Exposition of the Moral Law, Book 2 · Commandment 9 · Exercitation 6
EXERCITAT. VI. Of Hyperbolik ſpeeches in exceſſe or defect. Commandement. IX.
1. King. 20.10. Then Benhadad ſent unto him and ſaid, the gods doe ſoe to mee and more alſo; if the dust of Samaria ſhall bee handfuls for all the people that ſhall follow mee.
What an hyperbole is.HYperbolies are ſuch kinde of ſpeeches, when the ſpeech exceedeth the thing it ſelfe; Fabius ſaith, conceditur enim amplius dicere quā in re eſt, quia dici quantum eſt, non poteſt, meliuſque ultra, quam citra ſtat ratio.
Hyperbolick ſpeeches not to be admitted raſhly in the Scriptures.We are not raſhly to admit theſe kinde of ſpeeches in the Scripture; for as exceſſe in manners is a fault, ſo exceſſe in ſpeech.
In what ſenſe the Scriptures admit an hyperbole.When the Scriptures make a compariſon of things which have ſome reſemblance, the compariſon is not made of things equall; but of things that have ſome ſimilitude.Examples of hyperbolick ſpeeches in ſcripture in exceſſe. Example, Gen. 13.16. I will make thy ſeed as the dust of the earth; this is not an hyperbolick ſpeech, but a compariſon of two things; of that which more eaſily can bee numbred, with that which more hardly can be numbred: God ſaith not, that he will make his ſeed as many as the dust of the earth, or the ſtarres of heaven; but hee ſaith, That men ſhall be no more able to number them, than they were able to number the duſt of the earth or the ſtarres of the heaven; for he ſaith, If a man can number the duſt of the earth, then ſhall thy ſeed bee numbred. So Ier. 15.8. Their widowes are increaſed to mee above the ſand of the ſea. In their ſenſe and feeling they thought them moe then the ſands of the ſeas.
Another example, I deſtroyed the Amorites before them, whoſe height was like the heigh of the Cedars; and hee was ſtrong as the oakes. Amos. 2.9. the compariſon here is not made of things equall, but of things that have ſome ſimilitude, The Amorites were tall as the Cedars, and ſtrong like the oakes; yet there is no equalitie here. So Iudg. 20.17. There were ſeaven hundred choſen men of Benjamin left-handed, every one could ſting ſtones at an haire breadth and not miſſe. Here is a compariſon betwixt two ſmall things; with that which the men of Benjamin did aime at, and a haire.
So Ioh. 21.25. ſaith, There are alſo many other things which Ieſus did, the which if they ſhould bee written every one, I ſuppoſe that even the world it ſelfe could not containe the bookes that ſhould be written. The Evangeliſt here compareth the leſſe with the more, the writing of Chriſts workes, with his many workes; ſo ſaith Chriſt himſelfe, If theſe ſhould hold their peace, the ſtones would immediately cry out. Luc. 19.40. This is not an hyperbolick ſpeech, but he compareth here the leſſe impoſſible with the more, to ſhew the impoſſibilitie that the Diſciples ſhould hold their peace; for rather than the Diſciples ſhall hold their peace, the very ſtones ſhall ſpeak; as if one ſhould ſay, it were as impoſſible for the King of Spaine to overcome the Turke; as for an Elephant to goe through the eye of a needle: ſo it is as impoſſible to write all Chriſts miracles, as it is for the world to containe them, if they were written; and Iohn addeth, I ſuppoſe, to qualifie and modifie this ſpeech, that it might not ſeeme to be an hyperbolick ſpeech.
There are ſpeeches in defect which ſeeme to be hyperbolick ſpeeches, and yet are not. Example,Examples of hyperbolick ſpeeches in defect. Pſal. 22.6. I am a worme and not a man, this is ſpoken of Chriſt, which being taken as the word ſoundeth, is falſe; but this is onelyonly a compariſon betwixt the worme, the vileſt creeping thing, and Chriſt in the eſtimation of wicked men; they thought him like a worme or leſſe thin a worme.
When wicked men ſpeake of themſelves then it is an hyperbole.When the Scripture bringeth in wicked men ſpeaking of themſelves, then wee are to grant hyperbolies. Deut 1.28. The cities are great, and walled up to the heaven, God himſelfe uttering the ſelfe-ſame ſpeech that the wicked doe, it is not an hyperbole.this was an hyperbolick lie in the ſpies, and was uttered to diſcourage the Iewes from going to Canaan; but the ſelfe-ſame ſpeech uttered by God himſelfe, Deut. 9.1: is not an hyperbole, but a compariſon betwixt the leſſe and the greater. So Num. 13.33. Wee were in our owne ſight as Graſhoppers, and ſo were we in their ſight; and ſo Gen. 11.3. Let us build a tower, whoſe top may reach to heaven▪ and 1. King 20.10. The duſt of Samaria ſhall not ſuffice for handfuls to the people which follow me. All theſe were hyperbolick ſpeeches, becauſe they were uttered by wicked men; but when David ſaith, Pſal. 107.26. that the waves of the ſea mount up to heaven, it is not an hyperbolick ſpeech, but a compariſon betwixt the leſſe and the more, as thoſe things which goe very high, ſeeme to goe to the heaven; ſo that the waves of the ſea went very high.
The Scriptures bring not in apologues, but onelyonly ſet downe the man that uſeth them.When the Scripture ſetteth downe apologues, it bringeth not in the apologue, but ſaith onelyonly that Iotham ſaid; The trees of the field went out to chooſe a King. Iudg. 9.7. So the Scriptures ſhew 2. King. 14. how Ehoaſh the King of Iſrael ſent to Amaziah King of Iudah ſaying; The thiſtle that was in Lebanon, ſent to the cedar that was in Lebanon, &c. the Scriptures bring not in the apologue as Aeſope doeth, becauſe they have ſome ſhew of untruth, but they tell onelyonly what the men ſaid who uttered them.
A man cannot exceed in expreſſing his ſinnes.A man ſpeaking of his owne ſinnes, hee cannot exceed in expreſſing them; when Manaſſeth ſaid, that his ſinnes were more then the ſand of the ſea; this was not an hyperbolick ſpeech. So then Paul ſaid, Of all ſinners I am the chiefe, 1. Tim, 1.15. this is an exaggeration of their ſinnes in their owne ſenſe and feeling, they counted themſelves the greateſt ſinners.
The concluſion of this is:Concluſion. Wee muſt ſhunne bragging and oſtentative words, for then wee may fall into hyperbolicke ſpeeches, which have ſome ſhew of lies.