Courtroom

Key Words

Word	Gloss	Ref.
מִשְׁפָּט	"judgment, courtroom"	Ps. 1:5

Target Domains

Yahweh's Judgment

"God's intermediate and final judgments are depicted in terms of a courtroom scene." This metaphor is so influential in shaping our conception of the target domain, that it is difficult to speak of the target domain (Yahweh's "judgment") in terms other than those drawn from the source domain ("judgment").

Psalm 1

• In Psalm 1, a courtroom scene (קוּם בַּמִּשְׁפָּט) maps onto Yahweh's final "judgment" of the righteous and the wicked.

“Standing in the judgment” (קוּם בַּמִּשְׁפָּט) appears to be a metonymy for taking action in a legal case, since formal speech in a legal setting was prefaced by the speaker standing up. In Psalm 27, for instance, the Psalmist complains of false witnesses (עֵדֵי שֶׁקֶר) rising up (קוּם) against him (Ps. 27:12). In Psalm 76, God, the judge (שֹׁפֵט), rises (קוּם) for the judgment (לַמִּשְׁפָּט) to rescue the poor in the land (Ps. 76:10). In Isaiah 54, tongues rise up (קוּם) with Israel for the judgment (לַמִּשְׁפָּט) only to be found guilty (Isa. 54:17). In Jesus’ trial before the Sanhedrin, the witnesses rise (ἀνίστημι) to testify (Mk. 14:56), and the high priest rises (ἀνίστημι) to question Jesus (Mk. 14:60). In Psalm 1, therefore, the rising of the wicked in the judgment refers to their taking legal action in the judgment. It is assumed that Yahweh is the judge (שֹׁפֵט) and that the righteous and the wicked constitute the two parties being judged. In Yahweh’s courtroom, the wicked are not even given an opportunity to speak. Their wicked lifestyle has barred them from rising to make accusations against the righteous.