What is the meaning of type and antitype?

In biblical studies, a type is when a person, event, or practice in the Old Testament foreshadows or symbolizes a New Testament reality. An antitype refers to the fulfillment of a type. The most important types in the Old Testament point to the person and work of Jesus Christ. Some refer to His first coming; others refer to His second coming. In this way, types function as an implicit form of prophecy because they reveal recurring patterns in God’s plan.

The word type comes from the Greek word typos, meaning an “example or pattern.” For instance, Paul uses the word to describe Adam as a pattern that foreshadows Christ. He explains, “Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come” (Romans 5:14, ESV; emphasis added). The NIV translates the key phrase “who is a pattern of the one to come,” while the NLT renders it as “a symbol, a representation of Christ.”

However, a New Testament writer does not need to use typos for a person, event, or practice to function as one. For instance, many scholars consider Israel’s 40 years of wandering in the desert (Numbers 32:13) a type of Jesus’ 40 days of wilderness (Matthew 4:1–11). Accordingly, crossing the Red Sea at the beginning of the 40-year period (Exodus 14–15) foreshadowed Jesus’ baptism just before the Holy Spirit led Him into the desert (Matthew 4:1). Moreover, at the end of Jesus’ 40 days, the devil tempts Him three times. In each of His responses, Jesus quotes Deuteronomy about relying on, trusting, and serving God—verses originally about Israel’s time in the desert.

In addition to types related to Christ’s first coming, some point to events surrounding His return. An example of a type related to the events surrounding the Second Coming is the idolatry of Antiochus Epiphanes, king of Syria. The prophet Daniel foretells that a Syrian leader would “set up an abomination that causes desolation” at the temple (Daniel 9:27). Antiochus fulfilled this prophecy in 168 BC, when he invaded Jerusalem and sacrificed pigs to Zeus in the temple. Yet, when Jesus taught about the end times, he referred to Daniel’s prophecy as if it still awaited fulfillment. Quoting Daniel, Jesus said, “So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination that causes desolation,’ spoken of through the prophet Daniel—let the reader understand” (Matthew 24:15). Thus, Antiochus’ profane act was a type of the Antichrist’s idolatry in the temple during the end times (2 Thessalonians 2:3–4).

One caution about interpreting types is forcing details to fit the definition. Some do this when they assign symbolic meaning to the five stones David used to kill Goliath. They suggest the stones foreshadow faith, hope, love, prayer, and the Holy Spirit. Yet there is no Old or New Testament verse that links them to those five concepts. Not only is the word type not used, but nothing suggests that they foreshadow a future reality. While recognizing types is valuable, discernment is important.

It is also important to distinguish types from prophecy. A prophecy is a direct revelation from God in which He reveals a future person or event to a prophet, writer, or other servant, who then declares it to others. For instance, Isaiah prophesied that Jesus would be born of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14). This prophecy itself is not a type, since it directly foretells the event rather than foreshadowing it through a person, event, or practice.

In addition, types should not be confused with allegory. An allegory is a story in which people, events, or details have deeper spiritual or moral meanings. Types aren’t allegories because they have a real, straightforward meaning in their own time, in addition to pointing forward to the future.

Studying types is a fascinating way to learn about God’s plan for the ages. They reveal that the past, present, and future are unfolding according to God’s design. Types also help Bible readers see the unity between the Old and New Testaments. Although the authors wrote at different times and in different places, with various styles and purposes, they tell one story. In these ways, types display God’s sovereignty.