SOME FIGURES OF SPEECH WITH REGARDS TO THE BIBLE & DETERMINISM

“He was like putty in her hands.”

“That cute puppy melted her heart.”

“His rudeness really makes me angry!”

“They provoked the LORD with their deeds – Psalm 106:29”

None of these are taken to mean some sort of mind control or empath powers, like Professor X or Mantis in Marvel comics.

So why take the following as prooftexts for divine determinism, instead of allowing for poetic language, metaphor, figures of speech?

“I will harden Pharaoh’s heart – Exodus 7:3” (especially when far more verses state that Pharaoh hardened his own heart, or it was already hard)

“The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the LORD; he turns it wherever he will – Proverbs 21:1”

“Behold, I am stirring up the Medes against them – Isaiah 13:7”