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3.2 KiB
Some common metonymies and metaphors from the Bible involving plants are listed below in alphabetical order. The word in all capital letters identifies an Image which represents an Idea. The specific word of the Image may not appear in every verse that uses the Image, but the text will communicate somehow the concept of the Image.
A BRANCH represents a person’s descendant
In the examples below, Isaiah wrote about one of Jesse’s descendants and Jeremiah wrote about one of David’s descendants.
A shoot will sprout from the root of Jesse, and a branch out of his root will bear fruit.
The Spirit of Yahweh will rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding. (Isaiah 11:1 ULT)
See, days are coming—this is Yahweh’s declaration—when I will raise up for David a righteous branch.
He will reign as king; he will bring prosperity and carry out justice and righteousness in the land. (Jeremiah 23:5 ULT)
In Job when it says “his branch will be cut off,” it means that he will not have any descendants.
His roots will be dried up beneath;
above will his branch be cut off.
His memory will perish from the earth;
he will have no name in the street. (Job 18:17 ULT)
A PLANT represents a person
God will likewise destroy you forever; he will…root you out of the land of the living. (Psalm 52:5 ULT)
A PLANT represents an emotion or attitude
Just as planting one kind of seeds results in that kind of plant growing, behaving in one way results in that kind of consequence.
The emotion or attitude in the verses is underlined below.
Sow righteousness for yourselves, and reap the fruit of covenant faithfulness. (Hosea 10:12 ULT)
Based on what I have observed, those who plow iniquity and sow trouble, reap the same. (Job 4:8 ULT)
For the people sow the wind and reap the whirlwind. (Hosea 8:7 ULT)
You have turned…the fruit of righteousness into bitterness. (Amos 6:12 ULT)
What fruit then did you have at that time of the things of which you are now ashamed? (Romans 6:21 ULT)
A SEED represents the descendant(s) of a person or group of people
…the Jews set up and accepted for themselves, and for their seed, and for all those who unite themselves to them (and it will not pass away) to be making these two days according to their writing, and according to their appointed time every year by year. (Esther 9:27 ULT)
A TREE represents a person
He will be like a tree planted by the streams of water that produces its fruit in its season, whose leaves do not wither; whatever he does will prosper. (Psalm 1:3 ULT)
I have seen the wicked and terrifying person spread out like a green tree in its native soil. (Psalm 37:35 ULT)
I am like a green olive tree in God’s house. (Psalm 52:8 ULT)
A TREE represents something made of wood (such as a pole or platform)
Then the matter was sought out and was found out, and the two of them were hung on a tree. (Esther 2:23a ULT)
This probably means that they were killed by either by being impaled on a wooden pole or by being hung from a gallows by a rope.