UNITY URBAN MINISTERIAL SCHOOL
Relating to God in Human Terms
Anthropomorphism in the Old Testament Book of Psalms
Submitted to Rev. Dr. Bob Brach
In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the completion of
BI 5012
Biblical Studies OT – Chronicles II to Ezekiel
By
Peter C. Finger
December 8, 2015
1
What is Anthropomorphism?
According to the Holman Bible Dictionary, Anthropomorphism is: “applying human
characteristics to a god, an animal, or an inanimate object.” Anthropomorphism comes from two
Greek words—anthros, which means “man” or “mankind,” and morphe, which means “form” or
“shape.” So, in layman’s terms, this is giving human form to something not human.1 For this
paper, we are referring specifically to God.
In primitive religions, deities were many times represented as physical images that
humankind experienced in daily activities. Thus, rocks, trees, planets and other natural objects
were worshipped, and later, man began to create gods in gravel or molten images, often referred
to as idolatry.2 Because man cannot travel to where God is (at least physically),
anthropomorphism attempts to bring God to man. 3
Anthropomorphism is attempting to define the mystery of God and to represent God in
something that is tangible. The image is drawn from human experience and many times is a
human form or includes human characteristics.4 According to Baker’s Evangelical Dictionary of
Biblical Theology:
The use of human terminology to talk about God is necessary when we, in our
limitation, wish to express truths about the Deity who by his very nature cannot
1
Homan Bible Dictionary, Broadman & Holman, 1991, 393.
2
Ibid, 393.
3
Slick, Matt. “Anthropomorphism: God Relates to Us in Human Terms.” CARM. Accessed December 5,
2015. https://carm.org/anthropomorphism-god-relates-us-human-terms.
4
Homan Bible Dictionary, 393.
2
be described or known. From biblical times to the present, people have felt
compelled to explain what God is like, and no expressions other than human
terms are able to convey any semblance of meaning to the indescribable.5
The text continues:
In all really theistic forms of religion, there is an anthropomorphic element present,
for they all presuppose the psychological truth of a certain essential likeness
between God and man. Nor, perfect as we may our theistic idea or conception of
Deity, can we, in the realm of spirit, ever wholly eliminate the anthropomorphic
element involved in this assumption, without which religion itself were not. It is
of the essence of the religious consciousness to recognize the analogy subsisting
between God’s relations to man, and man’s relation to his fellow.6
Anthropomorphism is simply the personification of an entity that is not a person. Most
cultures of the world have anthropomorphic references. Some of these include Poseidon as the
god of the oceans, and Sol as spirit of the sun.
The Purpose of Anthropomorphism
The reason that anthropomorphism is used is simply to describe God in terms that are more
understandable to humans. Since God is invisible and immaterial, we would not have a
framework on which to understand Him.7 It is important to note that even the use of “Him” in
the definition in last sentence is an anthropomorphism.
According to the “gotQuestions?org” website:
5
Elwell, Walter A., Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, Baker Books, Grand Rapids, MI.
6
Ibid.
7
“Anthropomorphism,” Theopedia, http://www.theopedia.com/anthropomorphism.
3
Anthropomorphism can be helpful in enabling us to at least partially comprehend
the incomprehensible, know the unknowable, and fathom the unfathomable.
…human words, emotions, features and knowledge are all that our Creator
provided us, so these are all that we can understand in this earthly world at this
time.8
According to Ron Rhodes, Th.D.,
Anthoropomorphism, like other figures of speech, communicate truth by
analogy.9 As Grudem put it, “If God is going to teach us about things we do not
know by direct experience, he has to teach us in terms of what we do know.”10
Anthropomorphism in The Old Testament
Most of the Old Testament and the New Testament books of the Bible contain
anthropomorphisms. Back in 1957, Ludwid Kohler stated:
“[In the Old Testament] the language which ascribes to God the attributes of man
is neither restrained nor incidental; indeed, anthropomorphism is to be found on
every page of the Old Testament in a wealth of detail, unashamed and even
drastic.11
From the books of the Bible that covered in BI 5012 this term, the most frequent use of
anthropomorphism in the Old Testament appear to be in the book of Psalms. The occurrences
8
“What is an Anthropomorphism?” http://www.gotquestions.org/anthropomorphism.html.
9
Rhodes, Ron. Recognizing and Interpreting Anthropomorphic Language, Christian Research Institute,
Article ID: JAP332, http://www.equip.org/article/recognizing-and-interpreting-anthropomorphic-language/,
November 12, 2011.
10
Grudem, Wayne. Systematic Theology, Zondervan Publishing, Grand Rapids, 159
11
Kohler, Ludwig. “Anthropomorphisms and their Meaning”, Old Testament Theology, Westminster Press,
Philadelphia, 25.
4
are too numerous to list, but fall into several categories: first, having human body parts; second,
taking physical actions of man, and third, having human emotion.
Examples of describing the human body parts God include: having a mouth (Psalm
33:6), a head (Psalm 60:7), fingers (Psalm 8:4), hands (Psalm 8:6) a face (Psalm 104:29), nostrils
(Psalm 18:8), eyes and ears (Psalm 34:15), lips (Psalm 89:34), and having a mighty arm (Psalm
89:10).
Examples of taking on human actions include: laughing (Psalm 2:4, Psalm 37:13)),
preparing his weapons (Psalm 7:13), residing in Zion (Psalm 132:14), forgetting (Psalm 9:12),
ordaining (Psalm 133:3), killing (Psalm 136:18), reaching (Psalm 18:16), decompensating
(Psalm 18:24), training (18:34), riding (18:10), uttering (18:13), thinking (Psalm 50:21), and
looking on heaven and earth (Psalm 113:6). God sits (Psalm 29:10), hears (Psalm 6:9), sees
(Psalm 10:14), watches (Psalm 145:20), perceives (Psalm 138:6), judges (Psalm 7:8), lays his
hand (Psalm 139:5), destroys (Psalm 5:6, Psalm 143:12) is mighty in battle (Psalm 24:8),
executes justice and gives food (Psalm 146:7), breaks the arm (Psalm 10:15), and strikes blows
with His hand (Psalms 39:10).
Examples of showing human emotion include exhibiting hatred (Psalm 5:5, Psalm 11:5,
Psalm 31:6), wrath (Psalm 21:9), love (Psalm 11:7), pleasure (Psalm 147:11, Psalm 149:4), and
speaking in wrath (Psalm 2:5). God abhors (Psalm 5:6), rebukes (Psalm 9:5), confronts and
overthrows (Psalm 17:13), and shows anger and favor (Psalm 30:5), and is pleased (Psalm 41:11)
Interpreting Anthropomorphisms
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When a story or scripture states that “God said this” or “God did that,” this is usually followed
by an interpretation.12 However, there is a theology that literally interprets anthropomorphic
verses, which is known as Open Theism:
Audius and his followers, th Audians, were a sect of Christians that arise in the
fourth century in Syria and extended into Scythia. They took the text of Genesis
1:27 literally, saying that God has human form. The error was so gross, and, to
use Jerome’s expression, so absolutely senseless, that it showed no validity.13
Ron Rhodes states:
Word-Faith leader Kenneth Copeeland says God has human dimensions, standing around
six-feet-two-inches and weighing a couple hundred pounds, simple because God
“measured the waters in the hollow of His hand” (Isa. 40:12).14 Clearly, misinterpreting
anthropomorphic language can lead one far astray doctrinally.15
Since we are not God, it is often difficult for us to define God.
“But God is God, and we are not, and all of our human expressions are
intrinsically inadequate in explaining fully and properly the divine. Yet
anthropomorphisms can be dangerous if we see them a sufficient to portray God
in limited human traits and terms, which could unintentionally serve to diminish
in our mind His incomparable and incomprehensible power, love, and mercy.
12
Dowd, Rev. Michael. God: Personification Does Not Equal Person blog, April 10, 2013.
13
Anthropomorphism, Theopedia.
14
Copeland, Kenneth. “Spirit, Soul and Body I,” 1985, Audiotape #01-0601, Side 1.
15
Rhodes, Ron. Recognizing and Interpreting Anthropomorphic Language, Christian Research Institute,
Article ID: JAP332, http://www.equip.org/article/recognizing-and-interpreting-anthropomorphic-language/,
November 12, 2011.
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Christians are advised to read God’s Word with the realization that He offers a
small glimpse of His glory through the only means we can absorb. As much as
anthropomorphism help us icture our loving God, He reminds us in Isaiah 55:8-9:
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neighter are your ways my ways,”
declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways
higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”16
As Ron Rhodes states:
The ancients considered God to be very much alive and active in human affairs.
To the men and women in biblical times, God was real. They knew him as a
person. He was personally active in their midst. The clearest, most succinct way
they could express their view of God and their interaction with Him was in the
language of human personality and activity—not in cold metaphysical,
theological jargon.
As scholar Ludwig Kohler put it,
One realizes at this point the function of the anthropomorphism. Their intention
inot in the least to reduce God to a rank similar to that of man. To describe God
in terms of human characteristics is not t humanize him. That has never happened
except in unreasonable polemic. Rather the purpose of anthropomorphisms is to
make God accessible to man. They hold open the door for encourter and
controversy between God’s will and man’s will. They represent God as person.
They avoid the error of presenting God as a careless and soulless abstract Idea or
fixed Principle standing over against man ike a strong silent battlement. God is
16
“What is an Anthropomorphism?” http://www.gotquestions.org/anthropomorphism.html.
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personal. He has a will, he exists in controversy ready to communicate himself,
offended at men’s sins yet with a ready ear for their supplication and compassion
for their convessions of guilt: in a word, God is a living God. Through the
anthropomorphisms of the Old Testament God stands before man as the personal
and living God, who meets him with will and with works, who directs his will and
his words toward men and draws near to men. God is the living God.17
17
Kohler, 25.
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