Psalm's Use Of Metaphors In Psalm 23

Within the Old Testament lies the book of Psalms, a collection of 150 song-like passages which communicate the truths about God to the intended audience. At the time, this was directed at the Jewish people and these Psalms were used as prayers to worship God in their temples. The particular psalm that will be focused on throughout this response is Psalm 23. With the use of different literary techniques, the audience is able to fully interpret what is being said during this passage and helps them to develop a deeper understanding of it. To begin, metaphors are featured in Psalm 23, for example “dwell in the house of the Lord”. The Lord does not have a literal house that we roam in. This refers to our relationship with Him and our place in His Kingdom, wherever that may be. It is a representation of our faith and love of God. In the time that this was written, the ‘House of the Lord’ could have been seen as the temples that the Jews were worshipping in. In our contemporary society, this could be seen in the churches that we pray in when we go to mass. The use of this metaphor helps to create an understanding of the scripture for the audience and expresses that we are welcome in God’s house. However, the most significant metaphor is ‘The Lord is my Shepherd’. This is reflective of His care for us and our bond with Him. It …show more content…
The purpose of imagery is to create an idea of the environmental setting, achieved with the use of descriptive language, particularly adjectives. This displays God’s presence in our lives. The audience is able the understand that God is always with us, as long as we remain faithful to Him. At the same time, the mention of nature calls both the contextual and contemporary audience to be stewards of God’s creation and to love and care for the world that He gave us. It demonstrates His love for