Biblical Examples of Rhetorical Devices

Version 2.
A Supplement to
Writing with Clarity and Style

A Guide to Rhetorical Devices
for Contemporary Writers
Second Edition
(© 2018 Routledge / Taylor and Francis)
Robert A. Harris
Supplement © 2019 Robert A. Harris
Biblical Examples of Rhetorical Devices 2.0, a Supplement to Writing With Clarity and Style, 2e
Biblical Examples of Rhetorical Devices
A Supplement to
Writing with Clarity and Style, 2e
Robert A. Harris
This supplement provides Biblical examples of the rhetorical devices presented in the book,
Writing with Clarity and Style, 2e (copyright 2018 Taylor & Francis). The examples are presented
in the same order the they occur in the book. This supplement is provided free to purchasers
and adopters of the text.
Supplement copyright © 2018, 2019 Robert A. Harris
Sources
E. W. Bullinger, Figures of Speech Used in the Bible, (1898; rpt. 1968). Baker Book House, Grand
Rapids.
e-Sword Bible software (www.e-sword.net)
Scripture quotations marked (NASB) are taken from the New American Standard Bible, Copyright © 1960, 1962 ,1963, 1968, 1971,
1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by the Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. www.Lockman.org.
Scripture quotations marked (HCSB) have been taken from the Holman Christian Standard Bible, Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002,
2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Holman Christian Standard Bible®, CSB®, and HCSB® are federally
registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.
Scripture quotations marked (ESV) are from the Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV)®, copyright © 2001 by Crossway
Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked (CEV) are from the Holy Bible, Contemporary English Version® (CEV)®, copyright © 2006 by
American Bible Society. Used by permission.
Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are from the Holy Bible, New International Version® (1984)(NIV)®, copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984
by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House.
Scripture quotations marked (NKJV) are from the New King James Version, copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by
permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007. Used by
permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, IL 60188. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked (YLT) are from the Holy Bible, Young’s Literal Translation. It is in the public domain.
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Contents
Introduction ................................................................................................................................................ 6
Pedagogical Use ......................................................................................................................................... 7
Chapter 1: Balance...................................................................................................................................... 9
Chiasmus................................................................................................................................................. 9
Parallelism............................................................................................................................................... 9
Antithesis .............................................................................................................................................. 10
Chapter 2 Emphasis I............................................................................................................................... 11
Climax.................................................................................................................................................... 11
Asyndeton ............................................................................................................................................. 11
Polysyndeton ........................................................................................................................................ 12
Sentential Adverb................................................................................................................................. 12
Beginning and Ending Stress.............................................................................................................. 13
Chapter 3 Emphasis II ............................................................................................................................. 14
Irony....................................................................................................................................................... 14
Understatement.................................................................................................................................... 14
Litotes .................................................................................................................................................... 14
Hyperbole.............................................................................................................................................. 14
Emphatic Positioning .......................................................................................................................... 16
Stylistic Fragments............................................................................................................................... 16
Chapter 4 Transition ................................................................................................................................ 17
Metabasis............................................................................................................................................... 17
Procatalepsis ......................................................................................................................................... 17
Hypophora ............................................................................................................................................ 17
A Fortiori ............................................................................................................................................... 18
Chapter 5 Clarity...................................................................................................................................... 20
Distinctio ............................................................................................................................................... 20
Exemplum ............................................................................................................................................. 21
Amplification ........................................................................................................................................ 22
Metanoia................................................................................................................................................ 22
Chapter 6 Syntax I.................................................................................................................................... 23
Zeugma.................................................................................................................................................. 23
Diazeugma ............................................................................................................................................ 23
Prozeugma ............................................................................................................................................ 24
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Mesozeugma......................................................................................................................................... 24
Hypozeugma ........................................................................................................................................ 24
Syllepsis ................................................................................................................................................. 25
Cumulative and Periodic Sentences .................................................................................................. 25
Chapter 7 Syntax II .................................................................................................................................. 26
Hyperbaton ........................................................................................................................................... 26
Anastrophe............................................................................................................................................ 26
Appositive ............................................................................................................................................. 27
Parenthesis ............................................................................................................................................ 27
Parataxis and Hypotaxis ..................................................................................................................... 28
Chapter 8 Figurative Language I ........................................................................................................... 28
Simile ..................................................................................................................................................... 28
Analogy ................................................................................................................................................. 29
Metaphor ............................................................................................................................................... 30
Catachresis ............................................................................................................................................ 32
Pleonasm ............................................................................................................................................... 33
Chapter 9 Figurative Language II.......................................................................................................... 34
Metonymy ............................................................................................................................................. 34
Synecdoche............................................................................................................................................ 35
Personification ...................................................................................................................................... 36
Euphemism ........................................................................................................................................... 37
Chapter 10 Figurative Language III ...................................................................................................... 38
Allusion ................................................................................................................................................. 38
Eponym ................................................................................................................................................. 38
Apostrophe ........................................................................................................................................... 38
Transferred Epithet.............................................................................................................................. 39
Chapter 11 Restatement I ........................................................................................................................ 39
Anaphora............................................................................................................................................... 39
Epistrophe ............................................................................................................................................. 40
Simploce ................................................................................................................................................ 40
Anaphora with Prefixes and Suffixes................................................................................................ 42
Chapter 12 Restatement II....................................................................................................................... 42
Anadiplosis ........................................................................................................................................... 42
Conduplicatio ....................................................................................................................................... 42
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Epanalepsis ........................................................................................................................................... 43
Chapter 13 Restatement III ..................................................................................................................... 43
Diacope .................................................................................................................................................. 43
Epizeuxis ............................................................................................................................................... 43
Antimetabole ........................................................................................................................................ 44
Scesis Onomaton .................................................................................................................................. 44
Increasing Vividness............................................................................................................................ 45
Chapter 14 Sound..................................................................................................................................... 45
Alliteration ............................................................................................................................................ 45
Onomatopeia ........................................................................................................................................ 45
Assonance ............................................................................................................................................. 46
Consonance ........................................................................................................................................... 46
Chapter 15 Drama .................................................................................................................................... 46
Rhetorical Question ............................................................................................................................. 46
Aporia .................................................................................................................................................... 47
Apophasis.............................................................................................................................................. 47
Anacoluthon ......................................................................................................................................... 47
Chapter 16 Word Play ............................................................................................................................. 48
Oxymoron ............................................................................................................................................. 48
Pun ......................................................................................................................................................... 48
Anthimeria ............................................................................................................................................ 48
Afterword.................................................................................................................................................. 49
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Introduction
What’s here. This document contains a tiny fraction of the rhetorical devices used by the
Biblical authors. The Bible is quite literally crammed with metaphors, similes, personfications,
and many, many other devices. In fact, while I was in the process of thumbing through my very
marked-up copy of the New American Standard Bible (NASB) looking for marginal notes such
as “hypophora” or “asyndeton,” to include in this document, it suddenly occurred to me that
Ethelbert W. Bullinger could help me out. And he did. His book, Figures of Speech Used in the
Bible, Explained and Illustrated, published in 1899, made my work substantially easier. Bullinger’s
book is, quite frankly, the best thousand pages ever written about Biblical figures of speech, of
which he covers 217, many in elaborate detail.
But why the Bible? At the beginning of the book of Proverbs, Solomon says that the book
will help readers “to understand a proverb and a figure, the words of the wise and their
riddles” (Proverbs 1:6, NASB). Such is true with the Bible as a whole. In fact, the Bible and
Shakespeare’s plays and poems are arguably the best sources for learning how rhetorical
devices are used, combined, sequenced, and arranged. In the Poetics, Aristotle says that
mastering the use of metaphors is the most important task for a writer, but that it cannot be
taught by one person to another (Section 22). Instead, the creation and effective employment of
metaphors (and all the devices) must be grasped by studying how they are used by skillful
writers. Studying the Bible and the Bard will provide you with thousands of examples—in
context—that will help you improve your rhetorical expertise.
A second reason for developing this collection of examples from the Bible is to make Writing
with Clarity and Style, 2e more useful as a text in public and private university courses in The
Bible as Literature and Introduction to the Bible; and in Christian university courses in writing
and in rhetoric and in speech. Teachers at Christian 8-12 schools and homeschoolers will also
find this a useful addition to the text itself.
Lost in translation? You might ask here, “But wasn’t the Bible written in Hebrew, Aramaic,
and Greek? And don’t many of the figures or devices depend on word choice, puns, letter
sounds, and so on? Aren’t those likely to be lost in translation?” The answers to your questions
are Yes, Yes, and Sometimes Yes. However, many of the devices flow through the translation
process and emerge quite well intact. For example, in the opening chapters of Proverbs, the
personification of wisdom as a woman and the simile, “She is more precious than rubies”
(Proverbs 3:15a, NKJV) carries the meaning from Hebrew to English very well, judging by the
Hebrew-English interlinear Bible.
Caveat: I do not know any of the Biblical languages, so if someone asks you, this document
contains examples of the rhetorical devices as delivered in translations of Biblical passages.
Translation uses. For these examples, I have chosen in each case what seems to me the
translation that best embodies the rhetorical device. The Bible translation I selected for each
device is labeled at the end of each example. The key to each Bible version is on the previous
page. As you will note, for the majority of examples, I used the New American Standard Bible
(NASB). The only liberties I took with the text were (1) I occasionally capitalized the first letter
of the example when the example began in mid-sentence, (2) I dropped the capital at the
beginning of lines of poetry (as with the Psalms) and ran the lines together into normalized
sentences, and (3) I occasionally silently changed punctuation at the end of an entry, changing a
comma or semicolon to a period.
Software. Everyone who uses the Bible for study or for locating, say, allusions to the Bible
by various authors should have some Bible software. Software makes searching very fast, and
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the located passages can be copied and pasted right into the document being written. The
program (or app) I use is e-Sword (www.e-sword.net; copyright 2000-2017 by Rick Meyers). It’s
powerful and easy to use. And it’s free, with more than a dozen free translations, and others
available for purchase.
Hint to students. If your instructor assigns you the task of locating, say, five examples of
synecdoche in the Bible, or five examples of any other device, try starting your search in
Proverbs and Psalms. Those books are exceptionally rich in literary figures. After all, the Psalms
are poems and poems are frequent customers at the rhetoric store. From there, try the prophets,
for they often speak in figures. If you can’t decide on which prophet to start with, why not go to
Isaiah?
For New Testament references, the epistles of Paul are fruitful sources.
If you find a passage that almost displays the use of a device, change translations. The most
literal, following the original languages most closely, are the NASB and HCSB and ESV. (Note
that e-Sword allows you to compare up to eight translations at once.)
Pedagogical Use
Here are some sample assignments for those who use this supplement as a teaching tool:
1. Explain the use of the rhetorical device in [one, two, five, ten] of the examples in this
supplement. Example: “Incline your ear to me” (Psalm 31:2a, NASB). Answer: “This is a part-
for-whole synecdoche, where the ear is a part of the hearing apparatus. Similarly, ‘incline your
ear’ is also a metonymy where inclining (leaning over) toward someone is associated with the
act of paying attention and listening to someone.”
2. Locate and explain [one, two, three] Biblical examples of [————-] rhetorical device,
each from a different Biblical book. Be sure to cite book, chapter, verse, and translation for each.
3. Analyze Psalm [——] and identify and explain the use of all the rhetorical devices in it.
4. Find a verse containing a rhetorical device and compare its translation across at least 8
versions. Do some versions neutralize some of the imagery by “translating” the metaphor or
other device? Explain the effect of the differences. Which is clearest, most artful, most emphatic,
most memorable, closest to the original?
To help you with this project, you should google “interlinear Greek-English New
Testament” or “interlinear Hebrew-English Bible.”
Bible versions to consult include:
AMP The Amplified Bible KJV King James Version

ASV American Standard Version LITV Literal Translation Version Bible
BBE The Bible in Basic English NASB New American Standard Bible
CEV Contemporary English Version NCV New Century Version
ERV Easy-to-Read Version NEB New English Bible
ESV English Standard Version NIV New International Version
GNB Good News Bible NKJV New King James Version
GW God’s Word NLT New Living Translation
HCSB Holman Christian Standard Bible RV Revised Version
ISV International Standard Version WEB World English Bible
JPS Jewish Publication Society Bible YLT Young’s Literal Translation
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5. Write an essay with examples, arguing whether or not the use of rhetorical devices makes
the Bible more interesting, effective, memorable, powerful, persuasive.
6. Write an essay explaining the use and effect of all the rhetorical devices use in 2
Corinthians 11:20-29.
7. Defend or attack the proposition, “Paul’s use of rhetorical devices in his epistles adds to
their persuasive power.”
8. How does the use of a fortiori affect the arguments of those using it? (Does it make them
stronger, weaker? How or why? Is the use simply decorative without adding persuasiveness?
Be sure to find as many instances as you can. (Search on “much more,” “all the more,” “even
more.”)
9. How does your understanding of hyperbole help you to negotiate the Biblical texts where
it is present?
10. Identify as many as you can of the rhetorical devices used in Psalm 52. Hint: apostrophe,
metonymy, simile, personification, antithesis, synecdoche.
11. Identify the rhetorical devices and describe (or explain or diagram) the sentence in
Philippians 2:14-15 (NASB).
October, 2018
Version 2.0, May, 2019
Robert A. Harris
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Chapter 1: Balance
Chiasmus
In his hand are the depths of the earth; the heights of the mountains are his also. —Psalm 95:4
(ESV)
God called the light day, and the darkness He called night. —Genesis 1:5a (NASB)
Always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus also may be
manifested in our body. —2 Corinthians 4:10 (NASB)
I will also laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your dread comes, when your dread comes
like a storm and your calamity comes like a whirlwind, when distress and anguish come upon
you. —Proverbs 1:26-27 (NASB) [also amplification]
Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we
have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works
of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified. —Galatians 2:16 (NKJV)
Poor is he who works with a negligent hand, but the hand of the diligent makes rich.
—Proverbs 10:4 (NASB)
He is on the path of life who heeds instruction, but he who ignores reproof goes astray.
And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. —Genesis 12:3
(NASB)
Parallelism
How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path
of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers! —Psalm 1:1 (NASB)
They shall build houses and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit. They
shall not build and another inhabit; they shall not plant and another eat. —Isaiah 65:21-22a
(NKJV)
“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” declares the LORD. “For
as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My
thoughts than your thoughts.” —Isaiah 55:8-9 (NASB)
But I tell you, don’t take an oath at all: either by heaven, because it is God’s throne; or by the
earth, because it is His footstool; or by Jerusalem, because it is the city of the great King.
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—Matthew 5:34-35 (HCSB)
Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed. —1 Corinthians 15:11 (NASB)
The king is not saved by a mighty army; a warrior is not delivered by great strength. —Psalm
33:16 (NASB)
Antithesis
I want you to be wise in what is good and innocent in what is evil. —Romans 16:19b (NASB)
A wise son makes a father glad, but a foolish son is a grief to his mother. —Proverbs 10:1b
(NASB)
Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but deceitful are the kisses of an enemy. —Proverbs 27:6
(NASB)
Keep watching and praying that you may not come into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the
flesh is weak. —Mark 14:38 (NASB)
For since by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam
all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive. —1 Corinthians 15:21-22 (NASB)
Better is the little of the righteous than the abundance of many wicked. —Psalm 37:16 (NASB)
The LORD curses the house of the wicked, but He blesses the home of the upright. —Proverbs
3:33 (NLT)
See also
Romans 2:5-10 (NASB, HCSB)
Matthew 5:19 (HCSB)
2 Corinthians 4:8-9 (NASB)
2 Corinthians 4:12 (NASB)
Proverbs 3:34 (NLT)
For many examples close together, see Proverbs, Chapters 10-18.
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Chapter 2 Emphasis I
Climax
But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. Then when lust
has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death. —James
1:14-15 (NASB)
And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about
perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope. —Romans 5:3-4
(NASB)
The enemy said: “I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil. My desire will be
gratified at their expense. I will draw my sword; my hand will destroy them.” —Exodus 15:9
(HCSB)
Asyndeton
It [love] bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. —1 Corinthians
13:7 (HCSB)
They were eating, they were drinking, they were marrying, they were being given in marriage,
until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. —Luke
17:27 (NASB)
Now if any man builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw,
each man’s work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with
fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man’s work. —1 Corinthians 3:12-13 (NASB)
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. —Galatians 5:22-23 (NASB)
All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for
training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good
work. —2 Timothy 3:16-17 (NASB)
Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great
patience and instruction. —2 Timothy 4:2 (NASB)
Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger;
for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. —James 1:19-20 (ESV) [also
antithesis and anaphora]
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Therefore, my dear brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the Lord’s work,
knowing that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. —1 Corinthians 15:58 (HCSB)
Polysyndeton
Then the fire of the LORD fell and consumed the burnt offering and the wood and the stones
and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. —1 Kings 18:38 (NASB)
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have
neglected the weightier provisions of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness; but these are
the things you should have done without neglecting the others. —Matthew 23:23 (NASB)
And of this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher. —2 Timothy 1:11
(NIV)
Then Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil stew, and he ate and drank and rose and went his way.
Thus Esau despised his birthright. —Genesis 25:34 (ESV)
And Joshua and all Israel with him took Achan the son of Zerah, and the silver and the cloak
and the bar of gold, and his sons and daughters and his oxen and donkeys and sheep and his
tent and all that he had. And they brought them up to the Valley of Achor. —Joshua 7:24 (ESV)
For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present,
nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able
to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. —Romans 8:38-39
(NASB)
Sentential Adverb
It is of little importance to me that I should be evaluated by you or by any human court. In fact,
I don’t even evaluate myself. —1 Corinthians 4:3 (HCSB)
Actually, then, it is already a defeat for you, that you have lawsuits with one another. Why not
rather be wronged? Why not rather be defrauded? —1 Corinthians 6:7 (NASB)
Judah replied, “Let her keep the items for herself; otherwise we will become a laughingstock.
After all, I did send this young goat, but you couldn’t find her.” —Genesis 38:23 (HCSB)
So Achish said to David, “You know, of course, that you and your men must march out in the
army with me.” —1 Samuel 28:1b (HCSB)
Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be
thankful. —Colossians 3:15 (NASB)
So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed. —John 8:36 (NASB)
12
For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in
the likeness of His resurrection. —Romans 6:5 (NASB)
It is definitely because they have misled My people by saying, “Peace!” when there is no peace.
And when anyone builds a wall, behold, they plaster it over with whitewash. —Ezekiel 13:10
(NASB)
And [Jesus] said, “Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you
will not enter the kingdom of heaven.” —Matthew 18:3 (NASB)
In fact, God knows that when you eat it your eyes will be opened and you will be like God,
knowing good and evil. —Genesis 3:5 (HCSB)
You were, in fact, concerned about me but lacked the opportunity to show it. —Philippians
4:10b (HCSB)
Indeed, it is useless to spread the baited net in the sight of any bird. —Proverbs 1:17 (NASB)
Beginning and Ending Stress

Compare these two versions:
for his mouth speaks from that which fills his heart. —Luke 6:45 (NASB)
for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks. —Luke 6:45 (ESV)

For with You is the fountain of life; in Your light we see light. —Psalm 36:9 (NASB)
The life-giving fountain belongs to you, and your light gives light to each of us. —Psalm
36:9 (CEV)

When you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.
When you lie down, you will not be afraid; you will lie down, and your sleep will be
pleasant.
—Proverbs 3:24 (HCSB)
Compare these three versions:

But those things which God foretold by the mouth of all His prophets, that the Christ would
suffer, He has thus fulfilled. —Acts 3:18 (NKJV)
But what God predicted through the mouth of all the prophets—that His Messiah would
suffer—He has fulfilled in this way. —Acts 3:18 (HCSB)
But God was fulfilling what all the prophets had foretold about the Messiah—that He must
suffer these things. —Acts 3:18 (NLT)
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Chapter 3 Emphasis II
Irony
For in what respect were you treated as inferior to the rest of the churches, except that I myself
did not become a burden to you? Forgive me this wrong! —2 Corinthians 12:13 (NASB)
I will most gladly spend and be expended for your souls. If I love you more, am I to be loved
less? But be that as it may, I did not burden you myself; nevertheless, crafty fellow that I am, I
took you in by deceit. —2 Corinthians 12:15-16 (NASB)
And you, Capernaum, will not be exalted to heaven, will you? You will descend to Hades; for if
the miracles had occurred in Sodom which occurred in you, it would have remained to this day.
—Matthew 11:23 (NASB)
Understatement
Wine is a mocker, strong drink is a brawler, and whoever is led astray by it is not wise.
—Proverbs 20:1 (NKJV)
Unequal weights are an abomination to the LORD, and false scales are not good. —Proverbs
20:23 (ESV)
Litotes
And even they, if they do not remain in unbelief, will be grafted in, because God has the power
to graft them in again. —Romans 11:23 (HCSB)
I disregarded them, says the Lord, because they did not continue in My covenant. —Hebrews
8:9b (HCSB)
Wine is a mocker, strong drink is a brawler, and whoever is led astray by it is not wise. —
Proverbs 20:1 (NKJV)
Unequal weights are an abomination to the LORD, and false scales are not good. —Proverbs
20:23 (ESV)
Hyperbole
[Hyperbole, exaggeration for emphatic effect, occurs in many places in both the Old and the
New Testament.]
14
I am weary with my sighing; every night I make my bed swim, I dissolve my couch with my
tears. —Psalm 6:6 (NASB)
So the Pharisees said to one another, “You see that you are not doing any good; look, the world
has gone after Him.” —John 12:19 (NASB)
And there are also many other things that Jesus did, which, if they were written one by one, I
suppose not even the world itself could contain the books that would be written. —John 21:25
(HCSB)
Now in the street, now in the squares, she lurks at every corner. —Proverbs 7:12 (HCSB)
If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it from you; it is better for
you to enter life crippled or lame, than to have two hands or two feet and be cast into the
eternal fire. —Matthew 18:8 (NASB)
If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and
brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple. —Luke 14:26t (NASB)
I robbed other churches by accepting support from them in order to serve you. —2 Corinthians
11:8 (ESV)
Now the Midianites and the Amalekites and all the sons of the east were lying in the valley as
numerous as locusts; and their camels were without number, as numerous as the sand on the
seashore. —Judges 7:12 (NASB)
Indeed I will greatly bless you, and I will greatly multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens
and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your seed shall possess the gate of their enemies.
—Genesis 22:17 (NASB)
The LORD our God has blessed us, and so now there are as many of us as there are stars in the
sky. God has even promised to bless us a thousand times more, and I pray that he will.
—Deuteronomy 1:10-11 (CEV)
[Search the Bible for the word sand to find many others similar to this passage. Example: Deuteronomy 10:22.]
It came about when she pressed him daily with her words and urged him, that his soul was
annoyed to death. —Judges 16:16 (NASB)
The Philistines also gathered to fight against Israel: 3,000 chariots, 6,000 horsemen, and troops
as numerous as the sand on the seashore. They went up and camped at Michmash, east of Beth-
aven. —1 Samuel 13:5 (HCSB)
Manasseh also shed so much innocent blood that he filled Jerusalem with it from one end to
another. —2 Kings 21:16a (HCSB)
These Gadites were army commanders; the least of them was a match for a hundred, and the
greatest of them for a thousand. —1 Chronicles 12:14 (HCSB)
15
O LORD God, let your word to David my father be now fulfilled, for you have made me king
over a people as numerous as the dust of the earth. —2 Chronicles 1:9 (ESV)
An unusual hyperbole involves the use of the number ten, which symbolizes a totality. For “ten
times,” read, “all the time” or “completely.”
You have humiliated me ten times now, and you mistreat me without shame. —Job 19:3 (HCSB)
You know that I've worked hard for your father and that he has cheated me and changed my
wages 10 times. But God has not let him harm me. —Genesis 31:6-7 (HCSB)
Yet as surely as I live and as the whole earth is filled with the LORD's glory, none of the men
who have seen My glory and the signs I performed in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have
tested Me these 10 times and did not obey Me, will ever see the land I swore to give their
fathers. None of those who have despised Me will see it. —Numbers 14:21 (HCSB)
In every matter of wisdom and understanding that the king consulted them about, he found
them 10 times better than all the diviner-priests and mediums in his entire kingdom. —Daniel
1:20 (HCSB)
Emphatic Positioning
Compare:
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. —
John 1:1 (NKJV)
The Word was in the beginning, and God was with the Word, and God was the Word.
Compare:
A dry crust of bread eaten in peace and quiet is better than a feast eaten where everyone
argues. —Proverbs 17:1 (CEV)
Eating a dry crust of bread is better than everyone arguing during a feast.
Compare:
I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they
speak. —Matthew 12:36 (ESV)
But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the
day of judgment. —Matthew 12:36 (NKJV)
Stylistic Fragments
What then? If some did not believe, will their unbelief cancel God’s faithfulness? Absolutely
not! —Romans 3:3-4a (HCSB)
Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? Of works? No, but by the law of faith.
16
—Romans 3:27 (NKJV)
As the truth of Christ is in me, this boasting of mine will not be stopped in the regions of
Achaia. Why? Because I do not love you? God knows I do! —2 Corinthians 11:10-11 (NASB)
Chapter 4 Transition
Metabasis
Therefore leaving the elementary teaching about the Christ, let us press on to maturity, not
laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, of
instruction about washings and laying on of hands, and the resurrection of the dead and eternal
judgment. And this we will do, if God permits. —Hebrews 6:1-3 (NASB)
So you should earnestly desire the most helpful gifts. But now let me show you a way of life
that is best of all. —1 Corinthians 12:31 (NLT)
God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways,
in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through
whom also He made the world. —Hebrews 1:1-2 (NASB)
Procatalepsis
Someone may ask, “How can God blame us, if he makes us behave in the way he wants us to?”
—Romans 9:19 (CEV)
But someone will say, “How are the dead raised? And with what kind of body do they come?”
—1 Corinthians 15:35 (NASB)
But someone may well say, “You have faith and I have works; show me your faith without the
works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” —James 2:18 (NASB)
Hypophora
So He was saying, “What is the kingdom of God like, and to what shall I compare it? —Luke
13:18 (NASB)
How shall I admonish you? To what shall I compare you, O daughter of Jerusalem? To what
shall I liken you as I comfort you, O virgin daughter of Zion? For your ruin is as vast as the sea;
Who can heal you? —Lamentations 2:13 (NASB)
17
But to what shall I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the market places, who
call out to the other children, and say, “We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we
sang a dirge, and you did not mourn.” —Matthew 11:16-17 (NASB)
What then? Are we better than they? Not at all; for we have already charged that both Jews and
Greeks are all under sin; —Romans 3:9 (NASB)
What then can we say that Abraham, our physical ancestor, has found? —Romans 4:1 (HCSB)
What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? —Romans 6:1 (NKJV)
See also
Romans 8:31
Romans 9:14
A Fortiori
Now if the ministry of death, carved in letters on stone, came with such glory that the Israelites
could not gaze at Moses’ face because of its glory, which was being brought to an end, will not
the ministry of the Spirit have even more glory? —2 Corinthians 3:7-8 (ESV)
For if the ministry of condemnation has glory, much more does the ministry of righteousness
abound in glory. —2 Corinthians 3:9 (NASB)
So if the old way, which has been replaced, was glorious, how much more glorious is the new,
which remains forever! —2 Corinthians 3:11 (NLT)
If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown
into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? —Matthew 6:30 (NIV)
And He said to them, “What man is there among you who has a sheep, and if it falls into a pit
on the Sabbath, will he not take hold of it and lift it out? How much more valuable then is a
man than a sheep! So then, it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” —Matthew 12:11-12 (NASB)
“For I know your rebellion and your stubbornness; behold, while I am still alive with you
today, you have been rebellious against the LORD; how much more, then, after my death?
—Deuteronomy 31:27 (NASB)
But David’s men said to him, “Behold, we are afraid here in Judah. How much more then if we
go to Keilah against the ranks of the Philistines?” —1 Samuel 23:3 (NASB)
When one told me, saying, “Behold, Saul is dead,” and thought he was bringing good news, I
seized him and killed him in Ziklag, which was the reward I gave him for his news. How much
more, when wicked men have killed a righteous man in his own house on his bed, shall I not
now require his blood from your hand and destroy you from the earth? —2 Samuel 4:10-11
(NASB)
18
He puts no trust even in His servants; and against His angels He charges error. How much
more those who dwell in houses of clay, whose foundation is in the dust, who are crushed
before the moth! —Job 4:18-19 (NASB)
If the righteous will be rewarded in the earth, how much more the wicked and the sinner!
Even Death and Destruction hold no secrets from the LORD. How much more does He know
the human heart! —Proverbs 15:11 (NLT)
The sacrifice of a wicked person is detestable—how much more so when he brings it with
ulterior motives! —Proverbs 21:27 (HCSB)
So if you who are evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your
Father in heaven give good things to those who keep on asking him! —Matthew 7:11 (ISV)
It is enough for a disciple that he be like his teacher, and a servant like his master. If they have
called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more will they call those of his household!
—Matthew 10:25 (NKJV)
Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap; they have no storeroom nor barn, and yet
God feeds them; how much more valuable you are than the birds! —Luke 12:24 (NASB)
For if, while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, then
how much more, having been reconciled, will we be saved by His life! —Romans 5:10 (HCSB)
But the free gift is not like the transgression. For if by the transgression of the one the many
died, much more did the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ,
abound to the many. —Romans 5:15 (NASB)
For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been
defiled sanctify for the cleansing of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who
through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience
from dead works to serve the living God? —Hebrews 9:13-14 (NASB)
See also
Romans 5:17
Romans 11:12
Romans 11:24
1 Corinthians 6:3
2 Corinthians 3:9,
2 Corinthians 3:11
19
A fortiori bonus enrichment. The argument a fortiori is most often expressed in the “how much
more” or “all the more” comparison, as discussed in the book. But a fortiori can also be
presented in the opposite way, using “how much less” or “all the less.”
Excellent speech is not fitting for a fool, much less are lying lips to a prince. —Proverbs 17:7
(NASB)
But will God indeed dwell with men on the earth? Behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens
cannot contain You. How much less this temple which I have built! —2 Chronicles 6:18 (NKJV)
But will God indeed live on earth? Even heaven, the highest heaven, cannot contain You, much
less this temple I have built. —1 Kings 8:27 (HCSB)
Even when it was whole it could not be made into a useful object. How much less can it ever be
made into anything useful when the fire has devoured it and it is charred! —Ezekiel 15:5
(HCSB)
But Moses said in the LORD’s presence: “If the Israelites will not listen to me, then how will
Pharaoh listen to me, since I am such a poor speaker?” —Exodus 6:12 (HCSB)
[that is, how much less will Pharaoh listen to me]
See also:
Job 4:18-19
Proverbs 15:11
Proverbs 11:7
Job 15:15-16
Proverbs 19:10
Job 25:5-6
Chapter 5 Clarity
Distinctio
Only you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood. —Genesis 9:4 (NASB)
All these came as allies to the valley of Siddim (that is, the Salt Sea). —Genesis 14:3 (NASB)
But if anyone says to you, “This is meat sacrificed to idols,” do not eat it, for the sake of the one
who informed you, and for conscience’ sake; I mean not your own conscience, but the other
man’s; for why is my freedom judged by another’s conscience? —1 Corinthians 10:28-29 (NASB)
20
I wrote you in my letter not to associate with immoral people; I did not at all mean with the
immoral people of this world, or with the covetous and swindlers, or with idolaters, for then
you would have to go out of the world. —1 Corinthians 5:9-10 (NASB)
What do I mean then? That a thing sacrificed to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything?
No, but I say that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons and not to
God; and I do not want you to become sharers in demons. —1 Corinthians 10:19-20 (NASB)
[also hypophora]
But you say, “If a man says to his father or his mother, ‘Whatever I have that would help you is
Corban’ (that is to say, given to God),” you no longer permit him to do anything for his father
or his mother. —Mark 7:11-12 (NASB)
The soldiers took Him away into the palace (that is, the Praetorium), and they called together
the whole Roman cohort. —Mark 15:16 (NASB)
When evening had already come, because it was the preparation day, that is, the day before the
Sabbath, Joseph of Arimathea came. . . . —Mark 15:42-43a (NASB)
Exemplum
As an example, brethren, of suffering and patience, take the prophets who spoke in the name of
the Lord. —James 5:10 (NASB)
Did the gods of the nations that my predecessors destroyed rescue them—nations such as
Gozan, Haran, Rezeph, and the Edenites in Telassar? —2 Kings 19:12 (HCSB)
Since I am speaking to those who understand law, brothers, are you unaware that the law has
authority over someone as long as he lives? For example, a married woman is legally bound to
her husband while he lives. But if her husband dies, she is released from the law regarding the
husband. —Romans 7:1-2 (HCSB)
What should we say then? Is the law sin? Absolutely not! On the contrary, I would not have
known sin if it were not for the law. For example, I would not have known what it is to covet if
the law had not said, Do not covet. —Romans 7:7 (HCSB)
My brothers, do not show favoritism as you hold on to the faith in our glorious Lord Jesus
Christ. For example, a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and dressed in fine
clothes, and a poor man dressed in dirty clothes also comes in. If you look with favor on the
man wearing the fine clothes and say, “Sit here in a good place,” and yet you say to the poor
man, “Stand over there,” or, “Sit here on the floor by my footstool,” haven’t you discriminated
among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? —James 2:1-4 (HCSB)
They have become fat and sleek. They have also excelled in evil matters. They have not taken
up cases, such as the case of the fatherless, so they might prosper, and they have not defended
the rights of the needy. —Jeremiah 5:28 (HCSB)
21
Amplification
I will also laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your dread comes, when your dread comes
like a storm and your calamity comes like a whirlwind, when distress and anguish come upon
you. —Proverbs 1:26-27 (NASB) [also chiasmus]
I now rejoice, not that you were made sorrowful, but that you were made sorrowful to the point
of repentance; for you were made sorrowful according to the will of God, so that you might not
suffer loss in anything through us. For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces
a repentance without regret, leading to salvation, but the sorrow of the world produces death.
—2 Corinthians 7:9-10 (NASB)
Therefore, this is what the Lord GOD says: "Look, My anger—My burning wrath—is about to
be poured out on this place, on man and beast, on the tree of the field, and on the produce of the
land. —Jeremiah 7:20 (HCSB)
The earth has yielded its produce; God, our God, blesses us. —Psalm 67:6 (NASB)
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was
in the beginning with God. —John 1:1-2 (NKJV)
Are they not finding, are they not dividing the spoil? A maiden, two maidens for every warrior;
To Sisera a spoil of dyed work, A spoil of dyed work embroidered, Dyed work of double
embroidery on the neck of the spoiler?' —Judges 5:30 (NASB)
The mountains melted like wax at the presence of the LORD, at the presence of the Lord of the
whole earth. —Psalm 97:5 (NASB)
When Jeremiah had finished speaking to all the people all the words of the LORD their God—
all these words the LORD their God had sent him to give them—then Azariah son of Hoshaiah,
Johanan son of Kareah, and all the other arrogant men responded to Jeremiah. . . . —Jeremiah
43:1-2 (HCSB)
Metanoia
Behold, an hour is coming, and has already come, for you to be scattered, each to his own home,
and to leave Me alone; and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me. —John 16:32
(NASB)
But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the
contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is
with me. —1 Corinthians 15:10 (ESV)
22
But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn
back again to the weak and worthless elementary principles of the world, whose slaves you
want to be once more? —Galatians 4:9 (ESV)
And Achish said to the commanders of the Philistines, “Is this not David, the servant of Saul the
king of Israel, who has been with me these days, or rather these years, and I have found no fault
in him from the day he deserted to me to this day?” —1 Samuel 29:3b
Who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is
at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us. —Romans 8:34 (NASB)
Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge,
will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.
—2 Timothy 4:8 (NKJV)
Chapter 6 Syntax I
Zeugma
So Noah, his sons, his wife, and his sons’ wives entered the ark because of the waters of the
flood. —Genesis 7:7 (HCSB)
You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife; and you shall not desire your neighbor’s house, his
field, his male servant, his female servant, his ox, his donkey, or anything that is your
neighbor’s. —Deuteronomy 5:21 (NKJV)
Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not
act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong
suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things,
believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. —1 Corinthians 13:4-7 (NASB)
Diazeugma
I sought the LORD, and He answered me and delivered me from all my fears. —Psalm 34:4
(NASB)
He brought out the king’s son, put the crown on him, gave him the testimony, and made him
king. They anointed him and clapped their hands and cried, “Long live the king!” —2 Kings
11:12 (HCSB)
There is no Jew or Greek, slave or free, male or female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
—Galatians 3:28 (HCSB)
23
A fool does not delight in understanding, but only in revealing his own mind. —Proverbs 18:2
(NASB)
Casting the lot ends quarrels and separates powerful opponents. —Proverbs 18:18 (HCSB)
He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the LORD. —Proverbs 18:22
(ESV)
Prozeugma
By me princes rule, and nobles, all the judges of the earth. —Proverbs 8:16 (NKJV)
Riches and honor are with me, enduring wealth and righteousness. —Proverbs 8:18 (ESV)
He who speaks truth tells what is right, but a false witness, deceit. —Proverbs 12:17 (NASB)
For you have delivered my soul from death, yes, my feet from falling, that I may walk before
God in the light of life. —Psalm 56:13 (ESV)
The wages of the righteous is life, the income of the wicked, punishment. —Proverbs 10:16
(NASB)
We look for justice, but there is none; for salvation, but it is far from us. —Isaiah 59:11 (NKJV)
Let my mouth be filled with Your praise and with Your glory all the day. —Psalm 71:8 (NKJV)
Mesozeugma
And his mouth was opened presently, and his tongue, and he was speaking, praising God.
—Luke 1:64 (YLT)
Hypozeugma
For truly against Your holy Servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate,
with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, were gathered together to do whatever Your hand
and Your purpose determined before to be done. —Acts 4:27-28 (NKJV)
He who walks blamelessly and does what is right and speaks truth in his heart; who does not
slander with his tongue and does no evil to his neighbor, nor takes up a reproach against his
friend; in whose eyes a vile person is despised, but who honors those who fear the LORD; who
swears to his own hurt and does not change; who does not put out his money at interest and
does not take a bribe against the innocent. He who does these things shall never be moved.
—Psalm 15:2-5 (ESV)
24
Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along
with all malice. —Ephesians 4:31 (ESV)
Syllepsis
Tear your hearts, not just your clothes, and return to the LORD your God. —Joel 2:13a (HCSB)
Cumulative and Periodic Sentences

Cumulative
I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of
His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the
surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. —Ephesians 1:18-19a (NASB)
He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He
purposed in Him with a view to an administration suitable to the fullness of the times, that is,
the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things on the earth.
—Ephesians 1:9-10 (NASB)
Periodic
Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God has shown forth. —Psalm 50:2 (NASB)
But when God, who from my birth set me apart and called me by His grace, was pleased to
reveal His Son in me, so that I could preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately
consult with anyone. —Galatians 1:15-16 (HCSB)
No wisdom, no understanding, no counsel can avail against the LORD. —Proverbs 21:30 (ESV)
And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps
on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food. And
it was so. —Genesis 1:30 (NASB)
Now it came about when all the kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan to the west,
and all the kings of the Canaanites who were by the sea, heard how the LORD had dried up the
waters of the Jordan before the sons of Israel until they had crossed, that their hearts melted,
and there was no spirit in them any longer because of the sons of Israel. —Joshua 5:1 (NASB)
Combination Periodic and Cumulative

But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we
were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been
saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ
Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness
toward us in Christ Jesus. —Ephesians 2:4-7 (NASB)
25
In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having
also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge
of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His
glory. —Ephesians 1:13-14 (NASB)
For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all
the saints, I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God
of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of
revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may
know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious
inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who
believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised
him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule
and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this
age but also in the one to come. —Ephesians 1:15-21 (ESV)
Chapter 7 Syntax II
Hyperbaton
Great is my confidence in you; great is my boasting on your behalf. —2 Corinthians 7:4a (NASB)
Him, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by
lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death. —Acts 2:23 (NKJV)
But those things which God foretold by the mouth of all His prophets, that the Christ would
suffer, He has thus fulfilled. —Acts 3:18 (NKJV)
Anastrophe
Say to God, “How awesome are Your works! Through the greatness of Your power Your
enemies shall submit themselves to You.” —Psalm 66:3a (NASB)
Let your foot rarely be in your neighbor’s house, or he will become weary of you and hate you.
—Proverbs 25:17 (NASB) [also, synecdoche]
26
Appositive
Joseph of Arimathea came, a prominent member of the Council, who himself was waiting for
the kingdom of God; and he gathered up courage and went in before Pilate, and asked for the
body of Jesus. —Mark 15:43 (NASB)
The Mighty One, God, The Lord, has spoken, and summoned the earth from the rising of the
sun to its setting. —Psalm 50:1 (NASB)
This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You
have sent. —John 17:3 (NASB)
Then she went and sat down opposite him a good way off, about the distance of a bowshot, for
she said, “Let me not look on the death of the child.” —Genesis 21:16a (ESV)
Parenthesis
But in whatever respect anyone else is bold—I speak in foolishness—I am just as bold myself.
— 2 Corinthians 11:21b (NASB)
Are they servants of Christ?—I speak as if insane—I more so; in far more labors, in far more
imprisonments, beaten times without number, often in danger of death. —2 Corinthians 11:23
(NASB)
Now from those recognized as important (what they really were makes no difference to me;
God does not show favoritism)—they added nothing to me. —Galatians 2:6 (HCSB)
But we, brethren, having been taken away from you for a short while—in person, not in spirit—
were all the more eager with great desire to see your face. —1 Thessalonians 2:17 (NASB)
Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that while we are at home in the body
we are absent from the Lord—for we walk by faith, not by sight—we are of good courage, I say,
and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord. —2 Corinthians
5:6-8 (NASB)
For this I was appointed a preacher and an apostle (I am telling the truth, I am not lying) as a
teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth. —1 Timothy 2:7 (NASB)
For in bringing many sons to glory, it was entirely appropriate that God—all things exist for
Him and through Him—should make the source of their salvation perfect through sufferings.
—Hebrews 2:10 (HCSB)
See also
2 Corinthians 6:13 (NASB)
27
Parataxis and Hypotaxis
Parataxis
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was
in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was
made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in
the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. —John 1:1-5 (NKJV)
This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather
than the Light, for their deeds were evil. —John 3:19 (NASB)
Hypotaxis
After these things Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea of Galilee (or Tiberias). A large
crowd followed Him, because they saw the signs which He was performing on those who were
sick. —John 6:1-2 (NASB)
He said, “If now I have found favor in Your sight, O Lord, I pray, let the Lord go along in our
midst, even though the people are so obstinate, and pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take
us as Your own possession.” —Exodus 34:9 (NASB)
For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But
if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions. —Matthew
6:14-15 (NASB)
Chapter 8 Figurative Language I
Simile
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which appear
beautiful on the outside, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and every impurity. —Matthew
23:27 (HCSB)
Their life will be like a watered garden, and all their sorrows will be gone. —Jeremiah 31:12b
(NLT)
As smoke is driven away, so you shall drive them away; as wax melts before fire, so the wicked
shall perish before God! —Psalm 68:2 (ESV)
How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under
her wings, and you were unwilling. —Matthew 23:37b (NASB)
28
His speech was smoother than butter, but his heart was war; his words were softer than oil, yet
they were drawn swords. —Psalm 55:21 (NASB) [also antithesis and metaphor]
The princes of Judah have become like those who move a boundary; on them I will pour out My
wrath like water. —Hosea 5:10 (NASB)
Judah and Israel were as numerous as the sand that is on the seashore in abundance; they were
eating and drinking and rejoicing. —1 Kings 4:20 (NASB)
But I am like an olive tree flourishing in the house of God. —Psalm 52:8 (NASB)
For the lips of an immoral woman drip honey, and her mouth is smoother than oil; but in the
end she is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword. —Proverbs 5:3-4 (NKJV)
But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, that shines brighter and brighter until the
full day. —Proverbs 4:18 (NASB)
Human corpses will fall like manure on the surface of a field, like newly cut grain after the
reaper with no one to gather it. —Jeremiah 9:22b (HCSB)
Like scarecrows in a cucumber patch, their idols cannot speak. —Jeremiah 10:5a (HCSB)
Then the Amorites who lived there came out against you and chased you like a swarm of bees.
—Deuteronomy 1:44a (HCSB)
When you have finished reading this scroll, tie a stone to it and throw it into the middle of the
Euphrates River. Then say, “In the same way, Babylon will sink and never rise again because of
the disaster I am bringing on her.” —Jeremiah 51:63-64 (HCSB)
The survivors among them will escape and live on the mountains like doves of the valley, all of
them moaning, each over his own iniquity. —Ezekiel 7:16 (HCSB)
See also:
Proverbs 4:18 (NASB)
For many similes all together, see Proverbs, Chapters 25-26.
Analogy
And hearing this, Jesus said to them, “It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but
those who are sick; I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” —Mark 2:17 (NASB)
The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the
body of Christ. —1 Corinthians 12:12 (NASB)
29
For they would come up with their livestock and their tents, they would come in like locusts for
number, both they and their camels were innumerable; and they came into the land to devastate
it. —Judges 6:5 (NASB)
[This is an analogy rather than a simile because the points of likeness are named (innumerable, come to devastate.]
Go to the ant, O sluggard, observe her ways and be wise, which, having no chief, officer or
ruler, prepares her food in the summer and gathers her provision in the harvest. —Proverbs 6:6-
8 (NASB) [also, apostrophe]
Like vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes, so is the lazy one to those who send him.
But to what shall I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the market places, who
call out to the other children, and say, “We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we
sang a dirge, and you did not mourn.” For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say,
“He has a demon!” The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, “Behold, a
gluttonous man and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!” Yet wisdom is
vindicated by her deeds. —Matthew 11:16-19 (NASB)
The hosts of heaven cannot be counted; the sand of the sea cannot be measured. So, too, I will
make the descendants of My servant David and the Levites who minister to Me innumerable."
—Jeremiah 33:22 (HCSB)
And consider ships: Though very large and driven by fierce winds, they are guided by a very
small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs. So too, though the tongue is a small part of
the body, it boasts great things. Consider how large a forest a small fire ignites. And the tongue is
a fire. The tongue, a world of unrighteousness, is placed among the parts of our bodies. It
pollutes the whole body, sets the course of life on fire, and is set on fire by hell. —James 3:4-6
(HCSB)
The stars of heaven fell to the earth as a fig tree drops its unripe figs when shaken by a high
wind. . . . —Rev 6:13 (HCSB)
Metaphor
Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who
believes in Me will never thirst. —John 6:35 (NASB)
I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find
pasture. —John 10:9 (NASB)
Their molten images are wind and emptiness. —Isaiah 41:29b (NASB)
The name of the LORD is a strong fortress; the godly run to Him and are safe. —Proverbs 18:10
(NLT)
30
Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of
righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of
peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the
flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit,
which is the word of God. —Ephesians 6:14-17 (ESV)
Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow Me, and I will show you how to fish for people!”
—Matthew 4:19 (NLT)
Woe to the world because of its stumbling blocks! For it is inevitable that stumbling blocks
come; but woe to that man through whom the stumbling block comes! —Matthew 18:7 (NASB)
Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. —Psalm 119:105 (NASB)
He has ground my teeth with gravel. He has trampled me into the dust. —Lamentations 3:16
(GW)
These people are springs without water, mists driven by a whirlwind. The gloom of darkness
has been reserved for them. —2 Peter 2:17 (HCSB)
All their hands will become weak, and all their knees will turn to water. —Ezekiel 7:17 (HCSB)
They are waterless clouds carried along by winds; trees in late autumn—fruitless, twice dead,
pulled out by the roots; wild waves of the sea, foaming up their shameful deeds; wandering
stars for whom the blackness of darkness is reserved forever! —Jude 12b-13 (HCSB)
Tear your hearts, not just your clothes, and return to the Lord your God. —Joel 2:13a (HCSB)
Note the varying degree of identification between image and idea. There is directly stated:
Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is full of light,
but when it is bad, your body is full of darkness. —Luke 11:34 (ESV)
[When your spiritual perception is good, your mind will be filled with truth….]
There is semi-implied:
And he said to them, “Go and tell that fox, ‘Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today
and tomorrow, and the third day I finish my course.’” —Luke 13:32 (ESV)
[Herod is a fox, a sly person.]
There is implied:
Let me take refuge in the shelter of Your wings. —Psalm 61:4b (NASB)
[God is a bird and the psalmist is a hatchling feeling safe nestled under the wings of its mother.]
Look at the first few verses of Psalm 91 for a string of implied metaphors describing God’s care and
protection: He is a shelter, a refuge, a fortress, a shield, a bulwark, a bird (eagle?) who protects with his
pinions and entire wings.
31
And there is very implied:
For if they do these things when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry? —Luke
23:31 (NASB)
[If men do evil deeds (such as killing innocent people) when there is peace and prosperity, what much worse things will they do in
times of scarcity and war?]
In the mouth of the foolish is a rod for his back, but the lips of the wise will protect them.
[Foolish people say things that bring punishment on them, but the wise say things that keep them safe.]
Where no oxen are, the manger is clean, but much revenue comes by the strength of the ox.
[Work is messy, but work puts food on the table.]
Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest is abundant, but the workers are few.” —Matthew
9:37 (NASB)
Make Your face to shine upon Your servant. —Psalm 31:16a (NASB)
Jesus sent out these 12 after giving them instructions: “Don’t take the road leading to other
nations, and don’t enter any Samaritan town. Instead, go to the lost sheep of the house of
Israel.”
—Matthew 10:5-6 (HCSB)
He replied, “Every plant that My heavenly Father didn’t plant will be uprooted.” —Matthew
15:13 (HCSB)
This is what the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: This is what you must say to your
masters: By My great strength and outstretched arm, I made the earth, and the people, and
animals on the face of the earth. I give it to anyone I please. —Jeremiah 27:4b-5 (HCSB)
See also
2 Corinthians 5:2
Catachresis
The words of the wicked lie in wait for blood, but the mouth of the upright will deliver them.
Curds of cows, and milk of the flock, with fat of lambs, and rams, the breed of Bashan, and
goats, with the finest of the wheat—and of the blood of grapes you drank wine. —Deuteronomy
32:14 (NASB)
32
But I see a different law in the parts of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and
taking me prisoner to the law of sin in the parts of my body. —Romans 7:23 (HCSB)
And they said to them, “The LORD look on you and judge, because you have made us stink in
the sight of Pharaoh and his servants, and have put a sword in their hand to kill us.” —Exodus
5:21 (ESV)
Then I turned to see the voice that spoke with me. —Revelation 1:12a (NKJV)
Now when all the people saw the thunder and the flashes of lightning and the sound of the
trumpet and the mountain smoking, the people were afraid and trembled, and they stood far
off. —Exodus 20:18 (ESV)
I will hear what God the LORD will say; For He will speak peace to His people, to His godly
ones. —Psalm 8:8a (NASB)
Surely the wrath of man shall praise You; With the remainder of wrath You shall gird Yourself.
—Psalm 76:10 (NKJV)
Let me hear what God the LORD will speak, for he will speak peace to his people, to his saints;
but let them not turn back to folly. —Psalm 85:8 (ESV)
The one who sends a message by a fool's hand cuts off his own feet and drinks violence. —
Proverbs 26:6
Pleonasm
O God, we have heard with our ears, our fathers have told us the work that You did in their
days, in the days of old. You with Your own hand drove out the nations. —Psalm 44:1-2a
(NASB)
What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we
have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of Life. . . . —1 John 1:1
(NASB)
[The Lord hates] a lying witness who gives false testimony. . . . —Proverbs 6:19 (HCSB)
Elisha announced, "You will in fact see it with your own eyes, but you won't eat any of it." —2
Kings 7:2b (HCSB)
Your own eyes have seen every great work the Lord has done. —Deuteronomy 11:7 (HCSB)
Then the priests and prophets said to the officials and all the people, "This man deserves the
death sentence because he has prophesied against this city, as you have heard with your own
ears." —Jeremiah 26:11 (HCSB)
33
Chapter 9 Figurative Language II
Metonymy
By the sweat of your face you will eat bread. —Genesis 3:19 (NASB)
Then I said, Woe is me, for I am ruined because I am a man of unclean lips and I live among a
people of unclean lips. . . . —Isaiah 6:5 (NASB)
Truthful lips endure forever, but a lying tongue, only a moment. —Proverbs 12:19 (HCSB)
How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path
of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers! —Psalm 1:1 (NASB)
Incline your ear to me. —Psalm 31:2a (NASB)
My times are in your hand. —Psalm 31:15a (NASB)
There are six things which the LORD hates, yes, seven which are an abomination to Him:
haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked
plans, feet that run rapidly to evil, a false witness who utters lies, and one who spreads strife
among brothers. —Proverbs 6:16-19 (NASB)
The law of his God is in his heart; His steps do not slip. —Psalm 37:31 (NASB)
If anyone does not repent, God will sharpen His sword; He has strung His bow and made it
ready. —Psalm 7:12 (HCSB)
The eyes of the LORD keep watch over knowledge, but he overthrows the words of the traitor.
—Proverbs 22:12 (ESV)
Give ear, O LORD, to my prayer; And give heed to the voice of my supplications! —Psalm 86:6
(NASB)
You hold my eyelids open; I am so troubled that I cannot speak. —Psalm 77:4 (ESV)
Now the valley of Siddim was full of tar pits; and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, and
they fell into them. But those who survived fled to the hill country. —Genesis 14:10 (NASB)
Here, “the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah” function as a metonymy for “the armies of the kings of Sodom and
Gomorrah.” The two kings themselves did not fall into the tar pits; many of their soldiers did. Thus, we are not
surprised to read in Genesis 14:17 that “the king of Sodom went out to meet him [Abram] at the valley of Shaveh.”
Once again, the king is a metonymy for both the king and his army.
34
So the common man will be humbled and the man of importance abased. The eyes of the proud
also will be abased. —Isaiah 5:15 (NASB)
Don't let your mouth speak dishonestly, and don't let your lips talk deviously. Let your eyes
look forward; fix your gaze straight ahead. Carefully consider the path for your feet, and all
your ways will be established. Don't turn to the right or to the left; keep your feet away from
evil. —Proverbs 4:24-27 (HCSB)
Metonymy involving a verb:
Yes, you have rejected me, sold yourselves to your lovers, and gone to bed with them. —Isaiah
57:8b (CEV)
Synecdoche
Give us this day our daily bread. —Matthew 6:11 (NKJV)
Their feet are swift to shed blood. —Romans 3:15 (NASB)
Be gracious to me, LORD, for I am weak; heal me, LORD, for my bones are shaking; —Psalm 6:2
(HCSB)
And while they were gathering together in Galilee, Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man is going
to be delivered into the hands of men. —Matthew 17:22 (NASB)
There are six things which the LORD hates, yes, seven which are an abomination to Him:
haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked
plans, feet that run rapidly to evil, a false witness who utters lies, and one who spreads strife
among brothers. —Proverbs 6:16-19 (NASB)
The eyes of the LORD are toward the righteous and His ears are open to their cry. The face of
the LORD is against evildoers, to cut off the memory of them from the earth. —Psalm 34:15-16
(NASB)
The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom, And his tongue speaks justice. —Psalm 37:30
(NASB)
You have made my life no longer than the width of my hand. My entire lifetime is just a
moment to You; at best, each of us is but a breath.” —Psalm 39:5 (NLT)
Teach me Your way, O LORD; I will walk in Your truth; Unite my heart to fear Your name. —
Psalm 86:11 (NASB)
[walk=part for whole synecdoche for behave; name=metonymy for God’s self]
35
While most synecdoches are nouns, there are some verbs:
You caused judgment to be heard from heaven; The earth feared and was still. —Psalm 76:8
(NASB)
[earth = synecdoche for the people living on earth, but also personification]
Instead, you will put them to flight when you aim your bow at their faces. —Psalm 21:12
(HCSB)
See also:
Proverbs 3:8
Personification
[Personification gives human attributes such as physical parts (arms, hands), speech, emotions,
or actions]
Wisdom calls out in the street; she raises her voice in the public squares. —Proverbs 1:20
(HCSB)
Steadfast love and faithfulness meet; righteousness and peace kiss each other.
—Psalm 85:10 (ESV)
Even the Cypress trees rejoice over you and the Cedars of Lebanon, saying, “Since you were
laid low, no tree cutter comes up against us.” —Isaiah 14:8 (NASB)
O sing to the LORD a new song, For He has done wonderful things, His right hand and His
holy arm have gained the victory for Him. —Psalm 98:1 (NASB)
For you will go out with joy and be led forth with peace; the mountains and the hills will break
forth into shouts of joy before you, and all the trees of the field will clap their hands. —Isaiah
55:12 (NASB)
Where is the road to the home of light? Do you know where darkness lives, so you can lead it
back to its border? Are you familiar with the paths to its home? —Job 38:19-20 (HCSB)
The stars fought from heaven, From their courses they fought against Sisera. —Judges 5:20
(NASB)
He said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to Me from the
ground.” —Genesis 4:10 (NASB)
Lovingkindness and truth have met together; Righteousness and peace have kissed each other.
Truth springs from the earth, And righteousness looks down from heaven. —Psalm 85:10-11
(NASB)
36
You caused judgment to be heard from heaven; The earth feared and was still. —Psalm 76:8
(NASB)
[earth = synecdoche for the people living on earth, but also personification]
Teach your daughters a lament and one another a dirge, for Death has climbed through our
windows. —Jeremiah 9:21a (HCSB)
Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice, and let them say among the nations, "The LORD is
King!" Let the sea and everything in it resound; let the fields and all that is in them exult. Then
the trees of the forest will shout for joy before the LORD, for He is coming to judge the earth.
—1 Chronicles 16:31-33 (HCSB)
Say to wisdom, "You are my sister," and call understanding your relative. —Proverbs 7:4
(HCSB)
See also:
Proverbs 3:13-18
Euphemism
Come, let us take our fill of love till morning; let us delight ourselves with love. —Proverbs 7:17
(ESV)
The tombs were also opened and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised.
—Matthew 27:52 (HCSB)
For David, after serving his own generation in God’s plan, fell asleep, was buried with his
fathers, and decayed. —Acts 13:36 (HCSB)
When Saul came to the sheep pens along the road, a cave was there, and he went in to relieve
himself. —1 Samuel 24:3a (HCSB)
But you will go to your fathers in peace and be buried at a ripe old age. —Genesis 15:15 (HCSB)
This is the way of an adulterous woman: She eats and wipes her mouth, and says, “I have done
no wrong.” —Proverbs 30:20 (NASB)
The mouth of an adulteress is a deep pit; He who is cursed of the LORD will fall into it.
Compare the following translations of Galatians 5:12:

I wish that those who are troubling you would even mutilate themselves. (NASB)
I wish those who are disturbing you might also get themselves castrated! (HCSB)
I wish those who unsettle you would emasculate themselves! (ESV)
I could wish that those who trouble you would even cut themselves off! (NKJV)
37
Chapter 10 Figurative Language III
Allusion
Or do you suppose that those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them were
worse culprits than all the men who live in Jerusalem? —Luke 13:4 (NASB)
And as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man: They ate, they
drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the
ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. —Luke 17:26-27 (NKJV)
In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth when you see Abraham and Isaac and
Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but yourselves being thrown out. —Luke
13:28 (NASB)
For just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so will the Son of Man be to this generation.
—Luke 11:30 (NASB)
Eponym
The Queen of the South will rise up with this generation at the judgment and will condemn it,
because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and behold,
something greater than Solomon is here. —Matthew 12:42 (NASB)
Apostrophe
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those sent to her! How often I
wanted to gather your children together, just as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and
you would not have it! —Luke 13:34 (NASB)
But do you suppose this, O man, when you pass judgment on those who practice such things
and do the same yourself, that you will escape the judgment of God? —Romans 2:3 (NASB)
How long, foolish ones, will you love ignorance? How long will you mockers enjoy mocking
and you fools hate knowledge? —Proverbs 1:22 (HCSB)
38
We have spoken openly to you, Corinthians; our heart has been opened wide. —2 Corinthians
6:11 (HCSB)
Learn to be shrewd, you who are inexperienced; develop common sense, you who are foolish.
—Proverbs 8:5 (HCSB)
Transferred Epithet
There they are, bellowing with their mouths with swords in their lips—for “Who,” they think,
“will hear us?” —Psalm 59:7 (ESV)
Chapter 11 Restatement I
Anaphora
——— ——— ———
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm
you, plans to give you hope and a future.” —Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)
The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is majestic; the voice of the Lord breaks
the Cedars. —Psalm 29:4-5 (NASB)
On frequent journeys, I faced dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my own
people, dangers from the Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the open country, dangers on
the sea, and dangers among false brothers. —2 Corinthians 11:26 (HCSB)
But in everything commending ourselves as servants of God, in much endurance, in afflictions,

in hardships, in distresses, in beatings, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labors, in sleeplessness,
in hunger, in purity, in knowledge, in patience, in kindness, in the Holy Spirit, in genuine love,
in the word of truth, in the power of God. —2 Corinthians 6:4-7 (NASB)
We give no opportunity for stumbling to anyone, so that the ministry will not be blamed. But as
God's ministers, we commend ourselves in everything: by great endurance, by afflictions, by
hardship, by difficulties, by beatings, by imprisonments, by riots, by labors, by sleepless nights,
by times of hunger, by purity, by knowledge, by patience, by kindness, by the Holy Spirit, by
sincere love, by the message of truth, by the power of God; through weapons of righteousness
on the right hand and the left, through glory and dishonor, through slander and good report; as
deceivers yet true; as unknown yet recognized; as dying and look—we live; as being disciplined
yet not killed; as grieving yet always rejoicing; as poor yet enriching many; as having nothing
yet possessing everything. —2 Corinthians 6:3-10 (HCSB)
39
For behold what earnestness this very thing, this godly sorrow, has produced in you: what
vindication of yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what longing, what zeal, what avenging
of wrong! In everything you demonstrated yourselves to be innocent in the matter.
For you tolerate it if anyone enslaves you, anyone devours you, anyone takes advantage of you,
anyone exalts himself, anyone hits you in the face. —2 Corinthians 11:20 (NASB)
Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions,
with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong. —2 Corinthians 12:10
(NASB)
This is what the LORD says: “In this place, which you say is a ruin, without man or beast—that
is, in Judah's cities and Jerusalem's streets that are a desolation without man, without
inhabitant, and without beast—there will be heard again a sound of joy and gladness. . . .”
—Jeremiah 33:10 (HCSB)
See also
Matthew 5:3-10 (NIV) the Beatitudes, anaphora with parallelism
Proverbs 8:27-29 (NASB)
Psalm 29
Philippians 3:2 (NASB)
Epistrophe
——— ——— ———
Make room for us in your hearts; we wronged no one, we corrupted no one, we took advantage
of no one. —2 Corinthians 7:2 (NASB)
For with You is the fountain of life; In Your light we see light. —Psalm 36:9 (NKJV)
Simploce
——— ——— ———
Therefore say to them, Thus declares the LORD of hosts: Return to me, says the LORD of hosts,
and I will return to you, says the LORD of hosts. —Zechariah 1:3 (ESV)
Let not those who hope in you be put to shame through me, O Lord GOD of hosts; let not those
who seek you be brought to dishonor through me, O God of Israel. —Psalm 69:6 (ESV)
Has His lovingkindness ceased forever? Has His promise come to an end forever? —Psalm 77:8
(NASB)
40
41
Anaphora with Prefixes and Suffixes

They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, arrogant, proud, boastful, inventors of evil,
disobedient to parents, undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, and unmerciful. —Romans
1:29b-31 (HCSB)
Chapter 12 Restatement II
Anadiplosis
——— ———
They have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out of cisterns, broken
cisterns that can hold no water. —Jeremiah. 2:13 (NASB)
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
—John 1:1 (NASB)
Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. —Matthew 6:34
(NIV)
All who hate me whisper together against me; against me they devise my hurt. —Psalm 41:7
(NKJV)
Conduplicatio
——— ———
Suffer hardship with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No soldier in active service entangles
himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a
soldier. —2 Timothy 2:3-4 (NASB)
I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling. And my speech and my preaching
were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of
power, that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God. However,
we speak wisdom among those who are mature. . . . —1 Corinthians 2:3-6a (NKJV)
Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices, and have put
on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One
who created him—a renewal in which there is no distinction between Greek and Jew,
circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and freeman, but Christ is all, and in
all. —Colossians 3:9-11 (NASB)
42
Epanalepsis
———
Sing praises to God, sing praises; sing praises to our King, sing praises. —Psalm 47:6 (NASB)
The good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth what is good; and the evil man
out of the evil treasure brings forth what is evil; for his mouth speaks from that which fills his
heart. —Luke 6:45 (NASB)
In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world. —John 16:33b
(NASB)
Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD! —Psalm
27:14 (ESV)
Chapter 13 Restatement III
Diacope
We give thanks to You, O God, we give thanks. —Psalm 75:1 (NASB)
My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast; I will sing, yes, I will sing praises! —Psalm
57:7 (NASB)
The waters saw You, O God; The waters saw You, they were afraid; The depths also trembled.
—Psalm 77:16 (NKJV)
[also personification and apostrophe]
Epizeuxis
———, , 
“Vanity of vanities,” says the Preacher, “Vanity of vanities! All is vanity.” —Ecclesiastes 1:2
(NASB)
So the children of Israel spoke to Moses, saying, “Surely we die, we perish, we all perish!
—Numbers 17:12 (NKJV)
Whoever even comes near the tabernacle of the LORD must die. Shall we all utterly die?”
—Numbers 17:13 (NKJV)
43
And he answered, saying, “Babylon has fallen, has fallen. All the images of her gods have been
shattered on the ground.” —Isaiah 21:9b (HCSB)
Antimetabole
The Holy One, the True One, the One who has the key of David, who opens and no one will
close, and closes and no one opens says. . . . —Revelation 3:7 (HCSB)
Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted. —
Matthew 23:12 (ESV)
Now I am ready to come to you this third time. I will not burden you, for I am not seeking what
is yours, but you. For children are not obligated to save up for their parents, but parents for
their children. —2 Corinthians 12:14 (HCSB)
Scesis Onomaton
Oh sinful nation, people weighed down with iniquity, brood of evildoers, depraved children!
They have abandoned the LORD; they have despised the Holy One of Israel; they have turned
their backs on Him. —Isaiah 1:4 (HCSB)
For He spoke, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast. —Psalm 33:9 (NASB)
The LORD looks from heaven; He sees all the sons of men; from His dwelling place He looks
out on all the inhabitants of the earth. —Psalm 33:13-14 (NASB)
With her many persuasions she entices him; with her flattering lips she seduces him.
From everlasting I was established, from the beginning, from the earliest times of the earth.
I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any
and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of
having abundance and suffering need. —Philippians 4:12 (NASB)
Then the men of Gibeon sent word to Joshua to the camp at Gilgal, saying, "Do not abandon
your servants; come up to us quickly and save us and help us, for all the kings of the Amorites
that live in the hill country have assembled against us." —Joshua 10:6 (NASB)
I will fight against you with an outstretched hand and a mighty arm, with anger, rage, and great
wrath. —Jeremiah 21:5 (HCSB)
44
Behold, I will gather them out of all the lands to which I have driven them in My anger, in My
wrath and in great indignation; and I will bring them back to this place and make them dwell in
safety. —Jeremiah 32:37 (HCSB)
So you will be a disgrace and a taunt, a warning and a horror, to the nations around you when I
execute judgments against you in anger, wrath, and furious rebukes. I, Yahweh, have spoken.
—Ezekiel 5:15 (HCSB)
Increasing Vividness
But it must not be like that among you. On the contrary, whoever wants to become great among
you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must be a slave to all.
—Mark 10:43-44 (HCSB)
Chapter 14 Sound
Alliteration
That you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work
and increasing in the knowledge of God. —Colossians 1:10 (NKJV)
Write to the angel of the church in Sardis: “The One who has the seven spirits of God and the
seven stars says: I know your works; you have a reputation for being alive, but you are dead.”
—Revelation 3:1 (HCSB)
Onomatopeia
And the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly. —Romans 16:20a (NKJV)
The wild beasts of the desert shall also meet with the jackals, and the wild goat shall bleat to its
companion; also the night creature shall rest there, and find for herself a place of rest. —Isaiah
34:14 (NKJV)
All who pass by clap their hands at you; they hiss and shake their heads at the daughter of
Jerusalem. . : . —Lamentations 2:15a (NKJV)
How the animals groan! The herds of cattle are restless, because they have no pasture; even the
flocks of sheep suffer punishment. —Joel 1:18 (NKJV)
45
We all growl like bears, and moan sadly like doves; we look for justice, but there is none; for
salvation, but it is far from us. —Isaiah 59:11 (NKJV)
"What do you mean by crushing My people And grinding the face of the poor?" Declares the
Lord GOD of hosts. —Isaiah 3:15 (NASB)
Assonance
You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. —Matthew 5:14 (NASB)
The way of life winds upward for the wise. —Proverbs 15:24a (NKJV)
Consonance
Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him. And a threefold cord is
not quickly broken. —Ecclesiastes 4:12 (NKJV)
Chapter 15 Drama
Rhetorical Question
Jesus said to them, “Is this not the reason you are mistaken, that you do not understand the
Scriptures or the power of God?” —Mark 12:24 (NASB)
And He also spoke a parable to them: “A blind man cannot guide a blind man, can he? Will
they not both fall into a pit?” —Luke 6:39 (NASB)
For what credit is there if, when you sin and are harshly treated, you endure it with patience?
—1 Peter 2:20a (NASB)
Therefore, to have legal disputes against one another is already a moral failure for you. Why not
rather put up with injustice? Why not rather be cheated? —1 Corinthians 6:7 (HCSB)
But do you suppose this, O man, when you pass judgment on those who practice such things
and do the same yourself, that you will escape the judgment of God? Or do you think lightly of
the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God
leads you to repentance? —Romans 2:3-4 (NASB) Also apostrophe
Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? —Matthew 6:27 (NIV)
46
Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give
him a snake? —Matthew 7:9-10 (NIV)
You blind fools! Which is greater, the gold or the temple that makes the gold sacred?
—Matthew 23:17 (CEV)
Can a man scoop a flame into his lap and not have his clothes catch on fire? —Proverbs 6:27
(NLT)
Aporia
Now I did baptize also the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I do not know whether I
baptized any other. —1 Corinthians 1:16 (NASB)
Apophasis
I don’t need to write you about the money you plan to give for God’s people. I know how eager
you are to give. —2 Corinthians 9:1-2a (CEV)
But if he [Onesimus] has wronged you in any way or owes you anything, charge that to my
account; I, Paul, am writing this with my own hand, I will repay it (not to mention to you that
you owe to me even your own self as well). —Philemon 1:18-19 (NASB)
Otherwise, if some Macedonians come with me and find that you are not ready, we would be
humiliated—to say nothing of you—for being so confident. —2 Corinthians 9:4 (ESV)
Anacoluthon
On the following day, when the people who were standing on the other side of the sea saw that
there was no other boat there, except that one which His disciples had entered, and that Jesus
had not entered the boat with His disciples, but His disciples had gone away alone— however,
other boats came from Tiberias, near the place where they ate bread after the Lord had given
thanks—when the people therefore saw that Jesus was not there, nor His disciples, they also got
into boats and came to Capernaum, seeking Jesus. —John 6:22-24 (NKJV)
And from those who seemed to be influential (what they were makes no difference to me; God
shows no partiality)—those, I say, who seemed influential added nothing to me. —Galatians 2:6
(ESV)
[Jesus said] “The baptism of John—was it from heaven or from men? Answer Me.” And they
reasoned among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say, ‘Why then did you
not believe him?’ But if we say, ‘From men’ “—they feared the people, for all counted John to
have been a prophet indeed. —Mark 11:30-32 (NKJV)
47
My children, with whom I am again in labor until Christ is formed in you—but I could wish to
be present with you now and to change my tone, for I am perplexed about you. —Galatians
4:19-20 (NASB)
There is a kind who is pure in his own eyes, yet is not washed from his filthiness. There is a
kind—oh how lofty are his eyes! And his eyelids are raised in arrogance. —Proverbs 30:12-13
(NASB)
Chapter 16 Word Play
Oxymoron
For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not come to know God, God
was well-pleased through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe.
Pun
Therefore its name is called Babel, because there the LORD confused the language [turned to
babble] of all the earth; and from there the LORD scattered them abroad over the face of all the
earth. —Genesis 11:9 (NKJV)
But he said, “It is not the sound of shouting for victory, or the sound of the cry of defeat, but the
sound of singing that I hear.” —Exodus 32:18 (ESV)
[From the Hebrew: What I hear is not the sound of those striking the enemy in battle, or the sound of those being
struck by the enemy, but the sound of those striking up their instruments.]
Then the LORD said to Joshua, “Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you.” So
the name of that place is called Gilgal [Hebrew, rolling] to this day. —Joshua 5:9 (NASB)
Anthimeria
[To be added]
Oddities
Similes and Metaphors for God
Compare
Finally the Lord woke up, and he shouted like a drunken soldier. —Psalm 78:65 (CEV)
48
Then the Lord awoke as if from sleep, like a warrior from the effects of wine. —Psalm 78:65
(HCSB)
Afterword
This list provides only a few hundred examples from the Bible of the rhetorical devices
discussed in Writing with Clarity and Style, 2e. Some of the devices are so ubiquitous in the Bible
that a complete list would require hundreds of pages.
Looking back over this project, I would say that these generalizations are pertinent to the
study of rhetoric in the Bible.
1. The most common devices such as simile, metaphor, personification, and antithesis easily
transfer from the Hebrew or Greek without any editing into a clearer English. These devices
relate to conceptual imagery or logical presentation, so translating them does not cause a
problem.
2. Other devices, such as polysyndeton, asyndeton, and parenthesis are stylistic, and
therefore are often necessarily the translator’s choice, also because the original manuscripts lack
punctuation. And some translations are intentionally simplifications of the source text, intended
to make reading more accessible to contemporary readers. Such simplification often omits
potentially confusing rhetorical castings.
3. A few devices are language specific, such as pun, assonance, consonance and so forth,
making it quite a challenge to find examples.
4. Rhetorical devices often appear in close sequence, in rapid shifting, or in combination.
(Such practices will seem familiar to students of the English metaphysical poets.) For example,
Matthew 7:3-5 (NIV) includes rhetorical question, metaphor, and antithesis; while 2 Corinthians
6:14 (NASB) includes metaphor, personification, and analogy (or simile).
This update to version 2.0 of the list adds a few dozen examples.
Version date: June 17, 2019
49

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Version 2.

Writing with Clarity and Style

Biblical Examples of Rhetorical Devices

Supplement copyright © 2018, 2019 Robert A. Harris

AMP The Amplified Bible KJV King James Version

—Matthew 5:34-35 (HCSB)

For many examples close together, see Proverbs, Chapters 10-18.

Beginning and Ending Stress

Compare these two versions:

Compare these two versions:

Compare these three versions:

—Romans 3:27 (NKJV)

Cumulative and Periodic Sentences

Combination Periodic and Cumulative

Parataxis and Hypotaxis

Chapter 8 Figurative Language I

For many similes all together, see Proverbs, Chapters 25-26.

And there is very implied:

Chapter 9 Figurative Language II

Incline your ear to me. —Psalm 31:2a (NASB)

My times are in your hand. —Psalm 31:15a (NASB)

Metonymy involving a verb:

Their feet are swift to shed blood. —Romans 3:15 (NASB)

While most synecdoches are nouns, there are some verbs:

Compare the following translations of Galatians 5:12:

Chapter 10 Figurative Language III

But in everything commending ourselves as servants of God, in much endurance, in afflictions,

Anaphora with Prefixes and Suffixes

Chapter 13 Restatement III

Chapter 16 Word Play

Version date: June 17, 2019

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