A wee while ago I posted a reflection on clouds. Since then I came across this book which looks like an intriguing read. It's now on my wants list of exegetical studies on Psalms. Here's the blurb.
The weather is all around us all the time. From ancient times people have attributed the weather to the work of the gods. Ancient Israel shared this perception. The book of Psalms reflects theologically significant views on the weather that have not, until now, been fully explored. In this meteorological survey of the Psalms, whimsically called "meteorotheology," every reference to the weather is translated in accordance with the known climate and weather of ancient Israel. Each verse is discussed with particular attention to the function of the weather in the hymnal of ancient Israel. This book will be a resource for translators, clergy, and scholars with an interest in how the weather impacted religious outlooks in ancient Israel. Readers will learn that some expected associations, such as thunder and lightning, did not influence Israelite views on the natural world in the same way that they do today. Yahweh was God of the weather, and the Psalms frequently use this paradigm as a reason for both praise and fear of the Lord.
certainly looks curious - Psalm 18 has some weather in the theophany. But I expect they were pretty good at metaphor too, probably less naive than we might think.
Posted by: Bob MacDonald | May 11, 2015 at 04:12 AM
Hello Bob - I did wonder if you;d be in touch about this, and glad you were! I presume you know well W P Brown's Seeing the Psalms. A Theology of Metaphor. Strangely it has little to say about weather metaphors. I'm also hoping eventually for his commentary in the OT Library series. Hope you are well and Psalm study is flourishing. Have you used Ross's volumes on Psalms?
Posted by: Jim Gordon | May 11, 2015 at 07:07 AM