Topical Bible: Hunting: Figurative

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In the Bible, hunting is often used figuratively to describe the pursuit of individuals or groups, whether for good or ill. This metaphorical use of hunting can be seen in various contexts, illustrating themes of pursuit, capture, and sometimes destruction.

1. Pursuit of the Wicked: In the Psalms, the imagery of hunting is used to describe the pursuit of the wicked by the righteous judgment of God. Psalm 10:9 states, "He lies in wait like a lion in a thicket; he lurks to seize the oppressed; he catches the lowly in his net." Here, the wicked are depicted as hunters lying in wait, but the underlying message is that God will ultimately pursue and judge them.

2. Persecution of the Righteous: The metaphor of hunting is also employed to describe the persecution of the righteous by the wicked. In 1 Samuel 24:11 , David speaks to Saul, saying, "See, my father, look at this piece of your robe in my hand! I cut it off the corner of your robe but did not kill you. See that there is no evil or rebellion in my hands. I have not sinned against you, even though you are hunting me down to take my life." Here, Saul's relentless pursuit of David is likened to a hunt, emphasizing the danger and malice involved.

3. Divine Pursuit: Conversely, hunting imagery is used to describe God's pursuit of His people, not for harm, but for redemption and correction. In Lamentations 3:10 , the prophet laments, "He is a bear lying in wait, a lion in hiding." This portrays God as a hunter, but the context reveals a deeper purpose of bringing His people back to righteousness through discipline.

4. Spiritual Warfare: The New Testament also uses hunting imagery in the context of spiritual warfare. In 1 Peter 5:8 , believers are warned, "Be sober-minded and alert. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour." Here, the devil is depicted as a hunter, emphasizing the need for vigilance and spiritual readiness among Christians.

5. False Teachers and Deception: The metaphor extends to the realm of false teachings and deception. In Ezekiel 13:18 , the prophet condemns false prophetesses, saying, "This is what the Lord GOD says: Woe to the women who sew magic charms on all their wrists and make veils of every size to hunt down souls." The act of hunting souls illustrates the deceptive and destructive nature of false teachings.

6. The Pursuit of Wisdom: On a more positive note, the pursuit of wisdom and understanding is sometimes likened to a hunt. Proverbs 6:5 advises, "Free yourself, like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter, like a bird from the snare of the fowler." This encourages the diligent pursuit of wisdom and the avoidance of folly, akin to escaping a hunter's trap.

In these figurative uses, hunting serves as a powerful metaphor to convey the dynamics of pursuit, whether it be God's pursuit of His people, the righteous pursuit of justice, or the malevolent pursuit by the wicked. The imagery underscores the intensity and seriousness of these pursuits, urging readers to consider their own spiritual vigilance and alignment with God's will.

Nave's Topical Index

Jeremiah 16:16
Behold, I will send for many fishers, said the LORD, and they shall fish them; and after will I send for many hunters, and they shall hunt them from every mountain, and from every hill, and out of the holes of the rocks.
Nave's Topical Index

Library

Against Embellishing the Body.
... us not to approach to another's river, meaning by the figurative expression "another's ...
of life may be added to us; [1583] both by not hunting after pleasure ...
/.../clement/the instructor paedagogus/chapter ii against embellishing the body.htm

Examination of the Antitheses of Marcion, Bringing them to the ...
... swords into ploughshares, and their spears (which are a kind of hunting instruments)
into ... to the genealogy of Mary, [3504] He declared in a figurative way even ...
/.../the five books against marcion/chapter i examination of the antitheses.htm

On the Resurrection of the Flesh
... Chapter XX.--Figurative Senses Have Their Foundation in Literal Fact Besides, the ...
Members Apology for the Necessity Which Heresy Imposes of Hunting Up All Its ...
//christianbookshelf.org/tertullian/on the resurrection of the flesh/

Translated from Latin of Rufinus.
... found a more regular movement [2282] than in others, as in hunting-dogs or ... I think
there is no absurdity in explaining the tropical or figurative [2326] nature ...
/.../origen/origen de principiis/translated from latin of rufinus.htm

Two Ways of Despising God's Feast
... We choose lives of weary work and hunting after uncertain riches, rather ... and terrible]
weeping and gnashing of teeth"awful though figurative expressions for ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture b/two ways of despising gods.htm

Of Uncharitable Truth.
... very industrious to improve the opportunity, nay, has a strange sagacity in hunting
it out ... to a literal sense of what the Psalmist spoke in a figurative, Psa.14 ...
/.../allestree/the government of the tongue/section vi of uncharitable truth.htm

Doctrinal and Moral Treatises. Index of Subjects.
... Abraham, Christ the promised Seed of, [268]339, [269]340; His example cited,
[270]408, [271]409, [272]412; actions of, figurative, [273]470; told no lie, [274 ...
/.../on care to be had for the dead /doctrinal and moral treatises index.htm

A Defence of the Doctrine of Justification, by Faith in Jesus ...
... was in Adam, or that we lost in him: to what more would his work amount, than to
put us into the possession of a natural, figurative, shadowish righteousness ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/a defence of the doctrine.htm

Introductory Notice Respecting Tauler's Life and Times
... inquisitors (who, moreover, were of the Papal, while most of the "Friends of God"
were of the Imperial party) were actively engaged in hunting out heretics ...
/.../introductory notice respecting taulers life.htm