Simile and Metaphor

Simile and Metaphor

Discover the captivating beauty of Hebrew poetry within the Book of Mormon.

Through the masterful use of simile, double simile, and metaphor, this sacred text paints a vivid tapestry of imagery and meaning.

Hebrew poetic writing includes use of simile, double simile and methaphor. All these are evidenced within the Book of Mormon.

SIMILE

1 Nephi 3:16

Yea, even my father spake much concerning the Gentiles,

And also concerning the house of Israel –

That they should be compared like unto an olive tree

Whose branches should be broken off

And should be scattered upon all the face of the earth;

(LDS: 1 Nephi 10:12)

1 Nephi 4:49

And the brightness thereof was like unto the brightness of a flaming fire

Which ascendeth up unto God forever and ever and hath no end.

(LDS: 1 Nephi 15:30)

1 Nephi 5:155

And whoso shall lay their hands upon me shall wither even as a dried weed,

And he shall be as naught before the power of God, for God shall smite him.

(LDS: 1 Nephi 17:48)

2 Nephi 4:34 For behold, they had hardened their hearts against Him, that they had become like unto a flint;

(LDS: 2 Nephi 5:21)

2 Nephi 5:106

Thy sons have fainted, save these two;

They lie at the head of all the streets, as a wild bull in a net;

They are full of the fury of the Lord, the rebuke of thy God.

(LDS: 2 Nephi 8:20)

2 Nephi 11:118

And all the nations that fight against Zion and that distress her

shall be as a dream of a night vision;

(LDS: 2 Nephi 27:3)

2 Nephi 11:154 But behold, saith the Lord of Hosts, I will show unto the children of men that it is not yet a very little while and Lebanon shall be turned into a fruitful field;

And the fruitful field shall be esteemed as a forest.

(LDS: 2 Nephi 27:28)

Jacob 3:31

For behold, thus saith the Lord: I will liken thee, O house of Israel, like unto a tame olive tree which a man took and nourished in his vineyard,

And it grew and waxed old and began to decay.

(LDS: Jacob 5:3)

Jacob 3:99

But behold, they have become like unto the wild olive tree

And they are of no worth but to be hewn down and cast into the fire;

And it grieveth Me that I should lose them;

(LDS: Jacob 5:46)

Mosiah 1:129

And their torment is as a lake of fire and brimstone,

Whose flames are unquenchable

And whose smoke ascendeth up forever and ever.'

(LDS: Mosiah 3:27)

Mosiah 7:50

And it shall come to pass that the life of King Noah shall be valued even as a garment in a hot furnace.

For he shall know that I Am the Lord.

(LDS: Mosiah 12:3)

Mosiah 8:22

He was oppressed and He was afflicted,

Yet He opened not His mouth;

He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter,

And as a sheep before her shearers is dumb,

so He opened not His mouth.

(LDS: Mosiah 14:7)

Mosiah 9:23

Yea, and ye shall be smitten on every hand

and shall be driven and scattered to and fro,

even as a wild flock is driven by wild and ferocious beasts;

(LDS: Mosiah 17:17)

Mosiah 9:117

And it came to pass that the battle became exceeding sore,

for they fought like lions for their prey.

(LDS: Mosiah 20:10)

Alma 9:30

Then is the time when their torments shall be as a lake of fire and brimstone whose flames ascendeth up forever and ever.

(LDS: Alma 12:17)

Alma 10:85

And when they saw Alma and Amulek coming forth out of the prison and the walls thereof had fallen to the earth,

They were struck with great fear and fled from the presence of alma and amulek,

even as a goat fleeth with her young from two lions;

And thus they did flee from the presence of Alma and Amulek.

(LDS: Alma 14:29)

Alma 14:84-Alma 14:87

Behold, the field was ripe,

And blessed are ye, for ye did thrust in the sickle and did reap with your mights,

Yea, all the day long did ye labor.
And behold the number of your sheaves,

And they shall be gathered into the garners,

that they are not wasted,

Yea, they shall not be beaten down by the storm at the last day,
Yea, neither shall they be harrowed up by the whirlwinds;

But when the storm cometh, they shall be gathered together in their place,

that the storm cannot penetrate to them;

Yea, neither shall they be driven with fierce winds whithersoever the enemy listeth to carry them;
But behold, they are in the hands of the Lord of the harvest and they are His and He will raise them up at the last day.

(LDS: Alma 26:7)

Alma 14:71 And he said unto the priests of Noah that their seed should cause many to be put to death in the like manner as he was, And that they should be scattered abroad and slain, even as a sheep having no shepherd is driven and slain by wild beasts;

(LDS: Alma 25:12)

3 Nephi 4:55-3 Nephi 4:58

And it came to pass that there came a voice again unto the people - and all the people did hear and did witness of it - saying: O ye people of these great cities which have fallen, which are a descendant of Jacob, yea, which are of the house of Israel, O ye people of the house of Israel,

How oft have I gathered you as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings and have nourished you.
And again –

How oft would I have gathered you as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings,

Yea, O ye people of the house of Israel which have fallen,
Yea, O ye people of the house of Israel, ye that dwell at Jerusalem, as ye that have fallen;

Yea, how oft would I have gathered you as a hen gathereth her chickens,

And ye would not.
O ye house of Israel whom I have spared,

How oft will I gather you as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, if ye will repent and return unto Me with full purpose of heart;

(LDS: 3 Nephi 10:6)

3 Nephi 7:41

And they shall be as salt that has lost its savor,

which is thenceforth good for nothing

but to be cast out and to be trodden underfoot of My people O house of Israel.'

(LDS: 3 Nephi 16:15)

3 Nephi 9:52

And ye shall be in the midst of them, which shall be many;

And ye shall be among them as a lion among the beasts of the forest,

And as a young lion among the flocks of sheep.

Who if he goeth through both treadeth down and teareth in pieces,

And none can deliver.

(LDS: 3 Nephi 20:16)

3 Nephi 9:99

And My people which are a remnant of Jacob shall be among the Gentiles,

Yea, in the midst of them as a lion among the beasts of the forest,

As a young lion among the flocks of sheep,

Who if he go through both treadeth down and teareth in pieces,

And none can deliver.

(LDS: 3 Nephi 21:12)

3 Nephi 11:31

Yea, even all things which should come upon the face of the earth, even until the elements should melt with fervent heat,

And the earth should be wrapped together as a scroll,

And the heaven and the earth should pass away;

(LDS: 3 Nephi 26:3)

3 Nephi 13:34

And twice were they cast into a den of wild beasts,

And behold, they did play with the beasts as a child with a suckling lamb

And received no harm.

(LDS: 3 Nephi 28:22)

Mormon 2:20

And from this time forth did the Nephites gain no power over the Lamanites,

But began to be swept off by them,

Even as a dew before the sun.

(LDS: Mormon 4:18)

Mormon 2:45

For behold, the Spirit of the Lord hath already ceased to strive with their fathers,

And they are without Christ and God in the world,

And they are driven about as chaff before the wind.

(LDS: Mormon 5:16)

Mormon 2:47

But now behold, they are led about by Satan,

Even as chaff is driven before the wind,

or as a vessel is tossed about upon the waves without sail or anchor or without anything wherewith to steer her;

And even as she is, so are they.

(LDS: Mormon 5:18)

Mormon 2:54

Therefore, repent ye and humble yourselves before Him,

lest He shall come out in justice against you –

Lest a remnant of the seed of Jacob shall go forth among you

As a lion and tear you in pieces

And there is none to deliver.

(LDS: Mormon 5:24)

Mormon 4:64

For behold, when ye shall be brought to see your nakedness before God,

and also the glory of God and the holiness of Jesus Christ,

It will kindle a flame of unquenchable fire upon you.

(LDS: Mormon 9:5)

Ether 1:45-46

And they were small and they were light upon the water,

Even like unto the lightness of a fowl upon the water,

And they were built after a manner that they were exceeding tight,

Even that they would hold water like unto a dish;

And the bottom thereof was tight like unto a dish,

And the sides thereof were tight like unto a dish,

And the ends thereof were peaked,

And the top thereof was tight like unto a dish,

And the length thereof was the length of a tree,

And the door thereof when it was shut was tight like unto a dish.

(LDS: Ether 2:17)

Ether 1:56

For behold, ye cannot have windows,

for they will be dashed in pieces,

Neither shall ye take fire with you,

for ye shall not go by the light of fire;

For behold, ye shall be as a whale in the midst of the sea,

for the mountain waves shall dash upon you.

(LDS: Ether 2:24)

Moroni 9:11

For behold, many of the daughters of the Lamanites have they taken prisoners;

And after depriving them of that which was most dear and precious above all things - which is chastity and virtue - And after that they had done this thing, they did murder them in a most cruel manner, torturing their bodies even unto death; And after that they have done this, they devour their flesh like unto wild beasts because of the hardness of their hearts;

And they do it for a token of bravery.

(LDS: Moroni 9:10)

DOUBLE SIMILE

1 Nephi 6:25 O that thou hadst hearkened to My commandments.

Then had thy peace been as a river,

And thy righteousness as the waves of the sea.

(LDS: 1 Nephi 20:18)

2 Nephi 5:66

And all they which shall condemn Me –

Behold, all they shall wax old as a garment,

And the moth shall eat them up.

(LDS: 2 Nephi 7:9)

2 Nephi 9:13

But yet, in it there shall be a tenth;

And they shall return and shall be eaten

as a teil tree

and as an oak

whose substance is in them when they cast their leaves.

So the holy seed shall be the substance thereof.

(LDS: 2 Nephi 16:13)

2 Nephi 10:14

And it shall be as the chased roe

and as a sheep that no man taketh up;

They shall every man turn to his own people and flee everyone into his own land.

(LDS: 2 Nephi 23:14)

Mosiah 5:86

Yea, they are as a wild flock

which fleeth from the shepherd and scattereth,

And are driven and are devoured by the beasts of the forest.

(LDS: Mosiah 8:21)

Mosiah 7:61-62

And he also prophesieth evil concerning thy life

and saith that thy life shall be as a garment in a furnace of fire.

And again, he saith that thou shalt be as a stalk,

even as a dry stalk of the field which is run over by the beasts and trodden underfoot.

(LDS: Mosiah 12:10)

Mosiah 8:17

For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant,

and as a root out of dry ground.

He hath no form nor comeliness;

And when we shall see Him,

There is no beauty that we should desire Him.

(LDS: Mosiah 14:2)

Alma 16:225

Therefore, if ye do not remember to be charitable,

Ye are as dross which the refiners do cast out - it being of no worth –

and is trodden underfoot of men.

(LDS: Alma 34:29)

3 Nephi 3:43

And thus six years had not passed away since the more part of the people had turned from their righteousness like the dog to his vomit, or like the sow to her wallowing in the mire.

(LDS: 3 Nephi 7:8)

3 Nephi 9:52

And ye shall be in the midst of them, which shall be many;

And ye shall be among them,

as a lion among the beasts of the forest,

and as a young lion among the flocks of sheep,

Who, if he goeth through, both treadeth down and teareth in pieces,

And none can deliver.

(LDS: 3 Nephi 20:16)

3 Nephi 10:14

For the Lord hath called thee as a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit,

And a wife of youth when thou wast refused, ' saith thy God.