{"id":46064,"date":"2015-09-27T21:59:00","date_gmt":"2015-09-28T02:59:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/?p=46064"},"modified":"2022-04-05T22:03:48","modified_gmt":"2022-04-06T03:03:48","slug":"figures-of-speech","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/figures-of-speech\/","title":{"rendered":"Figures of Speech"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\t\t<div class=\"wp-playlist wp-audio-playlist wp-playlist-light\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-playlist-current-item\"><\/div>\n\t\t<audio controls=\"controls\" preload=\"none\" width=\"640\"\n\t\t\t><\/audio>\n\t<div class=\"wp-playlist-next\"><\/div>\n\t<div class=\"wp-playlist-prev\"><\/div>\n\t<noscript>\n\t<ol>\n\t\t<li><a href='https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/FiguresOfSpeech1.mp3'>Figures of Speech - Part 1<\/a><\/li><li><a href='https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/FiguresOfSpeech2.mp3'>Figures of Speech - Part 2<\/a><\/li>\t<\/ol>\n\t<\/noscript>\n\t<script type=\"application\/json\" class=\"wp-playlist-script\">{\"type\":\"audio\",\"tracklist\":true,\"tracknumbers\":true,\"images\":true,\"artists\":true,\"tracks\":[{\"src\":\"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/FiguresOfSpeech1.mp3\",\"type\":\"audio\/mpeg\",\"title\":\"Figures of Speech - Part 1\",\"caption\":\"\",\"description\":\"\\\"Figures of Speech - Part 1\\\" from La Vista Church of Christ by Jeff Hamilton. Released: 2015. Genre: Speech.\",\"meta\":{\"artist\":\"Jeff Hamilton\",\"album\":\"La Vista Church of Christ\",\"genre\":\"Speech\",\"year\":\"2015\",\"length_formatted\":\"36:16\"},\"image\":{\"src\":\"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/audio.svg\",\"width\":48,\"height\":64},\"thumb\":{\"src\":\"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/audio.svg\",\"width\":48,\"height\":64}},{\"src\":\"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/FiguresOfSpeech2.mp3\",\"type\":\"audio\/mpeg\",\"title\":\"Figures of Speech - Part 2\",\"caption\":\"\",\"description\":\"\\\"Figures of Speech - Part 2\\\" from La Vista Church of Christ by Jeff Hamilton. Released: 2015. Genre: Speech.\",\"meta\":{\"artist\":\"Jeff Hamilton\",\"album\":\"La Vista Church of Christ\",\"genre\":\"Speech\",\"year\":\"2015\",\"length_formatted\":\"31:21\"},\"image\":{\"src\":\"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/audio.svg\",\"width\":48,\"height\":64},\"thumb\":{\"src\":\"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/audio.svg\",\"width\":48,\"height\":64}}]}<\/script>\n<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t<p>by Jeffrey W. Hamilton<\/p>\n\tText: Matthew 13:10-17\nI.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;A common confusion in reading the Bible is understanding text when figures of speech\nare used\nA.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;A bit odd because all languages of men contain figures of speech, so you think\nthat people would be used to understanding figures\nB.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Statements with literal meaning are said to be figurative when someone doesn&#8217;t\nlike or believe the literal meaning\n<p>1.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Genesis 1 speaks of the world being created in six days.<\/p>\na)&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;People have claimed that this has to be figurative because they\nwant to match the Bible to popular beliefs\nC.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Statements with figurative meaning are said to be literal if it matches a favored\ndoctrine\n<p>1.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Example: The thousand year reign of Christ in Revelation 20:4<\/p>\nD.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Statements with figurative meaning are assigned seemingly arbitrary meaning to\nsupport a doctrine\n1.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Often done with prophetic statements that are full of symbols, such as\nRevelation\nE.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#8220;It is not honest biblical interpretation to call something figurative simply because\nyou don&#8217;t understand it or don&#8217;t want to believe it.&#8221;\nII.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;What is a figure of speech?\nA.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Prior to modern styles of bold, italics, underline, superscripts, and subscripts, it\nwas the text itself that called the attention of the reader to what was important\nB.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;A departure from the usual rules of grammar or word choice becomes a figure of\nspeed\n<p>1.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;It is the departure that becomes important. It is what calls our attention<\/p>\n2.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Ephesians 3:18 &#8211; Wait a minute! There are only three dimensions, not\nfour!\n<p>3.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Isaiah 49:13 &#8211; Wait! How do heavens, earth, and mountains sing?<\/p>\n<p>C.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;The Greeks classified over 200 figures of speech<\/p>\n<p>D.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Some named in the Bible<\/p>\n<p>1.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;<i>Allegoroumena<\/i> (Allegory) &#8211; Galatians 4:24<\/p>\n<p>2.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;<i>Antitupon<\/i> (Figure) &#8211; I Peter 3:21<\/p>\n<p>3.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;<i>Tupos<\/i> (Figure) &#8211; Romans 5:14<\/p>\n<p>4.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;<i>Homoimati <\/i>(Similitude) &#8211; Romans 5:14<\/p>\n<p>5.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;<i>Parabole<\/i> (Figure) &#8211; Hebrews 11:19<\/p>\n<p>6.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;<i>Parabolais<\/i> (Parable) &#8211; Matthew 13:13, 34-35<\/p>\n<p>7.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;<i>Semaino <\/i>(Signify, indicate) &#8211; Revelation 1:1<\/p>\nIII.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;How do you recognize a figure of speech?\n<p>A.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;In general, we read the Bible literally when possible<\/p>\n<p>B.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;When the literal doesn&#8217;t make sense<\/p>\n1.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Isaiah 55:12 &#8211; Mountains and hills don&#8217;t sing. Trees don&#8217;t have hands or\nclap\n2.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;II Corinthians 11:16-21 &#8211; Paul calls himself a fool, but he is anything but\na fool.\nC.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;When there appears to be more being communicated than what the literal words\nconvey\n<p>1.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Parables are of these forms of figurative speech<\/p>\n2.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Matthew 13:33 &#8211; The words are clear and have meaning literally, but\nbecause of the comparison we realize that there is more the kingdom of heaven\ncan&#8217;t be yeast, though we are told it is like yeast.\n<p>D.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;When the grammar or structure of the statement emphasizes something<\/p>\n1.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Genesis 2:17 &#8211; The Hebrew is <i>moth tamuth<\/i>, two words that are the same\nbut in different form. It literally reads &#8220;dying you shall die.&#8221; \n2.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;II Corinthians 5:6-9 &#8211; There is a play on the Greek words: <i>endemeo<\/i> (in\nyour own country) and <i>ekdemeo<\/i> (out of your own country)\n<p>3.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;These types of speech is generally lost when translated.<\/p>\nIV.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Classification of figures of speech\n<p>A.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Omission &#8211; something is left out<\/p>\n<p>1.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Missing words that the grammar should require to be there<\/p>\na)&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Matthew 11:18 &#8211; John had to eat and drink. What is left out is that\nJohn decline to attend parties where there was eating and drinking (this is\nan Ellipsis)\n<p>2.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Missing sense or meaning<\/p>\na)&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Acts 5:36 &#8211; All people are somebody. But this is lessening or\nunderstating the intended meaning that Theudas claimed to be someone\ngreat.(this is an Tapeinosis)\nb)&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Psalms 84:11 &#8211; Using a negative to emphasize a positive (this is an\nAntenantiosis)\n<p>B.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Addition &#8211; something extra is inserted<\/p>\n<p>1.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Added words that are not necessary<\/p>\n<p>a)&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Duplication &#8211; duplicate word <\/p>\n<p>(1)&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Isaiah 40:1 &#8211; double &#8220;comfort&#8221; at the beginning<\/p>\n<p>(2)&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;John 1:51 &#8211; double &#8220;truly&#8221; at the start of what Jesus said<\/p>\n<p>b)&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Anphora &#8211; duplicate start to sentences<\/p>\n<p>(1)&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Matthew 5:3-11 &#8211; &#8220;Blessed are &#8230;&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>c)&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Epistrophe &#8211; duplicate sentence endings<\/p>\n<p>(1)&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Psalms 115:9-11<\/p>\n<p>d)&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Polysyndeton &#8211; Many &#8220;ands&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>(1)&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Acts 1:8<\/p>\n<p>e)&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Paradiastole &#8211; Repeating &#8220;neither &#8230; nor&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>(1)&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Romans 8:38-39<\/p>\n<p>f)&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Polyptoton &#8211; Repetition of the same word in different forms<\/p>\n<p>(1)&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Ephesians 6:18 &#8211; Praying &#8230; prayer<\/p>\n(2)&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Revelation 17:6 &#8211; ending is literally, &#8220;I wondered with\ngreat wonder&#8221;\n<p>2.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Added sense or meaning<\/p>\n<p>a)&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Hyperbole &#8211; exaggeration<\/p>\n<p>(1)&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;II Samuel 1:23<\/p>\n<p>C.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Change<\/p>\n<p>1.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Different meaning<\/p>\n<p>a)&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Metonymy &#8211; change one noun for another<\/p>\n(1)&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Proverbs 10:20 &#8211; tongue for words, heart for thoughts or\ndesires\n<p>(2)&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Matthew 6:21 &#8211; heart for thoughts or desires<\/p>\n<p>b)&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Transfer &#8211; change one idea for another<\/p>\n<p>(1)&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Mark 16:15 &#8211; creation (or creature) for mankind<\/p>\n<p>(2)&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Philippians 3:19 &#8211; stomach for personal desires<\/p>\n<p>c)&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Hendiadys &#8211; two words used for one idea<\/p>\n<p>(1)&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;I Timothy 1:17 &#8211; honor and glory = glorious honor<\/p>\n<p>(2)&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Luke 1:17 &#8211; spirit and power = powerful spirit<\/p>\n<p>d)&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Name change<\/p>\n<p>(1)&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Acts 3:14 &#8211; the Holy and Righteous One = Jesus<\/p>\n<p>e)&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Euphemism &#8211; referring to the unpleasant with something pleasant<\/p>\n<p>(1)&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Genesis 15:15 &#8211; go to your fathers = die<\/p>\n(2)&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;John 11:11 &#8211; has fallen asleep = died, wake him up =\nresurrect him\n<p>2.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Different order of words<\/p>\n<p>a)&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Transportation &#8211; putting a word out of its usual order<\/p>\n<p>(1)&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;John 6:60 &#8211; literally, &#8220;hard is this word&#8221;<\/p>\n(2)&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;I Timothy 3:16 &#8211; literally, &#8220;great is, of godliness, the\nmystery&#8221;\n<p>3.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Different application of words<\/p>\n<p>a)&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Simile &#8211; comparison by resemblance<\/p>\n<p>(1)&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Ephesians 5:22,25 &#8211; use of &#8220;as&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>b)&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Metaphor &#8211; one thing representing another<\/p>\n<p>(1)&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Psalms 23:1 &#8211; use of &#8220;is&#8221;<\/p>\n(2)&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Matthew 26:26 &#8211; A metaphor Roman Catholics try to take\nliterally\n<p>c)&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Implication &#8211; one thing implied to resemble another thing<\/p>\n<p>(1)&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Matthew 7:6 &#8211; certain types of people as dogs and pigs<\/p>\n<p>(2)&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Mark 1:17 &#8211; men as fish<\/p>\n<p>d)&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Double meaning &#8211; Both being true<\/p>\n(1)&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Acts 17:22 &#8211; &#8220;very religious&#8221; = devote followers of a\ndifferent religion, or superstitious\n<p>e)&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Irony &#8211; saying the opposite of what the words mean<\/p>\n<p>(1)&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Judges 10:14<\/p>\n<p>(2)&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Job 12:2<\/p>\n<p>f)&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Oxymoron &#8211; Wise saying that seems foolish<\/p>\n<p>(1)&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Isaiah 58:10<\/p>\n<p>(2)&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;I Corinthians 1:25<\/p>\n<p>g)&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Personification<\/p>\n<p>(1)&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;I Corinthians 12:15-16<\/p>\nV.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;This is not a complete list, but a sample to help you begin to spot figures of speech and to\nsee how they enhance the meaning of communication in the Bible \n&#160;\n<strong>Sources:<\/strong>\n<ul>\n  <li>E. W. Bullinger, <i>Figures of Speech in the Bible<\/i><\/li>\n  <li>Luther W. Martin, <i>Examples of Biblical Figures of Speech<\/i><\/li>\n  <li><i>Figures of Speech<\/i>, TruthOrTradition.com<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Matthew 13:10-17 I.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;A common confusion in reading the Bible is understanding text when figures of speech are used A.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;A bit odd because all languages of men contain figures of speech, so you think that people would be used to understanding figures B.&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;&#160;Statements with literal meaning are said to be figurative&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[119,32],"tags":[211,1449,529],"class_list":["post-46064","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-audio","category-sermon","tag-figurative-language","tag-figures-of-speech","tag-hermeneutics"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":56206,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/figurative-speech-the-kingdom-is-like\/","url_meta":{"origin":46064,"position":0},"title":"Figurative Speech: &#8220;The Kingdom Is Like &#8230;&#8221;","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"November 25, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"by Robert Turner Plain Talk, vol. 13, no. 10, pp. 4-5--December 1976 Is the church (God's people) the \"body of Christ\" (Ephesians 1:23); or is it like\u00a0(in some respects) a \"body,\" and since He is \"head over\" these people, therefore\u00a0like the body of Christ? Are we literally His hands, feet,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Article&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2006\/11\/HerodFox-200x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":82215,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/is-not-letting-the-sun-go-down-literal\/","url_meta":{"origin":46064,"position":1},"title":"Is &#8220;not letting the sun go down&#8221; literal?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"December 18, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Does Ephesians 4:26 literally refer to the setting sun, do not let your anger reach tomorrow, or does it mean that you should not end your life with anger? Answer: \"Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Answer&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":53891,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-misunderstood-jesus\/","url_meta":{"origin":46064,"position":2},"title":"The Misunderstood Jesus","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"August 14, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"by Doy Moyer Understanding people is often difficult. What do they mean? How are they using phrases? Are they being literal or figurative, or both? In person, we can ask and clarify, but when we are reading what others said, we can easily misinterpret because we are not hearing the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Article&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":70900,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/is-ephesians-517-18-a-not-but-ellipses\/","url_meta":{"origin":46064,"position":3},"title":"Is Ephesians 5:17-18 a not&#8230;but ellipses?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"November 5, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Hello, I enjoyed reading your sermon on figures of speech, especially not-but ellipses.\u00a0My question is: how does the not-but ellipsis apply to Ephesians 5:17-18: \"Wherefore be ye not foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And be not drunken with wine, wherein is riot, but be\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Answer&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":19493,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/biblical-figures-of-speech-ellipsis\/","url_meta":{"origin":46064,"position":4},"title":"Biblical Figures of Speech: Ellipsis","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 31, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Text: Galatians 4:21-31 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0In our everyday speech, we employ figures of speech constantly and rarely think about what we are doing. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Figures of speech are important tools because they make points standout in a statement. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0B.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0When we recognize that a figure of speech in use, it helps us understand\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Sermon&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Sermon","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/sermon\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":95080,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/when-words-are-pressed-too-far-understanding-poetic-language-in-scripture-and-song\/","url_meta":{"origin":46064,"position":5},"title":"When Words Are Pressed Too Far: Understanding Poetic Language In Scripture And Song","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"April 12, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"by Becky Ren\u00e9 Why Over-Literal Interpretation Can Lead to Misunderstanding From time to time, concerns are raised about the wording of certain hymns. 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