Metaphorical conceptualization of illness in the Bible

This study examines the metaphorical conceptualization of illness in the Bible from a cognitive linguistic perspective. Based on Conceptual Metaphor Theory, this study analyzes figurative meanings of illness-related expressions in biblical texts and identifies the underlying conceptual metaphors. The analysis shows that the target domain ILLNESS is systematically structured through multiple source domains, including SIN, BURDEN, WAR, CONTAGION, PERSON, CONTAINER, FATE, and COMMERCE. For analytical clarity, these metaphors are integrated into four overarching cognitive frames. The findings demonstrate that biblical illness metaphors, while grounded in embodied human experience, are strongly shaped by a Christian biblical worldview, resulting in patterns of conceptualization that differ from those found in everyday secular language.