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Bible Q

Tag: literal

Did it rain before the flood (Gen 2:5)?

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Yes, it rained before the flood. How should we understand Gen 2:4-3:24? There are several indications in the text that the passage is not a literal historical account: (1)    No shrub had grown up when Adam was formed (Gen 2:5). But in Gen 1:12-13 plants were described as been created on the third day, three […]

Why can’t Bible scholars agree on how to interpret the Bible?

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It is true that there is wide spectrum of opinions when it comes to interpreting the Bible. Different opinions are not unique to biblical studies – scholars disagree about how to interpret Plato or Hume – but the disagreement is often far more pronounced amongst biblical scholars. One reason for this is that people have […]

Which numbers in the Bible are literal and which aren’t?

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The only way to tell the difference between literal and figurative is context. For example, when we find something in a historical book, like the book of Kings, then it is likely to be literal. When we find something in a poetic book, like Psalms, then it is likely to be figurative. However, even then […]

Are the days in Revelation and other prophecies literal?

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Revelation is a book of symbol, almost nothing within the vision recorded in the book is literal so we should probably operate on the assumption that time periods in Revelation are symbolic unless we have a good reason for supposing otherwise. There are prophecies in the Bible where time periods should be taken literally. For […]