and used them, those mental images are long gone now that the expressions have achieved idiomatic status. The same is true with many Hebrew words and phrases. For example, the expression תֹּאכֵל הַחֶרֶב, “the sword devours” (see 2 Sam. 11:25), whatever its origin may have been, is purely idiomatic in biblical usage, meaning, “the sword violently kills.” The verb אַכַל, “to eat,” is often used of literally eating food, but when it appears with “the sword” as subject it should not conjure up an image