Figures of Speech Used in the Bible: Explained and Illustrated [Hardcover]

E. W. Bullinger (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2003

Bible translators have, through inattention to figures of speech, made serious translation blunders, clouding the real meaning of many important passages of God's Word. E. W. Bullinger's volume, first published in 1898, clarifies 217 distinct figures of speech used in the Bible. Walter C. Kaiser, dean of Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, calls it "the best handbook on figures of speech. It should be on every exegete's shelf."
In systematic order, this classic gives the proper pronunciation of each figure of speech, its etymology or origin, and a number of Scripture passages where the figure of speech is used, giving full explanation of its use in each context. Figures of Speech Used in the Bible cites nearly eight thousand Bible passages and includes five appendices and seven indexes, making it even more valuable as a reference tool.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

E. W. Bullinger (1837-1913) was an Anglican clergyman, secretary of the Trinitarian Bible Society, and editor of the journal Things to Come. He wrote ten books and numerous booklets. His Selected Writings were published in 1960.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 1160 pages
• Publisher: Baker Books; Reprinted edition (April 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0801005590
• ISBN-13: 978-0801005596
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.8 x 2.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #141,169 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

58 of 59 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Important Tool for Serious Students of Scripture, October 18, 2003

By 

Edward J. Vasicek "Author, pastor, columnist" (Kokomo, IN USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Figures of Speech Used in the Bible: Explained and Illustrated (Hardcover)

Bullinger's massive classifications of figures of speech used in the Bible provides a wealth of help in interpretation. When I am studying a difficult verse, I often use the Scripture index in Bullinger's work to find out if figurative language might come into play. Not only does Bullinger address figures that we commonly think of (exaggeration/hyperbole, etc.), but he divides them into subcategories -- and includes classifications of figures one would not ordinarily detect through a casual reading of Biblical texts.

This is not meant for reading or even studying through (though it is fascinating to thumb through it), but is more or less a very useful reference work. I would label it as an essential book for pastors and Bible teachers.

As an evangelical pastor of 24 years, I give this book two thumbs up.

45 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A real treasure for serious Bible students, July 20, 2004

By 

Harold McFarland (Florida) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Figures of Speech Used in the Bible: Explained and Illustrated (Hardcover)

One of the most useful of Bible study tools, "Figures of Speech Used in the Bible" should be in personal library of anyone who is serious about Bible study. The writers of the Bible often used figures of speech that were common during their time. In fact we often use figures of speech in our everyday conversations without paying much attention to it but we do expect others to understand that we were speaking figuratively and not literally. For example, if we were to say someone is "big as a barn" we would not expect anyone to seriously think they were forty feet long, eighteen feet tall and twenty feet wide. By taking such figures of speech literally it is easy to be lead astray into false doctrines.

The other thing the book is particularly valuable for is literary analysis. The beauty of literature sometimes is its use of various literary devices. Introverted parallelism is an example of a literary device included in the book. This is where two or more items are listed in one order and then in the reverse order. For example Exodus 9:31 where it reads "And the flax and the barley was smitten: for the barley was in the ear, and the flax was bolled." First the order is flax and then barley and then the order changes to barley and then flax. Of course there are a lot of other literary devices such as acrostics, sentences that start or end with the same words, a chapter where each verse starts with the next letter of the Hebrew alphabet, or Psalms 69 where there are 22 groups of eight verses where each of the eight verses in that group all start with the same letter.

Whether it is examining these details of the Bible as literature or preventing an exegetic mistake by not understanding a figure of speech, "Figures of Speech Used in the Bible" is highly recommended and should be owned by all Bible students.

30 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A GREAT STUDY TOOL, December 2, 1999

By 

Joseph - See all my reviews

This review is from: Figures of Speech Used in the Bible: Explained and Illustrated (Hardcover)

This book has become a favorite reference in my Biblical studies. It's thorough, well organized, and easy to use. I'm not in agreement with all of Bullinger's theological views, particularly his dispensational perspective on the structure of bilbical revelation; but his scholarly insight on how scripture uses figures of speech has proven to be extremely valuable in helping me gain a deeper and more clear understanding of God's word. I consider this to be one of the better resources on my bookshelf. It's a great companion with Strong's Concordance, and my Hebrew and Greek lexicons. It should, however, be used in a discerning manner.