Patterns of Sin in the Hebrew Bible

This work explores the construction of sin as a religious concept in ancient Israel by examining the dominant metaphors used to express the idea in the Hebrew Bible. Building on insights regarding metaphor derived from recent studies in linguistics and philosophy of language, the book identifies and describes four major patterns of metaphors for sin that permeate the biblical texts: sin viewed as a burden carried by the sinner; sin portrayed as an account kept by God in heaven; sin depicted as a path or direction in which one travels; and sin described as a stain or impurity in need of removal.