Simile
Explicit comparison
Simile is an explicit comparison of two unlike things through a comparative word such as “like,” “as,” or “even as.” By naming the comparison — rather than implying it as in metaphor — Simile makes the reader conscious of the point of resemblance and invites reflection.
Etymology
From the Latin similitudo (likeness, resemblance), derived from similis (like, similar). Greek has no distinct term for Simile as a separate figure; Bullinger treats it as a sub-figure within the comparison figures (Wave C), closely related to and distinguished from metaphor and allegory.
Definition
Simile states explicitly that X is like Y; the comparison is an open invitation to the reader to identify the tertium comparationis (the point of similarity). Bullinger emphasises that biblical Similes are never merely ornamental: the point of comparison always carries theological weight. The power of Simile lies in its directness — it places the unlike beside the unlike and asks the reader to see.
Biblical Examples
The righteous as a tree:
- Ps. 1:3 — “And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither”
Sheep — lost humanity and the suffering Messiah:
- Isa. 53:6 — “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way”
- Isa. 53:7 — “he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter”
The kingdom of heaven — a series of comparisons:
- Matt. 13:31 — “The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed”
- Matt. 13:33 — “The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal”
- Matt. 13:44 — “The kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field”
The devil as a roaming lion:
- 1Pet. 5:8 — “your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour”
The glorified Christ:
- Rev. 1:14-15 — “His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire; and his feet like unto fine brass… and his voice as the sound of many waters”
The seed of Israel:
- Gen. 22:17 — “I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore”
Related Stylistic Figures
- metaphor — implied comparison (without “like” or “as”)
- allegory — sustained, narrative comparison
- anthropopatheia — attribution of properties to God; Simile can compare God with human situations
Source
E.W. Bullinger, Figures of Speech Used in the Bible (1898), pp. 726-747.