The Bible

[Stempy]

Not if it's literal or a metaphor that is - literally - in an accepted dictionary. The meaning is only vague if the meaning is being made up on the spot, e.g: A metaphor being created by the author on the spot - and so not in an accepted dictionary.

What a meaning actually is and what you think is meant by it are separate.

I think we're talking across each other here, because we're using two different senses of the word "meaning".

"What did he mean when he said that?" vs "What does this word mean?"
When I am using the word 'meaning', I am referring to the semantic content, in particular, the content wished to be expressed by a particular person. That semantic content is expressed by a sentence or set of sentences using words, phrases, grammar, and the context (which can include things like the genre, nature of the audience, etc.).

When you are talking about 'meaning' you are talking about what words and phrases can refer to: definitions included in the semantic range of those words and phrases.

Now, if we try and apply your use of 'meaning' to a sentence, it doesn't make much sense: sentences as a whole don't have a definition; what they "refer" to as a whole is precisely the semantic content wished to be expressed by the person saying the sentence.

Knowing all the definitions of the words and phrases used in a sentence is not enough to know the content wished to be expressed by the sentence. Definitions underdetermine the semantic content. In fact, they massively underdetermine the semantic content. We are very familiar with jokes involving "double meanings" - and they are only possible because sentences, when taken out of the context of author, situation and audience, can possibly mean (in my usage of the term) different things. It is also clear that even knowing the situation and audience is not enough to determine the semantic content. We are also very familiar with things like sarcasm, and we know very well from experience on forums that often it is not clear when someone is being sarcastic or not. And the only reason that it is not clear is because the author's intent is not known. Ultimately, the author's intent is what finally determines the semantic content.

Hopefully that makes my meaning clear.
Stempy.