to be able to act on behalf of his Bride, sparing those members of the Bride who are still invited to attend the marriage and are in anticipation of it! He is privileged to fight a war that will vindicate the name of his Father Jehovah, clearing the illustrious name and the family of that illustrious one from reproach. But there is yet more to say about the fight. We often read of historical battles and victories. We rarely get a close picture of the actual forces involved and a close-up view of the fight itself. By reading the few remaining verses of Revelation chapter 19 now, you will find even more enjoyable the article in our next issue discussing these verses.

The Bible’s Figurative Use of Body Parts

IN OUR everyday speech we often use bodily parts in a figurative sense. For instance, we might say: “He risked his neck for him.” “He is my own bone and flesh.” “She was only tickling their ears.”

Such expressions add color to speech, often making it more vivid and alive. It tends to fix the idea better in the listener’s mind. How appropriate, therefore, that God’s Word the Bible should frequently use body parts in a figurative sense! In fact, in some form, each of the above expressions is used in the Bible.

For example, the apostle Paul asked that greetings be given to his fellow Christians Prisca and Aquila, “who have risked their own necks [their lives] for my soul.” (Rom. 16:4) Laban said of Jacob: “You are indeed my bone and my flesh,” meaning that they were relatives, Jacob being Laban’s nephew. (Gen. 29:14; 2 Sam. 5:1) And Paul wrote of persons who would “accumulate teachers for themselves to have their ears tickled.” In other words, they would acquire teachers that would say only what the people desired to hear.​—2 Tim. 4:3.

DESTRUCTION AND PROTECTION

Since the neck is a vital as well as a vulnerable part of the human organism, it is frequently associated in the Scriptures with the destruction of life by the conquest of an enemy. Jacob’s deathbed blessing upon his son Judah included this: “Your hand will be on the back of the neck of your enemies,” or, in other words, God will give your enemies into your hand. (Gen. 49:8) Similarly, David praised Jehovah in song as the One who “will certainly give me the back of [my enemies’] neck.” (2 Sam. 22:41; Ps. 18:40) In God’s prophecy regarding the coming Assyrian aggression against Judah, he indicated it would become nearly overwhelming, saying: “Up to the neck he will reach.”​—Isa. 8:8; 30:28.

Thus, it was also the ancient custom to place one’s feet upon the neck of a conquered foe. On monuments of Egypt and Assyria, monarchs are frequently represented in battle scenes as treading on the