Messianic kingdom: Figurative language and themes in the book of Psalms

Abstract

This study is a content analysis of Figurative Language and Themes in the Book of Psalms. Specifically, it identified the following: figurative language in the Book of Psalms and their meanings; commonly used figures of speech and the chapter which has the most number of figures of speech; author, who has the most written chapters in Psalms; and common themes existing in the Book of Psalms. The theory of figurative speech and hermeneutics were used to analyze the Book of Psalms. It was found out that the commonly used figure of speech in the Book of Psalms is metonymy to give emphasis to a verse which is substituted for another noun. David is the author who has the most written chapters in Psalms for he was a poet in that era. Torah and Messiah, Lament and Praise, Faith and Hope are the themes of the Book of Psalms. Figurative language was used to emphasize a point or to create a picture in the mind of the recipient. The Book of Psalms teaches everyone not to ignore the pain of one’s life, but at the same time to take the biblical faith and look to the promise of God’s future Messianic Kingdom. It is recommended to the next researchers to use a summative content analysis from the Bible, to have a deeper study on the Word of God in order to feed the spiritual aspect of life, study with passion, choose a book which would help them grow spiritually and realize the impact of learning figurative language which can be connected in real world.