Metaphors for God in Ps 102 as Networks

Abstract

Conceptual Blending Theory is a useful tool for understanding interrelated metaphors as networks and thus discovering the underlying structures of poetical texts rich in imagery, like the Biblical psalms. Psalm 102 uses expressive images for the praying self, but also for God. The motive of YHWH as a king is not visible on the surface but underlying other metaphors throughout the psalm. This motive combines with images of the human body and spatial metaphors (especially the imagery of death in v. 21) to form new and complex structures. Using Blending Theory to analyze these structures requires a close look at every word with all its nuances of meaning and opens the way for unexpected discoveries.