The Imagery of Shepherding in the Bible, Part 2 -- By: Thomas A. Golding

Journal: Bibliotheca Sacra
Volume: BSAC 163:650 (Apr 2006)
Article: The Imagery of Shepherding in the Bible, Part 2
Author: Thomas A. Golding


The Imagery of Shepherding in the Bible, Part 2

Thomas A. Golding

Thomas A. Golding is Principal, Adelaide College of Ministries, Adelaide, Australia.

The first article in this two-part series discussed the biblical use of comparison and in particular the imagery of shepherding.1 The Bible uses many figures of comparison (i.e., metaphorical language) because of the need of human beings to learn unfamiliar truths by means of what is familiar. Another important reason for the use of figures of comparison is their inherent emotive power.

As noted, many biblical figures are unfamiliar to modern readers or they are wrongly interpreted because the modern reader’s perceptions of the figure differ from those of the author and original readers. This is especially true of the shepherd image in the Bible. In Australia, for example, sheep are turned loose to graze in large tracts of land where a grazier has only minimal contact with them. Instead of leading sheep, as shepherds did in Bible times, he may round them up using dogs or a motorcycle. Sheep in the outback also face few natural predators, certainly not the ones common in biblical times.

Because of the potential of misinterpreting such figures and of missing their emotional impact, Ryken encourages readers “to identify and experience the literal level of a metaphor.”2 The present article seeks to take this next step of experiencing the literal level of the shepherd and sheep metaphor. For the sake of clarity it is helpful to distinguish between a “core” image and “subordinate” images.3 Designating the shepherd and his sheep as the core image,

several subordinate images stem from it, including fold, water, pasture, predators, rod, staff, sling, and gate.4

Other related motifs sometimes overlap with the shepherd image. For example the New Exodus motif and wilderness imagery of Isaiah 40–55 have strong connections to the shepherd image. This is not surprising, since several passages describe the original Exodus by using shepherd and sheep imagery (e.g., Pss. 77:20; 78:52; Isa. 63:11).5

Terminology

The shepherd image often connotes a nomadic way of l...

You must have a subscription and be logged in to read the entire article.
Click here to subscribe
visitor : : uid: ()