Hebrew thinking was concrete. Terms such as history, personality, conscience, conduct, were almost alien to prophets and other biblical writers. These expressions were too abstract. This is not to say that the prophets were unfamiliar with these concepts; it is only that they usually expressed them in different ways—through symbols. Therefore the Bible abounds in imagery, starting with the metaphorical description of the spiritual creation in the first chapter of Genesis and ending with that of the heavenly Jerusalem by the Revelator.
Let us ask ourselves: "How would the Hebrews have expressed conduct or behavior?" Quite simply: through the image of walking—a metaphor similar to the one we use when talking about someone's "way of life," meaning his whole conduct. Thus the Deuteronomist exhorts the Israelites, "Ye shall walk in all the ways which the Lord your God hath commanded you, that ye may live, and that it may be well with you, and that ye may prolong your days in the land which ye shall possess." Deut. 5:33;
A glance at a Bible concordance will show immediately the many entries under "walk," "way," and related words. These give a glimpse of the importance behavior must have held for the Israelites. To behave properly was to walk in the straight and narrow path, while the wrong road symbolized evil conduct. "Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established." Prov. 4:26; The way Israel should have gone and their failure to follow it are indicated in the book of Judges: "They would not hearken unto their judges, but they went a whoring after other gods, and bowed themselves unto them: they turned quickly out of the way which their fathers walked in, obeying the commandments of the Lord; but they did not so." Judg. 2:17;
