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Bible Encyclopedias
Metaphor
Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature
or (Gr. μεταφόρα , a transference), a figure of speech by means of which one thing is put for another which it only resembles. It differs from other comparisons, e.g. simile, etc., in consisting of a single word. Thus the Psalmist speaks of God's law as being "a light to his feet and a lamp to his path." The metaphor is therefore a kind of comparison, in which the speaker' or writer, casting aside the circumlocution of the ordinary similitude, seeks to attain his end at once by boldly identifying his illustration with the thing illustrated. It is thus of necessity, when well conceived and expressed, graphic and striking in the highest degree, and has been a favorite figure with poets and orators, and the makers of proverbs, in all ages. Even in ordinary language the meanings of words are in great part metaphors; as when we speak of an acute intellect or a bold promontory.
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McClintock, John. Strong, James. Entry for 'Metaphor'. Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature. https://www.studylight.org/encyclopedias/eng/tce/m/metaphor.html. Harper & Brothers. New York. 1870.
