From well-fed lions to sitting ducks a study of complex metaphors in Psalm 17

Abstract

Psalm 17 is a somewhat tricky psalm in that it contains some poetical formulations which, being rather terse, compromise their hermeneutical import. The very diverse ways in which some translations render certain verses, sometimes not even agreeing on the subject of the clauses, is witness to this impasse. When such exegetical choices are made, one risks translating the particular words or clauses merely in terms of their general linguistic meaning, without giving due weight to the larger context of the psalm. However, a translation that is sensitive to the entire network of metaphors in the psalm is imperative, for such difficult expressions were created with such conceptual images in mind. No one metaphor is suitable enough to fully express any aspect of any subject being treated. Oftentimes, metaphorical images buttressed together more aptly convey the intended meaning. In any case, it is necessary to resort to unpacking the conceptual implications of every single metaphor employed as well as factoring in the conceptual relations between them. Clusters of metaphors are, therefore, particularly suitable to express complex ideas, though the interrelation of such metaphors would then need to be carefully considered. As Eidevall has put it, “It is important to keep in mind that many biblical metaphors have a predominantly relational function. In the psalms of lament, the metaphors are distributed according to the role played by each participant in the drama”. The same applies to allegories which, like metaphors, may create what has been referred to as the blend within a novel conceptual structure, as shown by the Conceptual Blending Theory. Gray is to be commended for her threefold approach to the analysis of metaphor in Psalm 18, wherein she studies the text from a lexical semantic, a pragmatic, and a cognitive linguistic perspective. This article will expand on the lexical semantic aspect as well as the cognitive linguistic one. Giving weight to the different directions of influence created by the psalms neighbouring Psalm 17 would surely enrich the present enquiry (Gray too does not overlook the question of the Sitz im Buch of Psalm 18), however, due to length constraints, only a preliminary overview can be offered here.