Juridiska metaforer i Jobs bok : En analys av hur de juridiska metaforernaanvänds, utvecklas och värderas i Jobs bok.

Sammanfattning: The purpose of this study is to investigate how legal metaphors are used, developed and valuatedthrough the book of Job. By the method of close reading I analyze the speeches of Job in order toinvestigate if and how the legal metaphors maintain tension between source and main domain, ifthey are meaningful, are used in a creative way and developed through the book of Job. The legallanguage is used by the prophets to explain the suffering of the people by ascribing God to theroles of prosecutor and judge who punishes the people for their violation of the covenant. In thebook of Job the friends of Job represent tradition. They promote the theory of retribution andclaim that Job is being judged and punished for his sins. Job breaks with the tradition and wishesto meet God in court, and assigns different legal roles to God; plaintiff, accused, witness, his legalrepresentative and the criminal. Throughout the book of Job the tension between God and allthese different roles is maintained and discussed. Job cannot meet God in court because they areunequal and there is no one who has authority over God. To behold God criminally accusedseems inappropriate because God is the foundation of justice. However Job keeps using themetaphors in his complaint before God. The oath in chapter 31 shows the absurdity to put alldifferent legal roles of God into one model but nevertheless shows how the legal metaphors areuseful as a language of complaint. In the speeches of God there are no legal metaphors and Job isresponding by admitting his limitation in explaining the works of God and by promising to bequiet. The friends of Job are being rebuked for having talked wrong about God. They used thelegal metaphors to explain God and the works of God. The legal metaphors are not to be used asexplanatory models but provide a platform for the innocent to form their complaint forvindication.