Divine Metaphors in Selected Hebrew Psalms of Lamentation
Forschungen zum Alten Testament 2. Riehe, no. 15

By Alec Basson
November 2006
Mohr Siebeck
Distributed by
ISBN: 3161488547
278 pages, 6 1/8 x 9 1/8"
$110.00 Paper Original

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In this book, Alec Basson examines the divine metaphors in a selection of biblical Hebrew Psalms of Lamentation from a cognitive-anthropological perspective. The study signals a move beyond the more traditional approaches to the Psalms and argues that the textual information in these poems is more than literary information as such; it is also a cognitive representation of the psalmist's world. The divine portrayals arise from the supplicant's cognitive organisation and utilisation of cultural information, which include the everyday experiences. In situations of affliction, the poet employs various cognitive strategies viz. cultural models, image-schemas and conceptual metaphors as a means of portraying the deity. The exploration illustrates the link between the psalmist's cultural experience, cognitive construal of reality and the metaphorical representations. The utilisation of the different cognitive tools gives rise to new and recurring images of the deity and accounts for the multiple depictions of Yahweh. The investigation arrives at the conclusion that, to appreciate fully the divine metaphors used in the Psalms of Lamentation, one has to examine the cognitive world of the poet.

Contents:
Introduction
Chapter 1. The Psalms of Lamentation: A Survey of Research
Chapter 2. Culture, Cognition and Language
Chapter 3. Metaphor
Chapter 4. Psalm 7
Chapter 5. Psalm 17
Chapter 6. Psalm 31
Chapter 7. Psalm 35
Chapter 8. Psalm 44
Chapter 9. Psalm 59.
Chapter 10. Psalm 74
Chapter 11. Psalm 80
Conclusion

Old Testament
Criticism & Interpretation


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