Cultural models are mental images that the people of a culture use to think about and to talk about certain aspects of life or behavior. For example, Americans often think of many things, even marriage and friendship, as if they were machines. Americans might say “His marriage is breaking down” or “Their friendship is going full speed ahead.” In this example, human relationships are modeled as a MACHINE. One can say that cultural models are [complex metaphors](../figs-cometaphor/01.md) that are commonly used by people of a particular culture.
Some common cultural models found in the Bible are listed below. First there are models for God, then models for humans, things, and experiences. Each heading has the model written in capital letters. That word or phrase does not necessarily appear in every verse, but the idea does.
> Then all the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron and said, “Look…when Saul was king over us, it was you who led the Israelite army. Yahweh said to you, ‘You will **shepherd** my people Israel, and you will become ruler over Israel.’“ (2 Samuel 5:1-2 ULT)
> Guard yourselves and all the **flock** of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be careful to **shepherd** the church of God, which he purchased with his own blood. I know that after my departure, vicious wolves will come in among you, not sparing the **flock**. Even among you yourselves, men will come speaking perverse things which draw away the disciples after them. (Acts 20:28-30 ULT)
> In this way, this person would not die by the hand of the one who wanted to avenge **the blood that was shed**, until the accused person would first stand before the assembly. (Joshua 20:9b ULT)
If blood cries out, nature itself is crying out for vengeance on a person who killed someone. (This also includes personification, because the blood is pictured as someone that can cry out. See: [Personification](../figs-personification/01.md))
> Now it happened that when Gideon had died, the sons of Israel turned back again and **pursued adulterously** after the Baals. They made Baal-Berith for themselves as a god. (Judges 8:33 ULT)
> Yet their words go out over all the earth and their speech to the end of the world. He has pitched **a tent for the sun** among them. The sun is like a bridegroom coming out of **his chamber** and like a strong man who rejoices when he runs his race. (Psalm 19:4-5 ULT)
The sun is modeled as a disc with wings which allow it to “fly” through the air from east to west during the daytime. In Psalm 139, “the wings of the morning” refers to the sun. In Malachi 4 God called himself the “sun of righteousness” and he spoke of the sun as having wings.
> This happened while the Egyptians were burying all their firstborn, those whom Yahweh had killed among them, for **he also inflicted punishment on their gods**. (Numbers 33:4 ULT)
> And what nation is like your people Israel, the one nation on earth whom you, God, went and rescued for yourself? … You drove out nations **and their gods** from before your people, whom you rescued from Egypt. (2 Samuel 7:23 ULT)
> The servants of the king of Aram said to him, “**Their god is a god of the hills. That is why they were stronger than we were**. But now let us fight against them in the plain, and surely there we will be stronger than they are.” (1 Kings 20:23 ULT)
When Job was distressed because of all the sad things that happened to him, he spoke as if he were in a wilderness. Jackals and ostriches are animals that live in the wilderness.
> Behold, a leper came to him and bowed before him, saying, “Lord, if you are willing, **you can make me clean**.” Jesus reached out his hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing. Be clean.” Immediately he was **cleansed of his leprosy.** (Matthew 8:2-3 ULT)
> When an **unclean spirit** has gone away from a man, it passes through waterless places and looks for rest, but does not find it. (Matthew 12:43 ULT)
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