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TYPE
The English word “type” is derived from the Greek tupos, which has the basic meaning of “a visible impression or mark made by a blow or by pressure.” In the Greek NT, the word occurs 16 times, with various meanings. A type is formed as a copy, print, or a form cast in a mold. In Acts 7:43 it is applied to “figures” of idols or false gods. A type can be a pattern according to which something is made (e.g., the tabernacle, Acts 7:44; Heb 8:5). It is an example or model, whether of evil to be avoided (1 Cor 10:6-11) or of good to be emulated (Phil 3:17; 2 Thes 3:9; 1 Tm 4:12; Ti 2:7; 1 Pt 5:3). It is like a form for pouring concrete, which determines both the shape and content of what is made.
A type is also an entity found in the OT that prefigures one found in the NT. The initial one is called the “type” and the fulfillment is designated the “antetype.” Either type or antetype may be a person, thing, or event, but often the type is messianic and frequently refers to salvation.
A type can be distinguished from a symbol in that a symbol is a timeless sign. It can refer to past, present, or future, while a type always foreshadows that which is to come.
Some examples help to identify some biblical types and antetypes. The serpent lifted up on a pole in the wilderness to give healing to the Israelites was a type of Jesus being lifted up on a cross to give salvation to the world (Jn 3:14; cf. Nm 21:9). The Passover lamb (Ex 12:1-13) is a type of Christ (1 Cor 5:7). The rock from which Israel drank in the wilderness (Ex 17:6) prefigures Christ (1 Cor 10:3-4). In Romans 5:14 Adam is called “a type of the one who was to come,” that is, of Christ.
The book of Hebrews is full of examples of types that represent the Messiah. All of the sacrifices ordained by the ritual law that God gave at Sinai typify some aspect of the person and work of Jesus. The blood that was sprinkled on the altar spoke of the blood of the one who was slain once for all (Heb 9:12-22).