When reading the Bible, How do I know when something is symbolic and when it is literal?

Jabbah 2.0: When reading the Bible, How do I know when something is symbolic and when it is literal?
I noticed that interpretation is what seperates most Christian religions. So I want to know how people make the distinction.

If it doesn’t make sense do I just say it’s symbolic? Isn’t that just like altering the bible to make it more believable? Please help me understand.

Answers and Views:

Answer by Fireball
IT ALL HAPPENED BUT THE PARABLES TOLD BY CHRIST WERE DEMONSTRATIONS OF FUTURE EVENTS OR TO TEACH SOMETHING….THE TEN VIRGINS WITH THEIR lamps means that many will not be ready when He comes back….REV is future events with symbolism…psalms ais prayers..

Answer by Afridi
Basically anything that defies logic and makes no sense whatsoever is not to be taken literally. Plus anything that is against the moral values of our current society… for example… kill the gays.

Answer by Philoso pher
If something contradicts true science or proven history, it is to be taken as symbolic.

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Answer by loaded_n_ready
Simple. They are all symbolic.

Answer by Super Atheist!
None of it is literal…treat it all as symbolic.

@Fireball: What about the flood then, that’s not a parable from Jesus, and it’s obviously something that never happened.

Answer by HUMANIST
It’s all literal. Why do Christians think that they can cherry pick the bits that they like & ignore the bits that they don’t. It is either all true or all false. So what is it going to be?

Answer by cuziwannaknow
it depends on what is convenient for your cause

Answer by OldGringo
Reading the Bible is much more like reading literature than a text book. Much is metaphor and little is direct fact + fact + conclusion. When I study the Bible ( as opposed to just reading) I try to have three or more translations and a book of commentary or two. It is slow going, but usually quite fruitful.

Answer by no1home2day
Context, man, CONTEXT!

Read it as though you were the intended audience. Look at it from the perspective of the people who were there at the time.

It’s not all that complex. When Jesus said “What shall I compare heaven to? And to what shall I liken it? There was a man who … (etc)” – so, what do YOU think – are you so confused that it isn’t obvious that this is symbolic, because it is a comparison?

And when it says that Elijah called all the people to gather and call upon their god (baal), etc, it’s obvious to any intelligent person that this is a historic account of an event that took place.

Satan is the author of confusion, and if you are confused by the Scriptures, there’s the cause!

Answer by Roger
Here’s an excellent essay on how to interpret the bible …

https://gracethrufaith.com/selah/how-to-interpret-the-bible/

Answer by heiscomingintheclouds
This has been a controversy for generations. There is a multitude of difference ways to view scripture, but only one true way or interpretation prospers.

A man can read the bible and do one of two things. He can either abide by his own undersstanding or he can be submissive to God and abide by his understanding.

Man says this, God says that, and this is where the differences come when understanding God’s Word.

It is written, that God is the god of confusion, but yet there is so much confusion in the World today and the reason for it is men creating their own interpretations and quenching the Holy Spirit interpretations.

So the answer to your question is let God lead you to his understanding and you will know what is literal, what is symbolic, and what can be discerned as both symbolic and literal.

ONE thing I would like to warn you about though is there is much that should be taken as literal today, that have been interpreted as symbolism and this has done much damage to the faith.

Answer by ella
There are established interpretation that has authority. Saints, Church Elders and Holy Fathers.

Answer by imrod
Seriously? You can’t read something and understand figures of speech for yourself? Come on, you are an intelligent person. You use proper grammar and punctuation, you must understand how to read and understand; it isn’t rocket science.

When you got a 7 headed dragon then that is figurative. When it says, thou shalt not commit adultery, that is literal. When Jesus said it is as difficult for a rich man to go to heaven as it is for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, that is a figure of speech. It means it is very very hard for that to had. When it says take a speck out of your eye before removing a beam out of someone elses eye, that is a metaphor. See it’s easy.

Answer by QUEST?
it is all symbolic, and you must understand the symbolism .

Answer by Joel V
Just take it contextually. If it is told as real history with real people and real events, take it literally. When it is told just to teach a lesson, such as Jesus’ parables, which did not name the people in them specifically, they are not actual events and just used to teach a lesson.

Answer by Paul
eh yeah pretty much, especially in the protestant churches.Catholics usually defer to the priests, bishops and the pope as well as ecumenical councils and the writings of the various church fathers to help them.

Of course when people share their faith according to the scriptures someone else’s view challenges their interpretations or some other scripture they read challenges their interpretations so they have to re-evaluate those interpretations as they progress on a spiritual journey of discovery.

Remember science and religion are both quests for the truth not complete understanding of the truth.