Old Testament – Idioms & Metaphors
Here are some OT idioms and metaphors we have compiled. Their meanings are not definitive as ancient Hebrew can never be accurately expressed in modern English; However, they are as close as it can possibly get. If you know of any not listed here, do contact us to add and help grow the list. Thank you.
ears / listen
- ears are uncircumcised – don’t listen
- ears that hear – obedience
- listen to someone’s voice – pay attention to what someone says and accept, or take action with what was said
- one’s two ears resonate – be intensely disturbed emotionally and mentally
- uncover / open someone’s ear – give someone knowledge of a matter / inform, reveal
- unstop one’s ear – disclose something or reveal something
eyes / seen
- an eye for an eye – limit punishment for an injury/crime to no more than the injury/crime itself
- bad / evil eye – stingy (OT); look for / see trouble or sin (NT)
- be seen with the presence of YHWH – be in the presence of YHWH, to serve and worship Him
- cause someone’s eyes to be light – enable someone to be physically alive; joy and vitality
- eye is consumed – vision is blurred
- found grace in the eyes – accepted, found favor
- good eye – generous (OT); see good (NT)
- hide one’s eyes – deliberately take no notice of a situation
- lift up one’s eyes to – direct one’s attention to someone or something by looking at it/them
- little man of the eye – pupil
- one’s eyes become light – experience an increase in one’s joy and vitality
- one’s eyes stand – said of an old person whose eyes are no longer able to see
- see according to the eyes – form an opinion of someone based on their outward appearance
- snatch someone’s eye – harm someone
face / YHWH / God
- be detained before YHWH – be obliged to remain at YHWH’s sanctuary
- be seen with the presence of YHWH – be in the presence of YHWH, to serve and worship Him
- face fallen – sad, disappointed
- hide your face – see not, refuse to answer
- lift up one’s face – be favourably disposed towards someone; have, or show, respect for someone of higher status
- reverse the face of something – change the way someone thinks about a matter
- see someone’s face / saw his face – allowed to be in the presence of someone (in a position of power)
- seek the face of YHWH – worship and pray to YHWH
- set one’s face to go – to be determined to go
feet
- cover one’s feet / squat outside – empty the bowels / defecate
- watch over someone’s feet – keep someone safe from harm
- walk about at someone’s feet – follow or support someone (as their servant)
- spread feet – offer self for sex
hands
- clean hands – act purely
- close hand – selfish
- deliver them into your hands – defeat them for you
- draw back one’s hand – stop what one is doing
- fall into someone’s hand – come under control of someone
- God’s/one’s hand is heavy (against/towards) – deal severely with someone
- iniquity in my hands – guilty
- judge from someone’s hand – rescue someone from someone else’s power
- make someone a stranger in someone’s hand – give someone into someone else’s power
- mighty hand – force
- not find anything in someone’s hand – find no reason to accuse someone of wrongdoing
- one’s hand finds someone – find and take aggressive action against someone
- one’s hand finds something – have sufficient of something / have opportunity or power to do
- one’s hands become strong – gain confidence or hope
- one’s hands grow slack / slack hands – lose one’s courage / abandon
- open hand – generosity
- place one’s life in the palm of one’s hand – expose oneself to the danger of death
- right hand – might
- seek from someone’s hand – require someone to bear the responsibility for some act or event
- send a hand against (lift up one’s hand against) – assassinate (fight against, or resist, a ruler)
- strengthen someone’s hand(s) – give support, confidence, or hope to someone
head / know
- bring back something on someone’s head – punish someone for some wrong they had done
- let someone know a thing – cause someone to bear the unpleasant consequences of their behaviour or actions
- lift up your head – restore to honor
- someone’s shed blood swirls down on one’s head – be punished for someone’s death
- hard forehead – stubborn
heart
- double heart – falsehood, deceitful, not sincere
- find one’s heart – find courage to do something
- gave him another heart – changed his attitude
- hardness of heart / harden hearts – no compassion, stop feeling kind or friendly
- hearts and kidneys – thoughts and emotions
- heart lifted up – proud
- make one’s heart insensible – refuse to obey
- one’s heart dies within one – suffer a sudden debilitating attack of sickness
- one’s heart falls / heart melts – lose courage
- one’s heart is bad – (i) feel depressed; (ii) have a reluctant, ungenerous attitude
- one’s heart strikes one – Grief: feel bitter regret
- one’s heart trembles – be very frightened
- remove the foreskin of your heart – dedicate yourself fully to God
- said in heart – thought to self
- soft heart – fearful
- speak on someone’s heart – speak or act in a kind way to increase someone’s confidence or hope
- steal someone’s heart – deliberately cause someone to believe something that is not true
- touch on someone’s heart – create a desire in someone
- turn the heart (1) – be loyal or devoted, or cause someone to be loyal or devoted
- turn the heart (2) – have, or cause someone to have, a desire
mouth / teeth / tongue / throat / voice / ask
- break teeth – make powerless
- ask someone about peace – inquire about someone’s welfare
- fruit of the mouth – what someone says
- hear what is in someone’s mouth – inquire after someone’s opinion
- lift up one’s voice – speak or call out in a loud voice
- listen to someone’s voice – pay attention to what someone says and accept, or take action with what was said
- one’s mouth opens wide against – express satisfaction over someone else’s failure
- open mouth wide – sneer
- place words in someone’s mouth – tell someone what to say
- their throat is an open grave – they speak deceitfully
- tongue struts through the earth – arrogantly order everyone
nature / land / animals
- flowing with milk and honey – a fertile land, land of plenty
- fruit – good character
- he is like a tree – one who is upright, righteous
- horn of an unicorn – strength and power
- leaf does not wither – prosperity
- makes the deer to calve – makes the strong leaders / rulers turn
- streams / rivers of water – grace
- suck the milk of nations – receive the wealth of other countries
- sweet water – water fit to drink
- until the day breathes – until dawn
neck / shoulder
- stiffened his neck – became stubborn
- turn one’s shoulder – turn away in order to leave
nose / smell
- one’s nose becomes hot – become intensely angry, furious, enraged
- smell an offering – accept a sacrifice
objects related
- anointed with fresh oil – Oil pure and sweet, vigour; One would be made happy, cheerful, bright, and prosperous.
- broken the yoke – rejected God’s authority
- lamp will go out – will die
- one’s horn is exalted – be strong and prevail against one’s enemies
- possess gates – capture
- the portion of their cup – their destiny
others – body related
- dries bones – drains strength
- kneel over – have sex with
- knew no quiet in their bellies – greedy
- lifted heel against – turn against
road
- go to one’s road – go away
- place against someone in the road – wait for and attack someone
- send someone away in a good road – freeing someone without harming them
- turn round to one’s road – go back to where one has come from
soul / spirit
- cause someone’s soul to faint – cause someone to feel deep sorrow
- lift up my soul – pray
- one’s spirit returns to one – regain one’s vitality and strength
- pour out one’s soul – express feelings of sadness, grief, pain, distress, anxiety, etc.
womb
- close someone’s womb – keep a woman from having children
- from the womb – from birth
- open the womb – be born
word / law
- break (the law) – to trample underfoot (not about disobedience but one’s attitude)
- keep (the law) – to guard, protect, and cherish (not about obedience but one’s attitude)
- tear someone in pieces with the words – persuade someone to refrain from doing something
- not let a word fall – not allow something said to remain undone or unfulfilled
