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Some images from the Bible involving body parts and human qualities are listed below in alphabetical order. The word in all capital letters represents an idea. The word does not necessarily appear in every verse that has the image, but the idea that the word represents does.
The BODY represents a group of people
Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. (1 Corinthians 12:27 ULT)
Rather we will speak the truth in love and grow up in all ways into him who is the head, Christ. Christ joins the whole body of believers together—it is held together by every supporting ligament so that the whole body grows and builds itself up in love. (Ephesians 4:15-16 ULT)
In these verses, the body of Christ represents the group of people who follow Christ.
The FACE represents someone’s presence
Do you not fear me—this is Yahweh’s declaration—or tremble before my face? (Jeremiah 5:22 ULT)
To be before someone’s face is to be in their presence, that is, to be with them.
The FACE represents someone’s attention
Every man of the house of Israel who takes his idols into his heart, or who puts the stumbling block of his iniquity before his face, and who then comes to a prophet—I, Yahweh, will answer him according to the number of his idols. (Ezekiel 14:4 ULT)
To put something before one’s face is to look at it intently or pay attention to it.
Many seek the face of the ruler, (Proverbs 29:26 ULT)
If someone seeks another person’s face, he hopes that the person will pay attention to him.
Why do you hide your face and forget our affliction and our oppression? (Psalm 44:24 ULT)
To hide one’s face from someone is to ignore him.
The FACE represents surface
The famine was over all the face of the whole land. (Genesis 41:56 ULT)
He encloses the face of the moon and spreads his clouds on it. (Job 26:9 ULT)
The HAND represents a person’s agency or power
Yahweh has burst through my enemies by my hand like a bursting flood of water. (1 Chronicles 14:11 ULT)
“Yahweh has burst through my enemies by my hand” means “Yahweh has used me to burst through my enemies.”
Your hand will seize all your enemies; your right hand will seize those who hate you. (Psalm 21:8 ULT)
“Your hand will seize all your enemies” means “By your power you will seize all your enemies.”
Look, Yahweh’s hand is not so short that it cannot save. (Isaiah 59:1 ULT)
“His hand is not short” means that he is not weak.
The HEAD represents the ruler, the one who has authority over others
God has subjected all things under Christ’s feet and has made him the head over all things in the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all things in all ways. (Ephesians 1:22 ULT)
Wives should be subject to their own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, and he is the Savior of the body. (Ephesian 5:22-23 ULT)
A MASTER represents anything that motivates someone to act
No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth. (Matthew 6:24 ULT)
To serve God is to be motivated by God. To serve money is to be motivated by money.
A NAME represents the person who has that name
May your God make the name of Solomon better than your name, and make his throne greater than your throne.” 1 Kings 1:47 (ULT)
See, I have sworn by my great name—says Yahweh. My name will no longer be called upon by the mouths of any of the men of Judah in all the land of Egypt….” (Jeremiah 44:26 ULT)
If someone’s name is great, it means that he is great.
Listen now to the prayer of your servant and to the prayer of your servants who delight to honor your name…. Nehemiah 1:11 (ULT)
To honor someone’s name is to honor him.
A NAME represents the fame or reputation of a person
You must no longer profane my holy name with your gifts and your idols. Ezekiel 20:39 (ULT)
To profane God’s name is to profane his reputation, that is, to profane how people think about him.
For I will make my great name holy, which you have profaned among the nations…. Ezekiel 36:23 (ULT)
To make God’s name holy is to cause people to to see that God is holy.
Your servants have come here from a land very far away, because of the name of Yahweh your God. We have heard a report about him and about everything that he did in Egypt (Joshua 9:9 ULT)
The fact that the men said they heard a report about Yahweh shows that “because of the name of Yahweh” means because of Yahweh’s reputation.
The NOSE represents anger
Then…the foundations of the world were exposed at your battle cry, Yahweh—at the blast of the breath of your nostrils. (Psalms 18:15 ULT)
By the blast of your nostrils the waters were piled up…. (Exodus 15:8 ULT)
Smoke went up from out of his nostrils, and blazing fire came out of his mouth…. (2 Samuel 22:9 ULT)
…This is the Lord Yahweh’s declaration: ‘My fury will arise in my nostrils!’ (Ezekiel 38:18 ULT)
A blast of air or smoke coming from someone’s nose shows his great anger.
RAISED EYES represents arrogance
but you bring down those with proud, uplifted eyes! (Psalm 18:27 ULT)
Uplifted eyes show that a person is proud.
God humbles a proud man, and he saves the one with lowered eyes. (Job 22:29 ULT)
Lowered eyes show that a person is humble.
The SON OF SOMETHING shares its qualities
no son of wickedness will oppress him. (Psalm 89:22b ULT)
A son of wickedness is a wicked person.
May the groans of the prisoners come before you; with the greatness of your power keep the children of death alive. (Psalm 79:11 ULT)
Children of death here are people that others plan to kill.
We all were once among these unbelievers and acted according to the evil desires of our flesh, doing the will of the flesh and of the mind, and we were by nature children of wrath like the others. (Ephesians 2:3 ULT)
Children of wrath here are people with whom God is very angry.
Translation Strategies
(see the Translations Strategies on Biblical Imagery - Common Patterns)