Discussion Jumpstarter
Study leader reference - not a definitive answer
Question 3
The speaker uses Psalm 98:8 (“Let the rivers clap their hands…”) and even the New World Translation outline (“Wisdom personified speaks”) to argue personification is normal; what does it reveal about God’s communication style in Scripture that He allows figurative speech that can be misread literally, and how should that shape our confidence when building arguments from poetic passages?
Another way to ask: If Scripture uses figures like “rivers clap their hands,” what does that say about how God communicates in the Bible? How careful should we be about building big arguments from poetic language?
Discussion Jumpstarter
Direct Answer
Based on the speaker’s teaching, Scripture often uses personification and poetic imagery, so readers must recognize genre and figures of speech instead of forcing literal conclusions. That should make us more cautious and humble about building dogmatic arguments from poetic texts.
- He points to Psalm 98:8: “Let the rivers clap their hands. Let the hills be joyful,” and asks whether anyone thinks that’s literal—implying it’s clearly figurative.
- He states, “throughout Scripture, we find Bible writers using personification.”
- He notes even the NWT outline admits Proverbs 8 is “Wisdom personified speaks,” showing figurative reading is not a hostile idea.
- He calls reading Proverbs 8 as wisdom personified “the most literal reading” and “common sense interpretation.”
- He warns against using Proverbs 8:22 to make “dogmatic pronouncements” if the basis is uncertain.