Reimagining the Cluster of Theriomorphic Metaphors in Hos 13:7–8 through the Lens of Cultural Trauma

This article reconsiders the cluster of theriomorphic metaphors in Hos 13:7–8 through the lens of cultural trauma studies. Building on the premise that the Book of Hosea reached its final form in Persian Yehud and drawing together insights from metaphor theory and cultural trauma analysis, the paper argues that the violent animal imagery in this passage functions as a culturally constructed metanarrative of collective wounding. By portraying YHWH and an unnamed force as a series of deadly beasts, the text provides its Yehudite readers with a symbolic medium through which to remember the fall of the Northern Kingdom, reinterpret the implications of its devastation for their own context, and internalise its theological significance. This interpretive approach demonstrates how Hosea’s animal metaphors contributed to shaping communal identity in Persian Yehud by embedding past catastrophe into shared memory and fostering reflection on Israel’s ongoing suffering and need for restoration.