The ancient biblical texts include parables, allegory, fables, historical documentaries (stories), speeches as literary devices to convey messages, metaphors, similes, analogies, and poems. It helps to understand different literary forms used by our ancestors as well as understand english vocabulary (terms) so that they are correctly used and understood.
Metaphor: A figure of speech where a word or phrase is applied to an OBJECT or ACTION to which it is not literally applicable. "My brother was boiling mad" is a metaphor for very angry (he was not literally boiling). When Jesus was recorded saying "I am the light of the world, he who follows me will not walk in darkness but will have the light of life", he is not literally a light, the object "light" can represent guidance for good moral behavior and salvation, and "darkness" represents being lost with regards to not discerning morality or allowing yourself to engage in sinful behavior.
Analogy: A COMPARISON between two things to explain an idea that compares one thing to something that is familiar. "But now, O Lord, you are our father, we are the clay, and you our potter; and all, we are the work of your hand." [Isaiah 64:8] Our creation entity is to us as the potter is to the clay, discerning God's will helps mold and shape us into good human beings.
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