Digital Biblical Studies
Lyrics The song’s title itself is an invocation of the Hebrew name for God, “the Great I Am” (U2 by U2, 329), and it establishes the spiritual context; “Yahweh” is our best guess at the pronunciation of these most sacred four letters in Jewish scriptures. The lyrics draw from the story of Moses and the …
Continue reading “Biblical Allusions in U2’s “Yahweh” (How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb, 2004)”
Lyrics While Bono himself described “Elevation” as “about sexuality and transcendence, a playful piece about wanting to get off, or, in this case, to literally get off the ground,” the song’s religious undertones emerge through its vertical imagery and salvation metaphors. The recurring theme of elevation echoes the Psalms’ descriptions of divine transcendence (“above all …
Continue reading “Biblical Allusions in U2’s “Elevation” (All That You Can’t Leave Behind, 2001)”
Lyrics “The Unforgettable Fire” uses biblical motifs to depict the trauma of nuclear destruction, drawing from both scripture and the haunting legacy of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The opening line, “These city lights, they shine as silver and gold,” evokes Deuteronomy 8:13–15, where material abundance risks spiritual complacency (“your silver and gold increase… then your heart will become proud”), contrasting …