Review article
https://doi.org/10.34075/cs.56.2.4
Figurative use of kidneys and liver: metonymy and merism in Croatian translations of abdominal organs in the Bible
Boris Beck
orcid.org/0000-0003-4637-465X
; Faculty of Political Science, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
Danijel Berković
orcid.org/0000-0001-5287-3944
; Biblical Institute, Zagreb, Croatia
Abstract
This work emphasizes the importance of human abdominal organs in biblical vocabulary of the source texts, and in Croatian Bible translations. Hebrew words for kidneys and liver as found in the original biblical texts, Croatian translations, and other languages rarely translate literally. Often they would be paraphrased figuratively which may cause semantic and translational debates over these terms. Clearly, abdominal organs play an important role in the biblical texts, whether in their physiological functions, but also as the seat of the deepest emotions. Kidneys, liver and gall-bladder have been frequently linked with the emotions of anger and wrath. Kidneys and liver particularly reflect the psychosomatic emotional states of the biblical author. Therefore, many biblical texts where we find those organs are not translated literally but rather as metonymy for those emotions. The original texts often bring the pair kidneys/liver together and in its figurative translations they become a merism which covers the entire emotional and mental state of a human being.
Keywords
Bible; abdomen; heart; metonymy
Hrčak ID:
258351
URI
Publication date:
21.6.2021.
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