THE אֵשׁ ‘FIRE’ METAPHOR IN THE BOOK OF OBADIAH

George Mbithi Mutuku

Abstract


God’s anger is demonstrated in the book of Obadiah by the use of two metaphors: drink and fire. In this paper, I will analyze the אֵשׁ ‘fire’ metaphor and argue that the אֵשׁ ‘fire’ metaphor representing God’s anger in the book of Obadiah is semantically related to the use of אַף (to be hot-tempered) and חֵמָּה (to inflame) in the prophecies against Esau/Edom. The reason for limiting this study to the prophecies against Edom is because the Prophecy in the Obadiah is specifically directed towards Edom. The pronouncement of this prophecy is in the context of judgment. For that reason, this metaphor fits well among the Kamba community who use a similar metaphor in the contexts of judgment.

 

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colon, bicolon, tetracolon and Edom

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References


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