n. — the God of Israel understood metaphorically as a rock or stone; perhaps with emphasis on strength and permanence.
Are you not from of old,
O Yahweh my God, my Holy One?
You shall not die.
O Yahweh, you have marked them for judgment;
O Rock, you have established them for reproof.
Habakkuk 1:12, LEB
The Bible talks about God in many different ways. Metaphors that address who God is often describe an aspect of his character or nature. In the case of God ⇔ rock, it attributes the power, stability, strength, and resiliency of a rock to God. This fits the understanding of God as everlasting. God’s power and strength mean that he will never cease and that no one can avoid his judgment. Many readers will easily understand that “O Rock” refers to God, but the Bible Sense Lexicon points out that this is a metaphor, and calls the reader to consider what that metaphor conveys: the power and strength of God.
What is the Bible Sense Lexicon?
Sense of the Day is based on content from Logos’ Bible Sense Lexicon, which organizes biblical Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek words by meaning based on a variety of semantic relationships. Sense of the Day provides examples of senses in context, along with insight into their application for theology and interpretation.
The Bible Sense Lexicon is a Logos dataset available in Logos 5 Gold and higher base packages. If you’re enrolled in the Logos Academic Discount Program, you can also find the Bible Sense Lexicon in the Biblical Languages base package. Take your studies even further by exploring semantic domains, engaging the biblical text like never before.
Learn more about the Bible Sense Lexicon.