Advisers

Dr. Gervasis Karumathy

Discipline

Humanities And Social Science

Abstract

The Book of Isaiah offered various metaphors for sin. Biblical scholars employed the cognitive approach to metaphors to identify the metaphors for sin. However, this approach focused on thought rather than on the text, which contrasted with the nature of the Book of Isaiah, which had to be considered as a part of ancient literature. Therefore, it was important to have an appropriate approach, which in this case was the perspectival theory interpretation approach, in order to gain a deeper theological understanding of the concept of sin in the HB, particularly in the Book of Isaiah. Moreover, the perspectival theory had not yet been applied in previous studies dealing with the metaphors of sin in the Book of Isaiah. This research employed a perspectival theory interpretation. In analyzing each metaphor for sin, the study utilized Berlin’s research on parallelism in order to highlight the poetic aspects of metaphors by pursuing a four-step procedure: identifying the metaphor, text-critical issues, poetic analysis, and exegetical discussion of the metaphor. he perspectival approach showed that the Book of Isaiah contained four passages containing metaphorical similes for sin. The existence of the comparative particle כְּ indicated that those passages had metaphorical connotations. The scarlet and crimson metaphor in Isa 1:2–20 presented sin as an obvious and permanent sign that could not be removed. The fire metaphor in Isa 9:17 implied that sin was an uncontrollable power—destructive and consuming in its nature—and that it could spread rapidly. In Isa 42:22, the cloud metaphor depicted sin as a hindrance to the relationship between God and His people. In Isa 64:6, the wind metaphor signified that sin controlled the spiritual life and totally removed human beings from God’s love. Therefore, the meaning of the metaphors had negative aspects because they were equated with transgression or sin. The significance of this study is to clarify the theological richness of the Book of Isaiah as regards biblical understanding of sin and to shed light on the theology of the sin in the Hebrew Bible as a whole.