Reference: Symbol
Hastings
The prevalence of figurative language in the Bible is due partly to the antiquity and Oriental origin of the book and to the fact that its subject, religion, deals with the most difficult problems of life and the deepest emotions of the soul. The English word 'type,' as the equivalent of 'symbol' or 'emblem,' is sometimes confusing, as it has been used both for the fulfilment of the prototype and as that which points forward to the antitype. Like the proverb and parable, the symbol implies a connexion between two things of which one is concrete and physical, the other abstract and referring to intellectual, moral, and spiritual matters. The former, of course, is the symbol.
1. Symbols of similarity.
See Verses Found in Dictionary
And they made the coats of fine linen of woven work for Aaron and for his sons, likewise the mitre of fine linen and the decorations of the tiaras of fine linen and the linen underwear of fine twined linen, read more. also the girdle of fine twined linen and blue and purple and scarlet of needlework, as the LORD commanded Moses.
Now will I sing to my well-beloved a song of my beloved touching his vineyard. My well-beloved had a vineyard in the horn of the sons of oil; and he had fenced it and gathered out the stones thereof and planted it with the choicest vine and built a tower in the midst of it and also made a winepress therein; and he looked that it should bring forth grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes. read more. And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem, and men of Judah, judge, I pray you, between me and my vineyard. What could have been done more to my vineyard, that I have not done in it? Therefore, when I looked that it should bring forth grapes, did it bring forth wild grapes? And now go to; I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard: I will take away its hedge, and it shall be eaten up; and break down its wall, and it shall be trodden down: And I will lay it waste; it shall not be pruned, nor hoed; but briers and thorns shall come up there; I will even command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it. For the vineyard of the LORD of the hosts is the house of Israel and every man of Judah his pleasant plant; and he looked for judgment, but behold oppression; for righteousness, but behold a cry.
Thus hath the LORD said unto me, Go and buy thee a linen girdle and put it upon thy loins, and thou shalt not put it in water. And I bought the girdle according to the word of the LORD and put it on my loins. read more. And the word of the LORD came unto me the second time, saying, Take the girdle that thou hast bought, which is upon thy loins, and arise; go to the Euphrates and hide it there in a hole of the rock. So I went and hid it in the Euphrates, as the LORD commanded me. And it came to pass after many days that the LORD said unto me, Arise; go to the Euphrates and take from there the girdle, which I commanded thee to hide there. Then I went to the Euphrates and dug and took the girdle from the place where I had hid it; and, behold, the girdle was rotted, it was good for nothing. Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Thus hath the LORD said, After this manner I will cause the pride of Judah to rot and the great pride of Jerusalem. This evil people that refuses to hear my words, which walk in the imagination of their heart and went after other gods to serve them and to worship them shall even be as this girdle, which is good for nothing. For as the girdle cleaves to the loins of a man, so I have caused to cleave unto me the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah, saith the LORD; that they might be unto me for a people and for fame, and for a praise, and for honour; but they did not hear. Therefore thou shalt speak unto them this word: Thus hath the LORD God of Israel said, Every bottle shall be filled with wine; and they shall say unto thee, Do we not certainly know that every bottle shall be filled with wine?
Therefore they shall come and do praises in the height of Zion and shall run unto the goodness of the LORD, unto the bread, and unto the wine, and unto the oil, and unto the gain of the flock and of the herd and their soul shall be as a watered garden; and they shall not sorrow any more at all.
And the hand of the LORD was upon me and took me out in the Spirit of the LORD and set me down in the midst of a field which was full of bones, and caused me to pass by them round about; and, behold, there were very many upon the face of the field; and they were very dry. read more. And he said unto me, Son of man, can these bones live? And I answered, O Lord GOD, thou knowest. Then he said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones hear the word of the LORD. Thus hath the Lord GOD said unto these bones: Behold, I will cause spirit to enter into you, and ye shall live: And I will lay nerves upon you and will bring up flesh upon you and cover you with skin and put spirit in you, and ye shall live; and ye shall know that I am the LORD. So I prophesied as I was commanded, and as I prophesied, there was a thunder, and behold a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone. And I beheld, and behold nerves upon them and the flesh came up upon them, and the skin covered them above: but there was no spirit in them. Then said he unto me, Prophesy unto the spirit, prophesy, son of man, and say to the spirit, Thus hath the Lord GOD said: Come from the four winds, O spirit, and breathe upon these slain, and they shall live. And I prophesied as he commanded me, and the spirit entered into them, and they lived and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army. Then he said unto me, Son of man, all these bones are the house of Israel; behold, they say, Our bones have dried, and our hope is lost, and in ourselves we are totally cut off.
Put on the whole armour of God that ye may be able to stand firm against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the lords of this age, rulers of this darkness, against spiritual wickedness in the heavens. read more. Therefore, take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day and stand fast, all the work having been finished. Stand firm, therefore, having your loins girt about with truth and having on the breastplate, of righteousness, and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace, above all, taking the shield of faith, with which ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;
Therefore, seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, leaving behind all the weight of the sin which surrounds us, let us run with patience the race that is set before us,
And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright: for the fine linen is the righteousness of the saints.