The Biblical Imagery of Feet as a Vehicle for Truth

By Richard D. Patterson

[Richard D. Patterson is Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Semitics and Old Testament, Liberty University, Lynchburg, Virginia.]

Figurative speech plays a large role in many languages. Zuck defines figurative speech as “a picturesque, out-of-the-ordinary way of presenting literal facts that might otherwise be stated in a normal, plain, ordinary way.”[1] Classical literary theory divides figurative speech into the two categories of rhetorical figures and tropes. In the former, words are used in nontraditional ways to achieve unexpected effects, and the latter involves figures in which one reality is compared with another (e.g., metaphor and simile).[2] It is commonly maintained that rhetorical figures, such as idioms, do not effect a change of meaning in the words of the figure, but in a trope the comparison provides an advance in a word’s meaning. Thus to say that someone is a fox is a trope that suggests that he is as crafty or sly as the fabled fox.

This distinction between rhetorical figures and tropes may not be quite as rigid as customarily held, however. In a common idiom a parent who pays for his child’s education is said to “foot the bill.” Although the individual words retain their normal dictionary meanings, the combination of words does effect an advance in meaning. Thus Zuck rightly points out, “An idiom is a combination of words that have a meaning as a whole, but in which the meaning of the combination is not the same as the meaning of the individual words.”[3] In effect the idiom enjoys a sort of synthesis with tropes that might be termed “virtual metaphor.” Instances of overlap will become apparent in the study that follows.

People frequently use figurative expressions that utilize body parts. For example, if something is “at hand,” it is close by or near. To “have one’s hands full” indicates that a person is extremely busy. If a person is told, “Keep your eyes open,” he is to be watchful for something or someone. To “keep an eye on” someone is to watch or look after him or her. If someone says he will “play it by ear,” he implies that he has no preconceived plan and will improvise in accord with the situation. To say that one is “all ears” is to suggest eagerness to hear or listen attentively. If someone wants to “get something into another person’s head,” he hopes to make that person understand. Combining head with foot can signify a merism expressing totality. Thus a person can be described as a picture of loveliness “from head to foot.”

This study is concerned with the latter of this pair of opposites—the foot. After noting numerous examples of figurative (especially idiomatic) uses of foot and feet in selected modern languages, an examination of uses in the ancient Near East and the Scriptures is undertaken. Particular attention is given to the question of whether such uses of foot and feet can convey both meaning and truth, especially when attributed to God.

Figurative Uses of “Feet” in Western Languages

The foot can indicate something that is opposite something else. The foot of the bed is at the opposite end of its head. A serviceman’s footlocker is at the foot of the bed. The foot of the statue points to its base, while the foot of the mountain stands at the opposite end of its peak.

The words “foot” or “feet” occur in many idioms that express human relationships or situations. When a man is said to have “feet of clay,” he is said to be fallible. To be on a “firm footing” is to enjoy a stable position as in business or a personal relationship. If one “gets off on the wrong foot,” he is in an unfavorable position. Someone who “plays footsie” with another person is having an intimate relationship, perhaps flirting with disaster. Someone who is “footloose,” however, is unattached. If someone “puts his foot in his mouth,” he blunders by making an embarrassing or troublesome remark. “Putting one’s best foot forward” signifies doing one’s best. To “put one’s feet to something” is to act on the basis of prior information or convictions. “Getting a foothold” on a problem secures a firm basis for solving it. If someone “puts his foot down,” he makes a firm decision. To “follow in someone’s footsteps” is to emulate another’s example or occupy his or her former position. To “leave one’s footprints” is to provide an example or an impression.[4]

Idiomatic uses of “foot” and “feet” are also common in other modern-day Western languages. Thus the French pied (“foot”) can express being actively employed (être en pied) and to be suspended or dismissed is être mis à pied. Spanish pie (“foot”) can indicate something “under foot” (debajo de los pies), submission, or the conquest of one’s enemies (cf. Ps. 18:38–39). Italian piede (“foot”) occurs in such idioms as “to treat someone badly” (mettere qualcuno sotto i piede) and “to have a foot in the grave” (avere un piede nella fossa). The latter idea is also found in the German phrase mit einem Fuss in grabe stehen. And mit beiden Fussen auf der Erde stehen indicates a realistic attitude.

Similar uses of “foot” can be detected among the ancients. Thus in the classical Mediterranean world Latin pes (“foot”) occurs in idioms indicating the support of one’s proposal or agreeing with someone (as in pedibus ire). To be under someone’s power was said to be sub pedibus, and sub pede ponere could imply being lightly esteemed or regarded. Among the Greeks the word πούς is in idioms expressing close proximity or nearness, as in πρόσθεν πόδος (“near a foot”). But ἐκ ποδῶν (“out of feet”) expresses the opposite idea, and ἔξω τινός πόδα ἔχειν (“to have something outside of one’s foot”) meant being clear of something.

Figurative Uses of “Feet” in the Ancient Near East

In all periods of the ancient Near East “foot” is often used in reference to submission or doing homage. Thus from an old Babylonian text found at Nippur and now in the Istanbul Museum comes the affirmation, “I kissed the feet of Ninshubur and Ninsiana my lords.”[5] The Neo-Assyrian king Ashurbanipal frequently cited the submission of his enemies as “kissing his feet.” He said that the Elamite king Tammaritu “kissed my royal feet and smoothed (brushed) the ground (before me) with his beard.”[6] During a subsequent campaign in Elam Ashurbanipal took Tammaritu along “who had fled before Indabigash, his servant, and laid hold of my feet.”[7] In a prayer to the sun god, Ashurbanipal prayed, “O Iamas, bring all people under my rule, subject [them] to my feet.”[8] In a similar vein is the following sentiment in Ashurbanipal’s coronation hymn: “May Assur, who gave you the [scepter] prolong your days and years! Spread your land wide at your feet!”[9]

In a Phoenician inscription discovered at Karatepe the royal servant Azatiwada boasted, “In places where there had been evil men, gang leaders,. .. I, Azatiwada, placed them under my feet.”[10] The Ugaritic goddess Asherah bowed down at the feet of the god El “and does him reverence.”[11] The goddess Anat threatened to throw Aqhat down at her feet and trample on him, thus submitting him to her will. She subsequently prostrated herself at El’s feet in order to denounce Aqhat.[12]

Correspondence between royal officials and the king often contained a statement of the official prostration before the king. Thus an unnamed Ugaritic official greeted his king with these words: “At the feet of my master [(from) afar], seven times and seven times [do I fall].”[13] Such diplomatic protocol is typical of this type of correspondence, whether addressed to the king[14] or the queen: “To the queen, my lady, say: [Me]ssage of urgit tub your servant. At the feet of my lady (from) afar seven times and seven times do I fall.”[15] A late Bronze Age letter from an official in Ugarit to an Egyptian local governor in Palestinian Aphek indicates that such a custom could be extended to individuals other than the reigning king or queen: “To Haia the Great Man, my father, my lord, speak: thus says Takuhlina the governor (?) of the land of Ugarit-city, your son, your servant. At the feet of my lord I fall.”[16]

Greetings containing a statement of prostration were standard protocol in letters of Palestinian officials during the Amarna period (fourteenth century B.C.). Thus Abdi-Heba, the local ruler at Jerusalem affirmed, “Say to the king my lord: Message of Abdi-Heba, your servant. I fall at the feet of my lord, the king, seven times and seven times.”[17] Such correspondence could become quite flowery at times, as in the following cases. “To the king, my lord, my Sun-god, my pantheon, say: Thus Shuwardata, thy servant, servant of the king and the dirt (under) his two feet, the ground (on) which thou dost tread! At the feet of the king, my lord, the Sun-god from heaven, seven times, seven times I fall, both prone and supine.”[18] “To the king, my lord, my pantheon, my Sun-god, the Sun-god of heaven: Thus Widia, the prince of Ashkelon, thy servant, the dirt (under) thy feet, the groom of thy horse. At the feet of the king, my lord, seven times and seven times verily I fall, both prone and supine.”[19]

Idiomatic and figurative expressions using “foot” or “feet” common to modern languages can also be found in texts from the ancient Near East. The Assyrian king Sennacherib (705–681 B.C.) reported that during his fifth campaign, “I had my camp pitched at the foot of Mount Nippur.”[20] The merism head to foot occurs in an Amarna text in which an official described his total dedication to the king: “I am the servant of the king, my lord, from my head to my feet.”[21] Foot could also describe access or a foothold in military contexts: “The access [foot] of the enemy into the land is blocked.”[22] A derived form of the Akkadian word for foot could designate the foot of the bed, the lower end of a field, a whole country, or the lower region of the sky.[23]

Also the Arabic word for “foot” can be used figuratively. In the Qur’an people are warned not to “follow in the footsteps of the Shaitan [Satan]; surely he is your open enemy” (2:168; cf. 2:208, 239; 24:21). Jonah was commissioned to “warn the people and give good news to those who believe that theirs is a footing of firmness with their Lord” (10:2). The faithful are those who are guided by the footsteps of the fathers (43:22–23).

Interesting idiomatic uses of “foot” and “feet” are also found in ancient Egyptian literature. The fleeing Sinuhe reports, “Then I made my way northward” (literally, “then I gave the road to my two feet”), indicating a fresh segment of his journey during his flight.[24] The servant of Thutmose IV is called the “companion of the feet of the lord of the two lands.”[25]

Figurative Uses of “Feet” in the Scriptures

General Uses of “Feet”

Many of the figurative uses of “foot” or “feet” noted above are also found in the Scriptures.[26] Thus as the Israelites were camped before Mount Sinai, Moses “built an altar at the foot of the mountain” (Exod. 24:4).[27] A portion of the southern boundary line for the tribe of Benjamin “went down to the foot of the hill facing the Valley of Ben Hinnom, north of the Valley of Rephaim” (Josh. 18:16). Pharaoh used the merism “hand or foot” in emphasizing Joseph’s total authority over “the whole land of Egypt” (Gen. 41:43–44). Habakkuk portrayed God as stripping “the leader of the land of wickedness. .. from head to foot” (Hab. 3:13). The “foot” also served as a synecdoche for the whole person. For example the prophet Ahijah told Jeroboam’s wife, “As for you, go back home. When you set foot in the city, the boy will die” (1 Kings 14:12). God spoke of the feet in describing earth’s creation to Job: “On what were its footings set?” (Job 38:6).

The idiom “setting foot on/in” occurs in both positive and negative contexts. If Israel loved the Lord and walked in all His ways, God assured them they would possess the Promised Land. “Every place where you set your foot will be yours. .. from the Euphrates River to the western sea” (Deut. 11:22–24). Possession and dominion are thus conveyed by this idiom. As Merrill observes, “To tread on the land. .. was to assert dominion as many instances of the use of this verb attest.”[28] On the other hand Israel was denied possession of Edomite territory for Esau’s sake. “For I will not give you any of their land, not even enough to put your foot on” (2:5).

“Setting foot in” can also signify entering a place. The author of Proverbs warned, “Seldom set foot in your neighbor’s house—too much of you, and he will hate you” (Prov. 25:17). Job spoke of those who work in mines as laboring “in places forgotten by the foot of man” and where “proud beasts do not set foot” (Job 28:4, 8). Traveling on a previously unknown road can be expressed as proceeding on a way where someone has not gone with his feet (Isa. 41:3). A lifestyle may also be conveyed by this idiom. Thus a young man was warned against throwing in his lot with sinners by setting “foot on their paths” (Prov. 1:15; cf. 4:14). The metaphor of the foot can also be associated with life’s activities. Thus “when in Gen. 30.30 Jacob says to Laban that the Aramaean’s possessions have increased enormously during Jacob’s service, Yahweh ‘has blessed him leraglî, that does not mean ‘according to my foot’ but ‘according to the steps, or measures, I took—the progress I brought about.’ ”[29]

“Feet” Signifying Conquest or Victory

A closely related use of the foot image can be found in figures of speech implying conquest. In an exaggerated boast the Assyrian king Sennacherib (721–705 B.C.) declared, “With the sole of my feet I have dried up all the streams of Egypt” (2 Kings 19:24).[30] This image is seen in the conqueror putting his feet on the neck of his vanquished foes. After their defeat at the Battle of Gibeon, five Amorite kings fled to the Cave of Makkedah. When the forces of Israel arrived at the cave, they brought those kings before Joshua. Then Joshua summoned all the army commanders and instructed them to “come here and put your feet on the necks of these kings” (Josh. 10:24). A similar sentiment appears in the noncanonical Qumran treatise commonly known as The War Scroll (1 Q M 19:3).

[Rise up, O Hero!
Lead off Thy captives, O Glorious One
Gather up] Thy spoils, O Author of mighty deeds!
Lay Thy hand on the neck of Thine enemies
and Thy feet [on the pile of the slain!
Smite the nations, Thine adversaries].[31]

When Christ returns to the earth, He will tread “the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty” (Rev. 19:15). Then will be realized the long-awaited fulfillment of the promise to Christ, David’s heir, that the Lord will “put your [Jesus’] enemies under your feet” (Matt. 22:44; cf. Ps. 110:1). Similarly Isaiah predicted that one day Israel’s enemies will “bow down before you with their faces to the ground; they will lick the dust at your feet” (Isa. 49:23). This prophecy is reflected in the words of the War Scroll.[32] Victory over one’s enemies is also depicted as plunging (Ps. 68:23) or bathing (58:10) one’s feet in the blood of the wicked.[33]

“Feet” Signfying Submission or Authority

Closely related to the above idioms depicting conquest or victory is the ancient Near Eastern practice of falling at or bowing down at the feet of another as a mark of submission (1 Sam. 25:23–25; Isa. 60:14), recognition of authority (Esth. 8:2–3), or reverence (Rev. 1:17). The apostles’ authoritative position in the early church at Jerusalem was recognized when the believers “who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles’ feet” (Acts 4:34–35).[34]

“Feet” In Ethical and Spiritual Contexts

The image of feet is often found in biblical passages dealing with man’s relationship to God and society. Preserving sound spiritual judgment and discernment will give a sense of security to the believer, for his foot will not stumble (Prov. 3:23). Nor will his feet become ensnared, for God will be his guide and protector (v. 26). Spiritual integrity and security for God’s people come by their humbly giving glory to God so that their feet do not stumble (Jer. 13:15–16). In similar sentiment the psalmist exclaimed, “For you have delivered me from death and my feet from stumbling, that I may walk before God in the light of life” (Ps. 56:13).[35]

The wise person’s pursuit of spiritual maturity and moral purity is enhanced by making level paths for his feet and not deviating from them (Prov. 4:26–27; cf. Ps. 26:12). The faithful believer’s feet will not stray from God’s path (44:18).[36] Such a course of action may help others avoid spiritual or moral failure (Heb. 12:13). Moreover, believers should control their anger in order not to “give the devil a foothold” (Eph. 4:27). And believers are to direct their footsteps in accord with God’s Word (Ps. 119:133). “Obedience to God guarantees that one’s feet will not slip (Ps 17:5), for God is said to guard the feet of his saints (1 Sam 2:9). This is related to the desire for feet to be on level ground (Ps 26:12; Prov 4:26; Heb 12:13) in a spacious place (Ps 31:8) on firm ground (Ps 40:2) and guided by the lamp of God’s Word (Ps 119:105).”[37]

Sin, however, can be characterized by feet that slip, whether in individuals (Ps. 37:31) or nations (Deut. 32:35). Slipping feet can also signify failure (Pss. 17:5; 38:16), anxiety (94:18), or wavering faith (73:2). The psalmist pictured his distress as being trapped in the watery deep, “where there is no foothold” (69:2). Sinful behavior can also be described as someone having proud feet (36:11) or as feet that trample the pasture or muddy the water of the underprivileged of society (Ezek. 34:18–19).

The godless are depicted as those who do not restrain their feet (Jer. 14:10). Their feet rush to sin (Prov. 1:16; Isa. 59:7) or evil (Prov. 6:18) or are “swift to shed blood” (Rom. 3:15). Their lives are characterized by walking in falsehood and by feet that hurry after deceit (Job 31:5). The feet of the adulteress “go down to death” (Prov. 5:5). Particularly odious are those who deliberately turn their back on the knowledge of the truth and keep on sinning. They trample the Son of God under foot, thereby earning the certain judgment of God (Heb. 10:26–31).

How vastly different are the feet of those who bring good tidings, especially that of God’s salvation in Christ Jesus. Such feet are described metaphorically as beautiful (Rom. 10:15). In God’s mercy the promised Messiah has come to banish spiritual darkness and to “guide our feet into the path of peace” (Luke 1:78–79).[38] One day Israel too will know God’s name and will welcome the beautiful feet of those who “bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, ‘Your God reigns’ ” (Isa. 52:6–7). Beautiful feet have a past (Nah. 1:15), present (Rom. 10:15), and future significance (Isa. 52:6–7). In an interesting collation and application of Isaiah 52:7 and 1 Peter 2:9 Augustine remarked, “But you, ‘chosen generation,’. .. ‘follow the Lord,’. .. ‘go after Him, ye beautiful feet, and shine in the firmament, that the heavens may declare His glory.’ ”[39] Nineveh’s fall meant that the threat of Assyrian invasion would never again trouble God’s people (Nah. 1:15). Nahum’s prophecy “stands as a harbinger. .. of the great promises of God that shall be realized by the Zion of the eschatological era” (Isa. 52:7).[40] In turn, “Paul later builds on the theme of the message of good news and peace that Christ has provided both as scriptural evidence for the Jew and as a challenge to all believers to bear the gospel to a needy mankind (Rom. 10:9–15).”[41]

“Feet” and the Problems of Meaning and Truth

It is obvious from the above examples that such figures of speech, including idiomatic expressions, are not only picturesque; they also convey meaning. They are not mere decorations or a display of the writer’s artistry. Nor are they simply a product of cultural conventions. They actually convey meaning. As Travers points out about figures of speech in general, “They are indispensable to meaning. Because they use a concentrated and heightened form of language, figures of speech require the reader to participate actively in the reading process, interpreting what they mean based on the terms of the comparison itself and the context in which the figure is found.. .. In fact, it is more proper to say that we must respond to figures of speech if we are to gain the experience and theology that the Psalms were intended to convey.”[42]

What Travers indicates for the Psalms can be said of biblical literature in general. In the biblical texts examined on the previous pages one can observe various meanings resident in the figurative language. Thus Pharaoh’s granting to Joseph total authority to administer internal affairs in ancient Egypt was expressed by declaring, “Without your word no one will lift hand or foot in all Egypt” (Gen. 41:44). Authority was recognized when people placed money realized from the selling of a field “at the apostles’ feet” (Acts 4:37). Israel’s right of possession of the Land of Promise was expressed by “every place where you set your foot” (Deut. 11:24). Entrance into a place (Prov. 25:17) or relationship (1:15) or traveling on an unfamiliar road (Isa. 41:3) could be indicated by the idiom of “setting one’s foot.” Conquest was shown by the idea of enemies being under the conqueror’s feet (Matt. 22:44), while submission was demonstrated by falling at another’s feet (1 Sam. 25:23–25). An ethical or spiritual lifestyle, whether positive or negative, could be expressed in many idioms of the feet.

Meaning, however, need not indicate truth. Assuredly the Scriptures purport to give a true account of what they are presenting. Indeed, because God is absolute reality and by nature is truth, His actions will necessarily correspond with His holy and righteous nature.[43] It may be expected, then, that when God speaks and reveals Himself, He will tell the truth.

Thus as the objectively verifiable Word of God, the Scriptures always record the truth (2 Sam. 7:28; Ps. 119:142, 151, 160; John 17:7). Nevertheless it was noted that Sennacherib’s boast of drying up all the streams of Egypt “with the soles of my feet” (Isa. 37:25) was demonstrably false. Sennacherib’s words do not correspond with reality. Although his boast may be false, the Scriptures have given a true account of his words and intentions. Therefore whatever truth is present in figurative language depends on the figure’s correspondence with reality.

By application, discerning the meaning intended in a given figure of speech in the Scriptures is but the first step to understanding the full nature of the underlying truth it may contain. Other data must often be brought to bear on the context. Such a caution enters into a consideration of the figure of speech that represents God as having bodily parts, including feet.[44]

“Feet” In Reference To God

Taken at face value, Exodus 24:9–11 seems to indicate that God has both hands and feet.[45] “Moses and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and the seventy elders of Israel went up and saw the God of Israel. Under his feet was something like a pavement made of sapphire, clear as the sky itself. But God did not raise his hand against these leaders of the Israelites; they saw God, and they ate and drank.” In gaining a clear understanding of the meaning of the text, however, it must be kept in mind that the Scriptures clearly state that no one has seen God at any time. God Himself told Moses, “No one may see me and live” (33:20). The apostle John declared, “No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father’s side, has made him known” (John 1:18). Therefore Paul affirmed that God is one “whom no one has seen or can see” (1 Tim. 6:16).

Therefore what Moses, Aaron, and the seventy elders saw was an anthropomorphic manifestation of God, a theophany. It was “a glorious representation of God in His regal splendor, not the essence of God Himself.”[46] Childs adds, “The effect of the whole description is one of awe-inspiring majesty leading far beyond the human imagination, but one which recedes from all concrete particulars.”[47] This also seems certain from the choice of names used for God here. “It is not stated ‘and they saw YHWH,’ using the name that belongs specifically and exclusively to the Lord All-glorious Himself, but only and they saw the God [’ElÁhîm] of Israel,. .. nor is there any reference to the likeness itself that they saw, but only to what they saw beneath God’s feet.”[48]

The description in this passage is reminiscent of Ezekiel’s vision of the living creatures. “Then there came a voice from above the expanse over their heads as they stood with lowered wings. Above the expanse over their heads was what looked like a throne of sapphire, and high above on the throne was a figure like that of a man” (Ezek. 1:25–26).[49] In these cases as well as others God simply manifested Himself in a form most readily understandable by man. Erickson wrote, “There are, of course, numerous passages which suggest that God has physical features such as hands or feet.. .. It seems most helpful to treat them as anthropomorphisms, attempts to express the truth about God through human analogies.”[50] No exegetical grounds exist, however, for accepting Eichrodt’s suggestion that “among the great mass of the [Hebrew] people, and especially in the earlier period, the deity was frequently conceived as restricted to physical modes of living and self-manifestation. They understood the anthropomorphic expressions in a quite literal and concrete way, and so managed to acquire a most inadequate conception of the divine supremacy.”[51] Rather, it may simply be maintained that anthropomorphisms necessarily employ figurative language. Since in the case of Exodus 24:9–11 the focal point of what the Israelites beheld was the base of the appearance, the term “foot” would take on a double significance both as part of the anthropomorphic description of God and as the lower part of what was seen.

The anthropomorphisms dealing with God’s feet are often of an elevated nature. Thus the psalmist portrayed God as parting the heavens and coming down with “dark clouds. .. under his feet” (Ps. 18:9). The prophet Nahum declared, “His way is in the whirlwind and the storm, and clouds are the dust of his feet” (Nah. 1:3). Ezekiel predicted that the future temple in Jerusalem will become God’s residence on earth, “the place for the soles of my feet” (Ezek. 43:7). The temple was also portrayed as God’s footstool (1 Chron. 28:2; Pss. 99:5; 132:7), as was Jerusalem (Lam. 2:1) and the earth (Isa. 66:1; Matt. 5:35; Acts 7:49). Activities associated with the feet are also ascribed to God. He “treads upon the high places of the earth” (Amos 4:13; Mic. 1:3) and “the waves [lit., ‘high places’] of the sea” (Job 9:8).[52]

God’s “Feet” With Reference To Meaning and Truth

The figurative uses of feet with reference to God are not without meaning. Nahum’s statement that the clouds are the dust of God’s feet (Nah. 1:3) means that He possesses and rules the natural world. As the divine Warrior He is able to use the dark clouds under His feet (Ps. 18:9) as weapons in His mighty arsenal.[53] When Ezekiel described the temple as the place for the soles of God’s feet, he indicated that it will be the appointed place par excellence where God is to be worshiped (Ezek. 43:7; cf. Deut. 12:10–14) and that it also stands as a reminder that God is King. God’s treading on the waves of the sea (Job 9:8) testifies to God’s creativity and sovereignty over the nations, while His treading on the high places of earth adds the further thought that as the mighty divine Warrior He can descend in judgment against the world (Amos 4:12–13).

Thus each of the anthropomorphic references to God’s feet carries distinct meaning that transcends ordinary language. More-over, they also carry truth in the sense that the meaning conveyed in each of the contexts points to truth presented elsewhere in the Scriptures. Thus the picture of the clouds as “under God’s feet” reinforces the biblical truths of God as Creator and Controller of the universe (Gen. 1:1) and of planet earth in particular (Exod. 19:5; Ps. 104). His use of the dark clouds and His treading of the high places of earth are in harmony with the scriptural teachings that although God transcends the universe He created, He is imminent in its activity (115:1–7; Mic. 1:2–4).[54] Moreover, God “is the sovereign Lord of history, nature, earth and its peoples. He acts, He conquers, and judges.”[55] The description of the temple as “under the soles of [God’s] feet” (Ezek. 43:7) or as “God’s footstool” (1 Chron. 28:2) and of Jerusalem (Lam. 2:1) and the earth as His “footstool” (Isa. 66:1) are in harmony with the scriptural record that the Lord is the sovereign King and Ruler of all (Pss. 24:7–10; 29:1–10) and Israel’s king in particular (Isa. 41:21; 43:15; 44:6). The picture of God putting Israel’s enemies under His people’s feet and of making Messiah’s enemies a “footstool” for His feet (Ps. 110:1) supports the truths that God is faithful to His people (Isa. 49:1–7) and will be active in bringing earth’s history to its climax in accord with His purposes (46:9–10).

The figurative language relative to God’s feet is often applied to Jesus Christ as well. He puts His enemies under His feet (cf. Ps. 110:1 with Matt. 22:44; Acts 2:35; Heb. 1:13; 10:13). Such passages testify to the truth that Christ is Israel’s promised Messiah and Lord. As the divine Warrior, He is also the final vanquisher of death (1 Cor. 15:25–27) and triumphant conqueror of all rebellious and sinful forces as He “treads the winepress of the fury of God Almighty” (Rev. 19:15). These two passages testify to the truth of Christ’s finished work on Calvary as well as the truth that as divine King He will judge sinful men and nations.

Thus each context in which God is anthropomorphically represented as having feet has meaning and also its significance corresponds with biblical truth about the person, nature, and activities of God, as revealed elsewhere in the Scriptures.[56] Although the language may be figurative and designed for ease of comprehension, the figures contain meaning that is true.

Conclusion

The human foot is commonly used in figurative language. Idiomatic uses of the foot and feet are employed in several languages, many even transcending cultural boundaries (e.g., to “have one’s foot in the grave”). Similarly some idioms and figures using “foot” or “feet” are held in common by several cultures in the ancient world, including the world of the Old Testament (e.g., submission or conquest indicated by putting someone “under one’s feet”). Instances where God is said to have feet are anthropomorphisms. Nonetheless they support and reflect truths concerning the nature and work of God revealed elsewhere in the Scriptures. The meanings they contain are thus true.

In each case a meaning appropriate to the context is present. Moreover, each figure reflects the language and cultural norm of the author and his audience and hence is readily understandable by those involved in the communicative experience. This study has also shown that although meaning is always present, the statements within the figures may not always coincide with the truth or the actual state of things. Thus Sennacherib’s boast was just that, a boast devoid of historical confirmation. When the figure of “feet” is applied to God, however, both meaning and truth are involved. Each occurrence that has been noted is in harmony with theological truth revealed elsewhere in the Scriptures.

An appreciation of the role of figurative speech, including idioms, is thus crucial for a proper interpretation of the Bible. Rather than viewing such figures as mere decorations or picturesque colloquialisms, the fact that they convey meaning and reflect truth makes it necessary for the reader to pause and consider the author’s background and purpose in a given context. In fact the very figure may itself give the interpreter a key to discovering and exploring the truth embedded within its meaning. Abstract truth thus becomes more concrete, while the appreciation of the image conveyed allows the reader to arrive at better conclusions and achieve a fuller and more accurate understanding. Bible students who give due regard to literary figures can approach the Scriptures with renewed excitement, anticipating a more satisfying and enriched interpretive experience. Therefore they can be encouraged to “jump in with both feet.”

Notes

1. Roy B. Zuck, Basic Bible Interpretation (Wheaton, IL: Victor, 1991; reprint, Colorado Springs, CO: Cook, 1996), 147.
2. See Ross Murfin and Supryia M. Ray, The Bedford Glossary of Critical and Literary Terms (Boston: Bedford, 1997), 129. Similarly Edward P. Corbett divides figures of speech into “schemes” and “tropes” (Classical Rhetoric for the Modern Student, 3rd ed. [New York: Oxford University Press, 1990], 427–60).
3. Zuck, Basic Bible Interpretation, 165.
4. The word “foot” and related terms also occur in several technical expressions. In architecture an enlarged foundation or base, known as its footing, is designed to distribute the weight of a structure and thus prevent its settling. In literature the placement of stressed syllables in a poetic line is measured in “feet.” Ionic feet consist of two long or two short syllables (a major ionic foot) or two short together with two long syllables (a minor ionic foot). A “foot” can also designate a unit of measurement. Not to be forgotten is Carl Sandburg’s well-known description of fog as creeping in “on little cat feet” (Carl Sandburg, “Fog,” in American Poetry and Prose, ed. Norman Foerster [Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1947] 2:1317).
5. F. R. Kraus, ed., Briefe aus dem Istanbuler Museum in Altbabylonische Briefe 5 (Leiden: Brill, 1972), 84–85.
6. David D. Luckenbill, Ancient Records of Assyria (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1927), 2:303.
7. Ibid., 2:305.
8. Erica Reiner, ed., The Assyrian Dictionary (Chicago: Oriental Institute, 1992), 15:297. The parallel idea involving subjection or conquest is expressed as “under the sandals.” Thus F. J. Stendebach reports, “A Sumero-Akkadian hymn declares that Anu placed the earth like a sandal under the feet of Inanna/Ishtar” (“רֶגֶל,” in Theological Dictionary of the Old Testament, ed. G. Johannes Botterweck, Helmer Ringgren, and Heinz-Joseph Fabry [Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2004]: 13:312). The same idea is also found in ancient Egyptian. Thus the Victory Hymn allegedly from Amon Re to Thutmose III declared, “I have felled thine enemies beneath thy sandals” (James H. Breasted, ed., Ancient Records of Egypt [London: Histories & Mysteries of Man, 1988], 2:263). Stendebach observes that “during the Eighteenth Dynasty this idiom became a standard formula applied to the pharaoh as protector of Egypt, not necessarily of any implications of military actions” (“רֶגֶל,” 13:311).
9. Alasdair A. Livingstone, “Ashurbanipal’s Coronation Hymn,” in The Context of Scripture, ed. William W. Hallo and K. Lawson Younger Jr. (Leiden: Brill, 1997), 1:473.
10. K. Lawson Younger Jr., “The Azatiwada Inscription,” in The Context of Scripture, ed., William W. Hallo and K. Lawson Younger Jr. (Leiden: Brill, 2000), 2:149. See also H. Donner and W. Röllig, eds., Kanaanäische und Aramäische Inschriften (Wiesbaden: Otto Harrassowitz, 1966), 1:5, #26, lines 15–16.
11. James B. Pritchard, ed., Ancient Near Eastern Texts Relating to the Old Testament, 2nd ed. (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1955), 133; and Michael D. Coogan, Stories from Ancient Canaan (Philadelphia: Westminster, 1978), 99–100.
12. Pritchard, Ancient Near Eastern Texts Relating to the Old Testament, 152; and Coogan, Stories from Ancient Canaan, 37–38.
13. William W. Hallo and K. Lawson Younger Jr., eds., The Context of Scripture (Leiden: Brill, 2002), 3:104.
14. Ibid., 3:105.
15. Ibid., 3:106. See also the letters in ibid.
16. Hallo, “The Letter of Takuhlina,” in ibid., 3:243.
17. William Moran, “Letter of Abdi-Heba of Jerusalem (EA 286),” in ibid., 3:237. See also the letters in ibid., 3:238–41.
18. William F. Albright, “The Amarna Letters,” in Ancient Near Eastern Texts Relating to the Old Testament, 487.
19. Ibid., 490.
20. Luckenbill, Ancient Records of Assyria, 2:139.
21. Reiner, The Assyrian Dictionary, 15:299.
22. Ibid., 304. Feet could also be used to designate the bluffs on either side of a river (ibid., 302).
23. Ibid., 293–94.
24. Kurt Sethe, ed., Ägyptische Lesestücke (Leipzig: Hinrichs, 1924), 4; for the English translation see Miriam Lichtheim, Ancient Egyptian Literature (Berkley, CA: University of California Press, 1973), 1:224.
25. Breasted, Ancient Records of Egypt, 2:325.
26. For the widespread use of “feet” in figurative expressions in the Old Testament see Stendebach, “רֶגֶל,” 13:317–22.
27. Unless noted otherwise, all Scripture quotations are from the New International Version.
28. Eugene H. Merrill, Deuteronomy, New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman, 1994), 212.
29. Hans Walter Wolff, Anthropology of the Old Testament (Philadelphia: Fortress, 1974), 67.
30. Although Sennacherib’s annals record eight military campaigns, no mention of his penetration into Egypt is recorded. This feat was accomplished later by Esarhaddon (671 B.C.) and Ashurbanipal (in 667 and 663 B.C.). The boast may have reflected Sennacherib’s future intentions, which apparently were an “open secret” to God. Indeed God knows the innermost thoughts and intents of man (Pss. 44:21; 139:2, 23).
31. Geza Vermes, “The War Rule,” in The Dead Sea Scrolls in English, 4th ed. (London: Penguin, 1995), 144.
32. Ibid., 138.
33. The image is reminiscent of Anat’s victorious romp over her enemies as she plunged “knee-deep in knights’ blood, hip-deep in the gore of heroes” (H. L. Ginsberg, “Poems about Baal and Anath,” in Ancient Near Eastern Texts Relating to the Old Testament, 136).
34. Being under someone’s authority was also expressed as being under his feet. Thus the psalmist expressed man’s God-given authority over the natural world by observing, “You made him ruler over the works of your hands; you put everything under his feet” (Ps. 8:6).
35. See also Psalm 116:8–9.
36. Similarly the psalmist in the Qumran Thanksgiving Hymns (1 Q H 2:29) declared, “My foot remains on level ground” (Vermes, The Dead Sea Scrolls in English, 193; see also 1 Q H 7:25). Menahem Mansoor, however, maintains that the word “level ground” is better translated “uprightness” (The Thanksgiving Hymns [Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1961], 110 n. 3). Vermes translates the similar sentiment in 1 Q H 7:13–14 in this way: “And Thou hast established my heart [on] Thy teaching and truth, directing my steps into the paths of righteousness that I may walk before Thee in the land [of the living]” (The Dead Sea Scrolls in English, 211).
37. Leland Ryken, James C. Wilhoit, and Tremper Longman III, eds., Dictionary of Biblical Imagery (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 1998), 280.
38. For the darkness theme see Richard D. Patterson, “Deliverance from Darkness,” Southern Baptist Journal of Theology 8 (2004): 74–88.
39. Philip Schaff, ed., “The Confessions of Saint Augustine,” in The Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers (reprint, Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1988), 1:198.
40. Richard D. Patterson, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah (Chicago: Moody, 1991), 47.
41. Ibid., 46.
42. Michael Travers, Encountering God in the Psalms (Grand Rapids: Kregel, 2003), 42.
43. Norman Geisler observes, “God is truth by His very nature. Creatures have truth, but God is truth, and He is truthful” (Systematic Theology [Minneapolis: Bethany House, 2003], 2:356 [italics his]). The Scriptures record that all three persons of the Godhead are and do the truth: Father (Deut. 32:4), Son (John 14:6), and Holy Spirit (15:26).
44. Since God is spirit (John 4:24), the question of God’s corporeal nature may seem academic for evangelicals. It must be remembered, however, that many religions do view God in physical terms. Thus Jan Karel van Baalen cites Joseph Smith, founder of Mormonism, as saying, “The Father has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as man’s” (The Chaos of the Cults, 2nd ed. [Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1956], 183).
45. Exodus 24:1–11 bristles with textual, compositional, and theological problems, which have often been discussed. For details see George Bush, Notes on Exodus (reprint, Minneapolis: James Family, 1979), 57–66; U. Cassuto, A Commentary on the Book of Exodus (reprint, Jerusalem: Magnes, 1974), 310–15. For verses 9–11 see Gleason L. Archer, Encyclopedia of Bible Difficulties (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1982), 124; Walter C. Kaiser Jr., More Hard Sayings of the Old Testament (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 1992), 88–90; E. W. Nicholson, “The Interpretation of Exodus XXIV 9–11, ” Vetus Testamentum 24 (1974): 77–97; and idem, “The Antiquity of the Tradition in Exodus XXIV 9–11, ” Vetus Testamentum 25 (1975): 69–79.
46. Archer, Encyclopedia of Bible Difficulties, 124.
47. Brevard S. Childs, The Book of Exodus, Old Testament Library (Philadelphia: Westminster, 1974), 507.
48. Cassuto, A Commentary on the Book of Exodus, 314 (italics his).
49. See also Ezekiel 43:1–3 and Daniel 7:9–10, 13.
50. Millard J. Erickson, Christian Theology (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1985), 268.
51. Walter Eichrodt, Theology of the Old Testament (Philadelphia: Westminster, 1961), 1:211. J. C. L. Gibson also overstates the case in suggesting that in a sense “all God-talk, all theology, even ours, is metaphorical, describing God in terms that properly belong to the human sphere. It cannot be otherwise as human words, like human thought, belong to this side of creation, and cannot begin to describe its other side” (Language and Imagery in the Old Testament [Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1998], 22).
52. In all three verses the words “high places” have been understood by some writers as referring to the back of God’s enemies, much as in Babylonian mythology (e.g., see Marvin J. Pope, Job, Anchor Bible [Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1963], 69). Although such need not be the case in any of these three texts, it is interesting to note that in drawing on Psalm 110:1 Christ is portrayed as performing a similar act on His enemies (Matt. 22:44). Here too mythological associations need not be present, for the term is common enough in idiomatic expressions that suggest conquest and/or victory over one’s enemies.
53. See the picturesque description by Konrad Schaefer, Psalms (Collegeville, MN: Liturgical, 2001), 42. For the divine Warrior motif see Tremper Longman III and Daniel G. Reid, God Is a Warrior (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1995).
54. On the other hand Stendebach points out that when Exodus 24:10 “describes only what is touched by God’s feet,” it “emphasizes God’s transcendence” (“רֶגֶל,” 13:321).
55. Kenneth L. Barker, “Micah,” in Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah, New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman, 1999), 50.
56. The same may be said of verses in which God is represented as having eyes (2 Chron. 16:9), ears (Ps. 17:6), nostrils and a mouth (18:8), hands (102:25), and fingers (8:3), as well as a heart (Hos. 11:8–9). All such figures are representations of God’s attributes such as His sovereignty and omni- attributes, and His love and concern for His own. Several motifs such as the outstretched hand or arm of God (e.g., Jer. 21:5) and God’s right hand (Exod. 15:12) also speak of God’s mighty power and sovereign disposition of earth’s history. For a detailed consideration of these and other anthropomorphisms, see Richard D. Patterson and Michael E. Travers, Face to Face with God: Human Images of God in the Bible (St. Louis: Chalice, 2006).