Topical Bible: Symbols and Similitudes: Death

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In the Bible, death is a significant theme that is often represented through various symbols and similitudes. These representations serve to convey the spiritual and moral implications of death, as well as its inevitable reality in the human experience.

1. Sleep:

One of the most common symbols for death in the Bible is sleep. This metaphor emphasizes the temporary nature of death for believers, who will awaken to eternal life. In the New Testament, Jesus refers to the death of Lazarus as sleep: "After He had said this, He told them, 'Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I am going there to wake him up'" (John 11:11). Similarly, Paul uses this metaphor in his letters, as seen in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-14: "Brothers, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you will not grieve like the rest, who are without hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, we also believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in Him."

2. The Shadow:

Death is also depicted as a shadow, suggesting its ominous presence and the fear it can instill. Psalm 23:4 provides a comforting perspective: "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me" . Here, the shadow of death is portrayed as something that can be faced without fear due to God's presence and guidance.

3. The Last Enemy:

In 1 Corinthians 15:26, death is described as "the last enemy to be destroyed." This personification underscores the adversarial nature of death, which stands in opposition to life and God's original design for humanity. The ultimate defeat of death through Christ's resurrection is a central tenet of Christian hope.

4. The Harvest:

The imagery of harvest is used to symbolize the end of life and the gathering of souls. In Matthew 13:39, Jesus explains the parable of the weeds: "The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels" . This metaphor highlights the separation of the righteous from the wicked and the finality of judgment.

5. The Grave:

The grave, or Sheol in the Old Testament, is often used as a symbol of death's domain. It represents the place of the dead and is frequently associated with darkness and silence. In Job 17:13, Job laments, "If I look for Sheol as my home, if I spread out my bed in darkness" , illustrating the grave as a place of despair and finality.

6. The Cup:

The cup is another symbol associated with death, particularly in the context of God's judgment. In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus prays, "My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me. Yet not as I will, but as You will" (Matthew 26:39). Here, the cup represents the suffering and death that Jesus was to endure, as well as the wrath of God against sin.

7. The Sea:

In biblical literature, the sea often symbolizes chaos and death. Revelation 20:13 states, "The sea gave up its dead, and Death and Hades gave up their dead, and each one was judged according to his deeds" . This imagery conveys the idea of death as a vast, uncontrollable force that will ultimately be overcome in the final judgment.

These symbols and similitudes of death in the Bible serve to illustrate its multifaceted nature, its role in God's redemptive plan, and the hope of resurrection and eternal life through Jesus Christ.

Nave's Topical Index

Ezekiel 24:16-19
Son of man, behold, I take away from you the desire of your eyes with a stroke: yet neither shall you mourn nor weep, neither shall your tears run down.
Nave's Topical Index

Library

The Comfort of the Milk
... what I know least of all is this very death which I ... only drew from their littleness
one of those similitudes which He, with His fondness for symbols, favoured ...
//christianbookshelf.org/bertrand/saint augustin/iii the comfort of the.htm

Ezekiel and Daniel.
... Allegories, parables, similitudes and visions abound, some of them symbolic of ... (7)
The symbols and types ... between the captivity, 605 BC, and the death of Daniel ...
/.../the way of salvation in the lutheran church/chapter xvii ezekiel and daniel.htm

Clement of Alexandria.
... heathen, falsely so named, 412. not needless death, 412, 423. ... Similitudes in instruction,
use of, 281. ... Symbols, Pythagorean, in philosophic proverbs, 450. ...
/.../clement/who is the rich man that shall be saved/clement of alexandria.htm

Letter Lv. Replies to Questions of Januarius.
... Then shall death, the last enemy, be destroyed ... devoutness of spirit, we accept
similitudes adapted to ... like manner, whensoever illustrative symbols are borrowed ...
/.../augustine/the confessions and letters of st/letter lv replies to questions.htm

Introduction.
... admits into the number almost all similitudes indiscriminately ... to the language of
dramatic symbols rather than ... lovingly did Christ deliver my soul from death.". ...
//christianbookshelf.org/arnot/the parables of our lord/introduction.htm

Of the Sacraments.
... These similitudes are applicable to the secondary reason. ... when mention is made of
the sacred symbols which were ... the Father, he offered himself to death, and by ...
/.../the institutes of the christian religion/chapter 14 of the sacraments.htm

Of the Ordering of all the virtues through the Seven Gifts of the ...
... sacraments, with their forms and outward symbols, than with ... and recognise God in
ghostly similitudes, and also ... of the enemy and from eternal death: and thereby ...
/.../john/the adornment of the spritual marriage/chapter lxiii of the ordering.htm

Of the Five Sacraments, Falsely So Called. Their Spuriousness ...
... perhaps, when the act has been anticipated by sudden death? ... the patena with the host,
as symbols of the ... All the parables and similitudes in Scripture will be ...
/.../calvin/the institutes of the christian religion/chapter 19 of the five.htm

An American Reformer.
... And death"why was it? ... found, to his great joy, that the prophetic symbols could be ...
that all the various figures, metaphors, parables, similitudes, etc., were ...
/.../the great controversy between christ and satan /18 an american reformer.htm

An American Reformer
... And death"why was it? ... found, to his great joy, that the prophetic symbols could be ...
that all the various figures, metaphors, parables, similitudes, etc., were ...
/.../white/the great controversy/chapter 18 an american reformer.htm