Most communication is literal. When we do use figurative language it is, in most cases, readily understood as such. Were it not so, we would have a difficult time communicating with one another. Figurative language in Scripture can be recognized by its context. It can also be recognized by the kind of literature.
Poetry lends itself to figurative language.
But in all this it is important to remember that figurative language communicates literal truth. That is the literal truth he is conveying. Difficulties and confusions arise in Scripture when there is failure to understand the kind of language the Scripture is using. The challenge for the biblical interpreter is to discover the proper form of interpretation for the passage being interpreted. The guiding rule of all interpretation is that the passage should be taken literally unless there are strong reasons against it.