{"id":81571,"date":"2020-10-14T18:02:08","date_gmt":"2020-10-14T15:02:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/?p=81571"},"modified":"2020-10-14T18:02:08","modified_gmt":"2020-10-14T15:02:08","slug":"the-power-of-metaphors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/the-power-of-metaphors\/","title":{"rendered":"The Power Of Metaphors"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[281],"tags":[],"acf":{"old_id":"81571","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":77758,"related_cahpter":"590","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content":{"description":"They both articulate and fracture the deeper meanings of life\r\n\r\n","content":"

Only a rudderless poem lacks metaphor.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Biblical poetry \u2013 as an excellent specimen of the poetic genre \u2013 relies heavily on metaphor to create and convey meaning. Psalm 23 presents a rich example of metaphor in action.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

After an introductory title, the poet opens with a thesis statement: \u201cThe Lord is my shepherd.\u201d Metaphors, as explanatory vehicles, represent thoughts and emotions through references to reality. Recall that in this ancient period, Israelite society was primarily agrarian with patches of urban living. The sight of a shepherd leading a flock with walking staff and crook in hand was part of daily life. The poet concretizes his feelings of complete dependence on God by metaphorically equating himself to a sheep in God\u2019s flock. He emphasizes his reliance on divine sustenance and the benefits thereof. The subject of each verb in verses 2 and 3 is the shepherd\/God, and the object is the sheep\/poet. The shepherd <\/span>causes<\/em> <\/span>the sheep to lie down, <\/span>leads<\/em> <\/span>it to water, <\/span>renews<\/em> <\/span>its life, and <\/span>sets <\/span><\/i>it on straight paths.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This shepherd, however, goes beyond the call of duty. He sets the sheep to pasture in <\/span>ne\u2019ot deshe<\/span><\/em> \u201cgreen pastures,\u201d lush with fresh and easily digestible grass instead of the less palatable food of the wilderness (<\/span>ne\u2019ot midbar, <\/span><\/em>Jer 9:9, Joel 2:22). He leads the sheep to <\/span>mei menuhot<\/em> <\/span>\u201ccalm waters\u201d (note the alliteration!), and not to a rushing stream. By relying on God, the poet is rewarded with high-quality sustenance and tranquility.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This trust in God\u2019s leadership and compassion sets the stage for verse 4, the most famous line of the poem. In this verse, the poet takes initiative. He moves from object to subject, here denoted by the use of <\/span>elekh<\/em> <\/span>\u201c<\/span>I<\/span><\/i> will go\u201d \u2013 a first-person simple verb after a series of 3<\/span>rd<\/span> person causative ones. He declares that although he walks in the darkest valley (<\/span>tzalmut<\/span><\/em>), he has no fear; the shepherd\u2019s staff and crook comfort him.<\/span><\/p>\n

Metaphor curates the intellectual and emotional world of the poet. It provides a florid and persuasive language to describe the poet\u2019s existence. In non-metaphorical terms, the poet\u2019s experience of God\u2019s constant presence provides him with the courage to navigate life\u2019s darkest moments. These latter verses also showcase another quality of biblical metaphor: its tendency to blur or break down. While the poet casts himself as a sheep in verse 2, it is unclear to what extent he activates the metaphor in the following verses. Who stands as the subject of verse 3, the sheep or poet? Perhaps it is both at the same time.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Conceptual blurring certainly characterizes verse 4, in which the poet himself traverses a dark valley, but is comforted by the symbols of a shepherd: a staff and crook. Description is an inexact art. Words can convey a reality, but never fully mirror it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Metaphor, as an act of description, thus provides a means for both articulating and fracturing the deeper meanings of life.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0Image: \u201cPs 23 – Confidence,\u201d copper etching, Lauren Stevens, printmaker \/ taken from\u00a0The PsalmSeason<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","image":{"ID":81572,"id":81572,"title":"ps23-metaphor","filename":"ps23-metaphor.jpg","filesize":0,"url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/ps23-metaphor.jpg","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/the-power-of-metaphors\/ps23-metaphor\/","alt":"","author":"7","description":"","caption":"","name":"ps23-metaphor","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":81571,"date":"2020-10-14 15:01:52","modified":"2020-10-14 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