Global Hermeneutics? - International Voices in Biblical Studies ...

68 GLOBAL HERMENEUTICS?
The biblical metaphors are similarly bound up to their time and place. The
essential truths and meanings of course transcend the social situations and times of
their origin. It is true that the biblical writings generally depict God in masculine
terms. This is a clear reflection of the dominant patriarchal and male chauvinist
Near Eastern world-view.
Nevertheless, there are pointers in the biblical writings that the metaphor of
God as Father is not monolithic. Both the Hebrew Bible and the New Testament
use the metaphor of God as mother. For example, in Isa 49:13–15 we read as
follow:
13 Sing for Joy, O heavens and exult, O earth;
break forth, O mountains, into singing!
For the Lord has comforted his people,
and will have compassion on his afflicted.
14 But Zion said, “The Lord has forsaken me,
my Lord has forgotten me.”
15 Can a woman forget her sucking child,
that she should have no compassion
on the sons of her womb?
Even these may forget,
Yet I will not forget you. (RSV)
Here the Lord is using the metaphor of an earthly mother to convey the depth
and power of Her compassion. It should be noted here that the Hebrew word for
womb and that for compassion are directly related. The latter is used in a
metaphorical and secondary sense, thus drawing its power from the primary
imaginary and power of the former, i.e. a mother’s womb.
In the New Testament Jesus uses a related image or metaphor, namely that of a
mother hen. For example, we read in Matt 23:37–39 (or Luke 13: 34–34) as
follows:
37 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Killing the prophets and stoning those who are sent to
you! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her
brood under her wings, and you would not! 38 Behold your is forsaken and
desolate. 39 For I tell you, you will not see me again, until you say, “Blessed is he
who comes in the name of the Lord. (RSV)
The mother hen is used here as a metaphor for motherhood in general. There
can be no doubt that this metaphor captures best our notions of God’s mercy and
compassion, her care and protection, or her love and forgiveness.
This is not to say that metaphors of God as father do not convey fundamental
and basic truths. The point is that both are metaphors, linguistic pictures,
necessarily grounded and bound in time and space, and in specific historical
cultures, subject to the vicissitudes of human cultural and linguistic change.