IDIOMS OF THE BIBLE: Absolute and Relative

 

As we all know, the Bible was written by ancient people and originally for the ancient people. The only reason we can understand the Bible today is because it has been translated for us. However, even though the Bible has been translated, it still contains statements and ideas that were commonly used by the Jewish people of that time and are likely unfamiliar to us, modern readers. Included in these are their idioms.

“An idiom is an expression peculiar to one particular language…Idioms reveal thought patterns of the people who speak the language.” (Sterrett, 1974). Every culture has its own idioms or unique expressions to say something. For us Filipinos, we call overly sensitive people balat-sibuyas (onion-skinned). When a student studies hard, we say he is “burning his eyebrows.” The Bible, too, contains idioms that must be understood in the way the original speakers used them.

How can we tell if an idiom is being used in a verse? It’s a bit challenging to notice, but when a statement doesn’t seem to match the context, or when it seems inconsistent with other related passages and biblical truths, it may suggest that the phrase is figurative or that an idiom is being used. If we are not familiar with them, we might take them literally when we read them, or we might be confused about their meaning. Today, let’s look at two of the most common idioms that may be new to us: absolute for relative and relative for absolute.

ABSOLUTE FOR RELATIVE

When we say a statement is “absolute,” it means it stands independently, without relation to other statements. A “relative” statement, on the other hand, compares or relates one point or idea to another. Saying “I want coffee” is absolute. Saying “I want coffee more than milk” makes it relative because now there’s a comparison between two things. The Jews and other Semitic people loved using absolute statements even when they meant something relative. They did this to emphasize their point so strongly that it sounded like the opposite idea was “untrue.” This is similar to exaggeration or overstatement. Here are some examples:

Gen 45:8. Joseph told his brothers, “So it was not you who sent me here, but God.” This is an absolute statement, but it doesn’t mean it is absolutely true. We know from the story that his brothers were responsible for selling him into slavery in Egypt (37:25–28). Later on, Joseph himself mentioned the wrong they had done to him (50:20). Instead of saying, “It was you and God who sent me here” (relative), he highlighted God’s action and negated theirs, saying, “It was not you, but God.” (absolute). His point was that their actions were part of God’s greater plan, and so he emphasized God’s hand in it.

Jer 7:22–23. The Lord said, “For in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, I did not speak to your fathers or command them concerning burnt offerings and sacrifices. But this command I gave them: ‘Obey my voice…’” Again, this is an absolute statement, but not absolutely true. If we take it literally, we’d have to disregard the many instructions God gave about sacrifices in Exodus through Deuteronomy. The point He was making is that He was more concerned with their obedience than with their sacrifices. To stress the point, He denied the opposite.

Lk 14:26. Jesus said, “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.” Since Christ also taught us to love others (Jn 13:34; Lk 6:27, etc.), taking this literally makes no sense. His point was that our love for Him must be so much greater that, in comparison, our love for others looks like hate. Again, this is idiomatic.

Jn 15:16. Christ told His disciples, “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you.” Yet we know that Jesus invited people to follow Him (Matt 4:19; 9:9; Mk 8:34), and His disciples chose to follow Him, while others rejected Him (Matt 19:21–22). He wasn’t denying their choice; He was emphasizing His own choice of them.

1 Cor 1:17. Paul said, “For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel.” Since baptism is part of the Great Commission (Matt 28:19; Acts 2:38; Mk 16:16, etc.), it was indeed part of Paul’s responsibility. But his point was that preaching the gospel was far more significant than baptizing. To emphasize one, he seemed to downplay the other.

Other examples: Ex 16:8; Deut 5:2–3; Ps 51:16; Phil 2:4; 1 Jn 3:18; etc.

RELATIVE FOR ABSOLUTE

This is the exact opposite of the previous idiom, though it is not used as frequently. Here, the intended meaning is absolute, but the statement is expressed in relative form, comparing one thing to another when the point could have been made directly.

Lk 11:31–32. Jesus said that He was “something greater than Solomon” and “something greater than Jonah.” He was right—He is greater than both. But more than that, He is the greatest of all! Instead of saying, “I am the greatest” (absolute), He put it in relative form for emphasis.

Heb 1:4. The writer said Christ was “superior to angels” and had a name “more excellent than theirs.” Of course, Jesus is superior to all, not only to angels. His name is “the name above every name” (Phil 2:9). The writer’s real intent was absolute, but he expressed it relatively by comparing Christ to angels.

Other examples: 1 Sam 15:22; Ezra 9:13; Ps 118:8–9; Prov 21:3; Heb 3:3; 6:9; etc.

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Many misunderstandings could be avoided if we were more familiar with the idiomatic expressions used in biblical times. The Bible remains a human book, written by actual people just like us, even though it is also the Word of God. God chose to include their idioms in His Word in order to communicate His message to us today. It is wise for us to be familiar with these expressions so that we can better understand what Scripture really says. Stay Curious.

Sources and Studies:

McCain, D. and Keener, C. (2012). “The Rule of Figurative Language.” 𝘜𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘈𝘱𝘱𝘭𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘱𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘴. African Christian Textbooks.
Sterrett, N.T. (1974). “Hebrew Idioms”. 𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘰 𝘜𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘠𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘉𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦. (pp. 123-130). InterVarsity Press