God is spirit (John 4:24); thus, He has no body (Luke 23:39). Since humanity was made in God’s image (Genesis 1:27), we are the creature which is most akin to the great I AM. Therefore, to help humanity better understand Jehovah the Scriptures often use anthropomorphic language—i.e. language which uses human (anthropos) terms or forms (morphos) to describe God. If a parable can be described as an earthly story that teaches heavenly truths, then anthropomorphic language can be thought of as human characteristics used to describe humanity’s Creator.
Using anthropomorphic language, Psalm 17 contains a beautiful portrait of God. Deftly woven into the text, David portrays Jehovah as One who has:
- An attentive ear (vv. 1, 6)
- Watchful eyes (v. 2)
- Wise lips (v. 4)
- Safe paths (v. 5)
- A protective shadow (v. 8)
- A mighty hand (vv. 13-14)
- A righteous face (v. 15)
Oh, the beauty of Jehovah’s holiness and loving concern!
