This study, through repeated contemplation of verse 20 of the honorable Surah Al-Qalam (Al-Qalam, 20) and its narrative context, is based on the premise that cognitive semantics can provide a systematic framework for understanding the verse and help reduce interpretive and translational dispersion. The main objective of the research is to elucidate the efficacy of Mental Spaces Theory in analyzing the Qur’anic word ṣarīm (صَرِیم, ṣarīm). The research employs a descriptive-analytical method grounded in cognitive-linguistic frameworks. Accordingly, the lexical meanings of ṣarīm in classical lexical sources and selected tafsirs were first examined, and then, considering the mechanisms of mental spaces and the textual imagery, a more precise semantic analysis was provided. The findings indicate that the cognitive-semantics approach, through analyzing the interaction of the context (siyāq), presuppositions, and conceptual structures, enables the elucidation of deeper layers of meaning in this verse, such that ṣarīm is understood not merely as a report of the garden’s external state, but as a meaningful element within the narrative structure of divine retribution and human action. Compared to surface-oriented readings, this approach offers a more coherent and contextually grounded understanding of Qur’anic vocabulary.