Narrative Semantics and Divine Discourse: A Hermeneutic Linguistic Study of Surah Yusuf

Abstract

This study investigates the construction of meaning in Surah Yusuf through an integrated framework of narrative semantics and hermeneutic linguistics. While traditional Qur’anic exegesis has primarily focused on theological and moral interpretation, limited attention has been given to the systematic analysis of linguistic structures that shape meaning within the text. Addressing this gap, the present research adopts a qualitative-dominant mixed-method approach, combining Corpus-Assisted Discourse Studies (CADS) with hermeneutic interpretation to examine lexical patterns, semantic fields, and discourse structures. The data comprises the complete text of the Surah in its original Arabic form, supported by English translation for alignment and interpretive analysis. Corpus tools were employed to identify frequency patterns, collocations, and concordance structures, followed by semantic field categorization. The findings reveal that meaning is constructed through deliberate lexical repetition, semantic clustering, and narrative progression. Key lexical items function as semantic anchors, reinforcing dominant themes such as patience, deception, knowledge, and divine justice. The analysis further demonstrates that meaning in the Surah is context-dependent and evolves across the narrative, with early elements re-emerging as fulfilled outcomes. Hermeneutic interpretation highlights that linguistic patterns are not merely structural but carry symbolic, emotional, and theological significance. The study concludes that the Surah operates as a highly structured system of divine discourse, where meaning is systematically encoded and interpretively layered. This research contributes to the fields of applied linguistics, discourse analysis, and Qur’anic studies by bridging the gap between traditional exegesis and modern linguistic inquiry. It also proposes a replicable interdisciplinary framework for analyzing sacred texts, integrating empirical methods with interpretive depth.