A spring of living waters in a pool of metaphors: The metaphorical landscape of 1QHa 16:5–27

Marieke Dhont

doi:10.4102/hts.v77i1.6726

Abstract

This research article focuses on the use of the water metaphor in column 16 of the Hodayot. Previous scholarship has often concentrated on the garden metaphor in this section, particularly on its intertextual links with the book of Isaiah. By drawing on contemporary metaphor theory, in particular blending theory, I show how the author of the Hodayot creates poetry through a multiple blended network of garden and water metaphors, and how aspects of the linguistic form of the poem, in particular the phrase מבוע מים חיים‘well of living waters’, can be read as an expression of this blend. The aim of this study is to contribute (1) to the study of the Hodayot and its poetic practices, against older dismissals of the poetic quality of the Hodayot, and (2) to our understanding of semantic constellations and the conceptual world of ancient Judaism.Contribution: This article fits within the scope of HTS’s theme ‘Historical Thought and Source Interpretation’ as it contributes to our insights into ancient Jewish thought through the interpretation of a religious source text using metaphor theory.

Highlights

In the early days of research on the Hodayot, its literary quality was evaluated negatively: the Hodayot have been characterised as ‘quasi-poetry’ (Kraft 1957:17) and ‘rhythmic prose’ (Dombrowski-Hopkins 1981:325; Ringgren 1963:14)
In particular blending theory (BT), has helped us better to understand the metaphorical landscape of 1QHa 16:5–27a
Whilst Samuel Thomas investigated passages, in which ‘Qumran sectarian texts employ water metaphors as part of the community discourse’ (Thomas 2014:376), in this article I have argued that the way in which Qumran texts, the Hodayot, use water metaphors should, be viewed in a larger framework, building upon BT in combination with Hindy Najman’s work on semantic constellations, while incorporating insights on poetic practices in the Hodayot

Summary

Introduction

In the early days of research on the Hodayot, its literary quality was evaluated negatively: the Hodayot have been characterised as ‘quasi-poetry’ (Kraft 1957:17) and ‘rhythmic prose’ (Dombrowski-Hopkins 1981:325; Ringgren 1963:14). It may be as a result of that initial negative position towards the Hodayot that its poetry has not yet received the attention it deserves. Claudia Bergmann provided a detailed analysis of the birth metaphor in 1QHa 11.6–19, drawing on conceptual metaphor theory (CMT), within the framework of an analysis of the birth metaphor in ancient Jewish literature (Bergmann 2008:164–217). I draw on insights from conceptual blending theory (BT), associated with Fauconnier and Turner (2002), to show how the author created a beautifully textured poem on the relationship with God

Objectives

Conclusion