Transbodied Metaphors and Trauma in Hosea

Abstract

ABSTRACT Hosea presents an exaggerated, agenda-driven image of Israel, adopting metaphors that convey an intelligentsia’s imagined ideal. But Hosea’s use of metaphors is neither essential nor linear. It is fluid, blurring boundaries, while also affirming the potential of an idealized community. Transbodied metaphors blur the lines between gender, role, and identity. They describe a process of transformation, or transfiguration, often in pornographic manner. Such blurring is an intentional disruption. It is also what destabilizes conventional expectations enough to allow for a re-imagined, or even transfigured, identity. This reflected the literati’s hope for a re-instituted Israel. This study argues for a new understanding of how Hosea’s author employs metaphors.