XVIII. of a Catachresis

    HITHERTO we have expounded the kinds of tropes, now we are to treat briefly of their affections. Which are,

    Catachresis,

    Hyperbole, and an

    Allegory. Which three words signify in English

    Harshness,

    Boldness, and

    Continuation.

    Kataxrhsiv, Catachresis, is called in Latin abusio, an abuse, not as if the sacred scripture had abused any words, but because the things that are cataehrestical, differ in some things from the custom of speaking tropically, and have a harder utterance and coherence. The style of scripture is most holy, and pure from any blemish, or indecency, of which take a few examples from a threefold kind.

    1. With respect to the acceptation and signification of words, Le 26:30, the fragments of idols are called carcases, by a hard metaphor, alluding to the carcases of men before mentioned, De 16:7. To boil XXXX is put for roasting the paschal lamb, which was not to be boiled, but roasted, by the command of God, Ex 12:9, (&c.) Live flesh, (in the Hebrew text,) is put for raw flesh. 1Sa 2:15, the water, which the three worthies of David brought with the peril of their lives, is called (by a harder metonymy,) their blood. Job 4:12, "Now a word was brought by stealth to me," he speaks of an evangelical oracle that came secretly to Eliphaz. See more examples, Ps 88:5, where he calls [forsaken] "free," &c., Mt 12. Ro 7:23, "Indwelling sin," is called a law, because it has a kind of command upon a man while he lives, unless the power of grace restrains it. See 1Co 11:10, the covering of a woman's head, is called exousia, "power," (because it is passively a sign of her being under command of the man,) by a catachrestical metonymy.

    Sin is called melh, the members, which are on the earth, by a metaphor, See Col 2:11.

    2. With respect to the joining of the words when some words (in a metaphor especially,) are joined together, which seem not so well to correspond, as Ex 5:21, where it is said to stink in the eyes, which better agrees with the nostrils, which denotes great averseness. Ex 20:18, "And all the people saw the thunder and lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet," of which only lightning is seen, the others are heard. So to see a voice, Re 1:12. See more examples, Mt 7:21-22; 10:15; 1Ti 6:19. 2Co 5:7; 2Ti 2:19, (&c.)

    With respect to the change of words. This belongs to the writings of the New Testament, and the Greek tongue, in which certain words are used to signify different things, because one and the same Hebrew word, (whence that speech was taken,) may so signify. Thus Aiwnev (Aiones) secula ages, are put for the world, Heb 1:6, because the Hebrew XXXX signifies both ages and the world, Ec 3:11. Dwrean, gratis, "freely," is put for mathn, frustra, "in vain," Ga 2:21, from the Hebrew word XXXX which signifies both, viz., (freely,) as opposed to merit, price, or reward, and, (in vain) as it is contradistinguished, from the hoped effect or event, Ps 109:2-3. See more examples, Re 14:8; 18:3, compared with Job 6:4; Mt 6:34. A word that signifies malice, is put for affliction because the Hebrew word XXXX signifies both. See Am 3:6; 1Co 15:54, with Am 1:11; Heb 11:31; Jas 2:25; 1Co 2:6; 14:20; Col 3:14; 4:12; 1Jo 4:18-20, with Jg 9:16, and Pr 11:3, (&c.)