As promised, I said that when this figure of speech popped up I would discuss it. If you remember from Basics 8, synecdoche and metonymy are closely related. I think I’ve got them straight now.
The word metonymy, pronounced /mə-ˈtä-nə-mē/, is defined as the substitution of one word for another. A common example is the word “crown” being used to describe “lands belonging to the the crown.”
Turning to my Bible study friend Dr. Zuck, he has a number of examples laid out in his book Basic Bible Interpretation.
People who opposed Jeremiah said, “Let’s attack him with our tongues” (Jer 18:18). Since a lashing him literally with their tongues would be an absurdity, it is obvious they were referring to their words.
1
The words “Jerusalem was going out to Him” (Matt 3:5, NASB) point to the fact that the people of Jerusalem were going to Him; the place was substituted for the residents themselves.
ibid.
When Jesus said, “If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand” (Mark 3:25), He obviously did not mean a literal house. He implied a family living in a house.
2
As with any figure of speech which involves substitution, metonymy can produce some goofy ideas if we aren’t careful. Being students of the word, we are often determined to “take the Bible literally”. But the definition of “literal” is meaning, not form. What is authorial intent?
In the case of figures of speech, knowing what the human author was doing with his words will help us to understand God’s meaning.
To recap and keep metonymy and synecdoche straight:
| Metonymy | Substitution of one word for another |
| Synecdoche | Substitution of a part of something for the whole. Or the whole for a part. |
I love learning new terms! Knowing figures of speech has the capacity to clarify so much of scripture so we can understand it for ourselves. Now we know another and maybe we will be able to start identifying these patterns of language for ourselves.
