Theologians use different terms to understand the status of the human representation of God. They call them analogies, symbols or more commonly metaphors, in the literal sense of the word that comes from Greek and means to transfer or move. A metaphor is a figure of speech where the common meaning of a word is transferred to another reality and where it can be understood only implicitly. Metaphors abound in our daily language. The lion is “the king of beasts,” we are in the “twilight of our life,” the “market crashed,” they were guilty of “money laundering,” etc. All these words acquire a meaning other than the literal one, according to the context in which they are used.

Maimonides tells us that our way of speaking about God is entirely metaphorical: “That is to say, ‘under his feet’ (Exodus 24:10), ‘written with the finger of God’ (Exodus 31:18), ‘the eyes of God’ (Genesis 38:7)… All of these expressions are adapted to the mental capacity of humanity, which has a clear perception of what a physical body is. The Torah speaks in the language of man, but all of these phrases are metaphorical.” (Mishneh Torah 1:9).

Maimonides is referring to our habitual practice of anthropomorphism, that is, conceiving of God in human form. Just think of Michelangelo’s painting of The Creation in the Sistine Chapel, where an old man (God) touches Adam with his finger. Therefore, we must not forget that these descriptions of God should not be taken literally but metaphorically, and not only in the case of his physical attributes, but also those of his “personality” (another metaphor), as when the prophets tell us that God gets “angry” (Jeremiah 7:19).

Maimonides, a rationalist par excellence, said that it was a heresy to think that God has a body, feelings, and that he behaves like human beings. God is not the one who literally “hears” prayers, “spoke” at Sinai, or “sees” human behavior. All these expressions are man’s way of understanding a reality that transcends human understanding and knowledge.

Thinking and speaking about God is thinking and speaking metaphorically. We must accept this fact and understand its implications. Because speaking with metaphors is when a word can take on any meaning. That is why “You are my sunshine” means more than a ray of light.

By Marcos Gojman.

Bibliography: “The Jewish Approach to God” by Rabbi Neil Gillman.