אבנימ

SYS 501 – Hermeneutics – Lecture 11 – Grammatical Interpretation – Tropes

I. Tropes are Figures of Speech.

II. Types of Tropes.

A. Simile – comparison of one thing to another.

1. Characterized by use of “like”.
2. Example: Ps. 1 “like a tree planted…”.
3. Must determine the ways in which the things compared are similar.

B. Metaphor – equating of one thing to another.

1. One thing is named as another thing.
2. Example Is.40.6 “All flesh is grass”, Ps.18.2 “The Lord is my rock…etc”.
3. Must determine how the things equated are alike.

C. Metonymy – Substitution of one thing for another.

1. Substituted thing is an attribute or has an association.
2. Example: “the pen is mightier than the sword”.
3. Three types found in Scripture.

a. Cause is substituted for the effect, e.g. Prov.12.18 “…the tongue of the wise is health” – the tongue is the cause of words.
b. Effect is substituted for the cause, e.g. Ps. 18.1 “I love you, O Lord my strength” – strength is the effect from the Lord.
c. Object is used for something close to it, e.g. I Cor. 10.21 – “You cannot drink the cup of the Lord” – cup is substituted for what is in it.

D. Synecdoche – Substitution of the part for the whole, or vice versa, e.g. Prov. 1.16 “their feet rush into sin”.

E. Anthropopathism – ascribing to God human emotions, passions and desires, e.g. Genesis 6.6 “…and it repented the Lord…”.

F. Anthropomorphism – ascribing to God human bodily members and physical activities, e.g. Ex.15.16 “…by the greatness of thine arm…”.

G. Zoomorphism – ascribing to God attributes of animals, e.g. Ps. 91.4 “He shall cover you with His feathers…”.

III. Internal helps for discerning tropes.

A. Explanatory examples, e.g. John 3 and the new birth.

B. Noting when literal interpretation involves a logical contradiction or absurdity.

C. Immediate context and adjunction of words – how words are joined to other words.

D. Familiarity with geography, culture, botany, etc. of Israel.

E. Character of subject and predicate in sentences.

F. Parallelisms, and parallel passages.