — “Who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”
Esther 6:13 — “If Mordecai... be of the seed of the Jews, before whom thou hast begun to fall.”
Esther 8:8 — “Write ye also for the Jews, as it liketh you.”
Job
Job 19:25 — “I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth.”
Job 29:3 — “When his candle shined upon my head.”
Job 38:7 — “When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy.”
Psalms
Psalms 18:2 — “The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer.”
Psalms 23:1 — “The LORD is my shepherd.”
Psalms 91:4 — “He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust.”
Proverbs
Proverbs 1:9 — “They shall be an ornament of grace unto thy head.”
Proverbs 3:18 — “She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her.”
Proverbs 15:13 — “A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance.”
Ecclesiastes
Ecclesiastes 1:4 — “One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh.”
Ecclesiastes 3:11 — “He hath made every thing beautiful in his time.”
Ecclesiastes 12:3 — “The keepers of the house shall tremble.”
Song of Solomon
Song of Solomon 2:1 — “I am the rose of Sharon, and the lily of the valleys.”
Song of Solomon 4:1 — “Thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair; thou hast doves' eyes.”
Song of Solomon 8:6 — “Love is strong as death; jealousy is cruel as the grave.”
Isaiah
Isaiah 2:4 — “They shall beat their swords into plowshares.”
Isaiah 40:31 — “They that wait upon the LORD shall mount up with wings as eagles.”
Isaiah 55:12 — “All the trees of the field shall clap their hands.”
Jeremiah
Jeremiah 1:11 — “I see a rod of an almond tree.”
Jeremiah 5:21 — “Hear now this, O foolish people... which have eyes, and see not.”
Jeremiah 31:9 — “I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn.”
Lamentations
Lamentations 1:1 — “How doth the city sit solitary, that was full of people!”
Lamentations 2:19 — “Pour out thine heart like water before the face of the Lord.”
Lamentations 3:22 — “It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed.”
Ezekiel
Ezekiel 17:22 — “I will also take of the highest branch of the high cedar, and will set it.”
Ezekiel 19:11 — “She had strong rods for the sceptres of them that bare rule.”
Ezekiel 37:1 — “The hand of the LORD was upon me, and carried me out in the spirit of the LORD.”
Daniel
Daniel 2:35 — “The stone that smote the image became a great mountain.”
Daniel 7:3 — “Four great beasts came up from the sea.”
Daniel 8:5 — “An he goat came from the west... and touched not the ground.”
Hosea
Hosea 11:1 — “I called my son out of Egypt.”
Hosea 14:5 — “I will be as the dew unto Israel.”
Hosea 14:7 — “They shall revive as the corn, and grow as the vine.”
Joel
Joel 2:25 — “I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten.”
Joel 2:28 — “Your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions.”
Joel 3:13 — “Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe.”
Amos
Amos 4:1 — “Ye kine of Bashan, that are in the mountain of Samaria.”
Amos 5:24 — “Let judgment run down as waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream.”
Amos 9:13 — “The mountains shall drop sweet wine, and all the hills shall melt.”
Obadiah
Obadiah 1:3 — “The pride of thine heart hath deceived thee.”
Obadiah 1:4 — “Though thou exalt thyself as the eagle... thence will I bring thee down.”
Obadiah 1:18 — “The house of Jacob shall be a fire.”
Jonah
Jonah 2:6 — “The earth with her bars was about me for ever.”
Jonah 2:10 — “The LORD spake unto the fish.”
Jonah 4:6 — “The LORD God prepared a gourd.”
Micah
Micah 4:3 — “They shall beat their swords into plowshares.”
Micah 6:8 — “What doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly...”
Micah 7:8 — “When I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in darkness, the LORD shall be a light unto me.”
Nahum
Nahum 1:4 — “The mountains quake at him, and the hills melt.”
Nahum 1:5 — “The earth is burned at his presence.”
Nahum 3:17 — “Thy crowned are as the locusts.”
Habakkuk
Habakkuk 2:11 — “The stone shall cry out of the wall, and the beam out of the timber shall answer it.”
Habakkuk 3:6 — “He stood, and measured the earth.”
Habakkuk 3:8 — “Was the LORD displeased against the rivers?”
Zephaniah
Zephaniah 1:4 — “I will cut off the remnant of Baal.”
Zephaniah 3:17 — “He will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love.”
Zephaniah 3:19 — “I will save her that halteth, and gather her that was driven out.”
Haggai
Haggai 2:6 — “I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea.”
Haggai 2:8 — “The silver is mine, and the gold is mine.”
Haggai 2:22 — “I will overthrow the throne of kingdoms.”
Zechariah
Zechariah 4:2 — “I have looked, and behold a candlestick all of gold.”
Zechariah 5:1 — “I see a flying roll.”
Zechariah 6:1 — “Four chariots went out from between two mountains.”
Malachi
Malachi 3:2 — “He is like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' soap.”
Malachi 3:10 — “I will open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing.”
Malachi 4:2 — “The Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings.”
Matthew
Matthew 5:14 — “Ye are the light of the world.”
Matthew 7:6 — “Give not that which is holy unto the dogs.”
Matthew 23:24 — “Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel.”
Mark
Mark 1:17 — “I will make you to become fishers of men.”
Mark 4:30 — “Whereunto shall we liken the kingdom of God?”
Mark 8:15 — “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees.”
Luke
Luke 6:39 — “Can the blind lead the blind?”
Luke 13:32 — “Go ye, and tell that fox.”
Luke 18:13 — “God be merciful to me a sinner.”
John
John 1:29 — “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.”
John 3:5 — “Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit.”
John 15:5 — “I am the vine, ye are the branches.”
Acts
Acts 2:17 — “Your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams.”
Acts 10:11 — “He saw heaven opened, and a certain vessel descending unto him.”
Acts 16:9 — “There stood a man of Macedonia, and prayed him, saying, Come over into Macedonia.”
Romans
Romans 6:6 — “Our old man is crucified with him.”
Romans 7:4 — “Ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ.”
Romans 11:17 — “Thou, being a wild olive tree, wert graffed in among them.”
1 Corinthians
1 Corinthians 3:9 — “Ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building.”
1 Corinthians 5:6 — “A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump.”
1 Corinthians 12:27 — “Ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.”
2 Corinthians
2 Corinthians 3:2 — “Ye are our epistle written in our hearts.”
2 Corinthians 4:7 — “We have this treasure in earthen vessels.”
2 Corinthians 5:17 — “If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature.”
Galatians
Galatians 2:20 — “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live.”
Galatians 3:24 — “The law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ.”
Galatians 4:19 — “My little children, of whom I travail in birth again.”
Ephesians
Ephesians 2:20 — “Ye are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets.”
Ephesians 5:8 — “Ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord.”
Ephesians 6:11 — “Put on the whole armour of God.”
Philippians
Philippians 3:14 — “I press toward the mark for the prize.”
Philippians 4:13 — “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”
Philippians 4:18 — “An odour of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable.”
Colossians
Colossians 2:7 — “Rooted and built up in him.”
Colossians 3:3 — “Your life is hid with Christ in God.”
Colossians 3:5 — “Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth.”
1 Thessalonians
1 Thessalonians 5:2 — “The day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.”
1 Thessalonians 5:5 — “Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day.”
1 Thessalonians 5:19 — “Quench not the Spirit.”
2 Thessalonians
2 Thessalonians 2:2 — “That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled.”
2 Thessalonians 2:3 — “That day shall not come, except there come a falling away first.”
2 Thessalonians 2:8 — “Whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth.”
1 Timothy
1 Timothy 1:19 — “Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away.”
1 Timothy 3:15 — “The house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.”
1 Timothy 6:9 — “They that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare.”
2 Timothy
2 Timothy 2:3 — “Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.”
2 Timothy 2:6 — “The husbandman that laboureth must be first partaker of the fruits.”
2 Timothy 4:7 — “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course.”
Titus
Titus 1:12 — “The Cretians are alway liars, evil beasts, slow bellies.”
Titus 2:11 — “The grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men.”
Titus 3:5 — “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us.”
Philemon
Philemon 1:12 — “Whom I have sent again: thou therefore receive him, that is, mine own bowels.”
Philemon 1:16 — “Not now as a servant, but above a servant, a brother beloved.”
Philemon 1:17 — “If thou count me therefore a partner, receive him as myself.”
Hebrews
Hebrews 4:12 — “The word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword.”
Hebrews 6:19 — “Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul.”
Hebrews 12:29 — “Our God is a consuming fire.”
James
James 3:6 — “The tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity.”
James 3:12 — “Can the fig tree... bear olive berries?”
James 4:14 — “Your life is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time.”
1 Peter
1 Peter 1:24 — “All flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass.”
1 Peter 2:5 — “Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house.”
1 Peter 5:8 — “Your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about.”
2 Peter
2 Peter 2:17 — “These are wells without water, clouds that are carried with a tempest.”
2 Peter 3:8 — “One day is with the Lord as a thousand years.”
2 Peter 3:10 — “The heavens shall pass away with a great noise.”
1 John
1 John 1:5 — “God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.”
1 John 2:15 — “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world.”
1 John 3:18 — “Let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.”
2 John
2 John 1:4 — “I rejoiced greatly that I found of thy children walking in truth.”
2 John 1:6 — “This is love, that we walk after his commandments.”
2 John 1:10 — “Receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed.”
3 John
3 John 1:4 — “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.”
3 John 1:11 — “He that doeth good is of God: but he that doeth evil hath not seen God.”
3 John 1:12 — “Demetrius hath good report of all men, and of the truth itself.”
Jude
Jude 1:12 — “These are spots in your feasts of charity... clouds they are without water.”
Jude 1:13 — “Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame.”
Jude 1:23 — “Pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.”
Revelation
Revelation 1:16 — “Out of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword.”
Revelation 12:3 — “There appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon.”
Revelation 17:9 — “The seven heads are seven mountains.”
KJV wording. The examples are intended to demonstrate the Bible’s widespread use of figurative language, not to settle every passage’s interpretation.