Interpreting Biblical Metaphors: What They Are, How They Work, and What They Mean for Us - Paperback

by Erin Heim (Author), Beth Stovell (Author)

Read the Bible's Richest Language with Confidence

Biblical metaphors can be complicated and confusing. It can be tempting to read them as universal and context-free, assume they map directly onto modern life, or treat them as interchangeable with contemporary meanings. Some preachers and teachers stretch biblical metaphors beyond what Scripture supports while others ignore them altogether or question their value for communicating truth. Students and pastors need an accessible guide that helps them responsibly interpret and apply biblical metaphors.

In this book, two experts cut through the confusion and sidestep common interpretive pitfalls while highlighting the vast beauty, richness, and spiritual significance of biblical metaphors. Interpreting Biblical Metaphors will help you

● understand what biblical metaphors are and how they functioned in their ancient cultural and literary contexts;
● recognize common interpretive pitfalls--including over-spiritualizing, allegorizing, and decontextualizing--and learn how to avoid them;
● navigate difficult or culturally unfamiliar metaphors with greater confidence and care;
● apply biblical metaphors faithfully in preaching, teaching, and personal Bible study; and
● connect metaphor theory to everyday faith and practice.

Erin Heim and Beth Stovell explain what biblical metaphors are and how they work, translating the best of contemporary metaphor theories into a clear, accessible approach to biblical hermeneutics.

Ideal for students of the Bible and hermeneutics, pastors, and lay Bible teachers, Interpreting Biblical Metaphors equips readers to understand the value and function of biblical metaphors and to apply them in ways that are faithful to the text and meaningful for everyday faith and practice.

Back Jacket

"A timely guide for interpreters of Scripture"

Biblical metaphors can be complicated and confusing. This book cuts through the confusion and sidesteps common interpretive pitfalls while highlighting the vast beauty, richness, and spiritual significance of biblical metaphors.

"A timely guide for interpreters of Scripture. Heim and Stovell enhance our understanding of biblical metaphor, assist us to avoid distortions of several sorts, and strengthen our engagement with Scripture as a whole. A most welcome contribution!"
--Beverly Gaventa, Princeton Theological Seminary (emerita)

"For all of us who feel lost in the woods of biblical metaphor, this book is a helpful map and a series of clear signposts along the way. Heim and Stovell are the well-trained guides who can help us make the most of our stay by showing us what to expect and how to interpret what we see. I'm delighted to take my students on a field trip using this engaging resource!"
--Carmen Joy Imes, Talbot School of Theology; author of Bearing God's Name

"A marvelous and insightful study. Heim and Stovell point out the crucial importance of understanding a metaphor in its original sociocultural, literary, and linguistic environment. They help us navigate and interpret difficult metaphors and also recognize how metaphors inform our theological imagination. This book is for all serious readers of the Bible."
--Tremper Longman III, Westmont College (emeritus)

"This short and approachable book is perfect for the classroom, the pastor, the parishioner, or the nonreligious person trying to understand the Christian Scriptures. Wielding precise examples from Scripture and life, Heim and Stovell carefully unfold the academic study of metaphor alongside practical application of the theory."
--Dru Johnson, Wycliffe Hall, University of Oxford

"This is by far the most accessible and helpful introduction to how modern metaphor theories enrich biblical interpretation and faithful, responsible preaching and teaching of Scripture. A must-read in homiletics."
--Knut M. Heim, Denver Seminary

Author Biography

Erin Heim (PhD, University of Otago) is a tutorial fellow in biblical studies at Wycliffe Hall, University of Oxford, in Oxford, England, and cohosts the OnScript podcast. She is a coeditor of The State of Pauline Studies and the author of Adoption in Galatians and Romans (winner of the Manfred T. Lautenschläger Prize).
Beth Stovell (PhD, McMaster Divinity College) is professor of Old Testament at Ambrose University in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. She sits on the national team for Vineyard Canada as a theological consultant and has written or edited several books, including Biblical Hermeneutics: Five Views (with Stanley E. Porter).