Exploring Space in the Poetic Literature of the Hebrew Bible

Metaphorical Spaces in the Book of Job and the Psalms

Abstract

Drawing on the insights of the Spatial Turn, this paper explores three metaphorical spaces found in the poetic literature of the Hebrew Bible: the space of death, the space of the body, and the space of the relationship with God. These spaces are usually created unconsciously in the mind of the reader while reading. Only when these spaces are consciously explored can the poetic text of the Hebrew Bible (Book of Job and the Psalms) unfold its full impact.