The Qur’an can present an inward state or abstract condition through a concrete sensory picture. A hearer may imagine movement, barriers, bodily gesture or conflict and thereby understand a psychological or moral reality more vividly.
Ordinary speech works similarly. “Every route is blocked” conveys helplessness with greater force than a bare statement of difficulty. The power of the imagery lies in translating an otherwise intangible situation into something familiar to perception.
The reader distinguishes the details of the image from the meaning it is used to communicate. At the same time, imagery alone does not justify denying the historical reality of a narrated event; that is a separate question requiring evidence from context and other sources.