Statement of the Problem: Quranic narratives transcend mere empirical historiography, embedding a multi-layered network of semiotic codes that sustain the text’s universal guidance. This study addresses the structural mechanisms of meaning-generation and decodes the narrative sign system within the grand narrative of the Children of Israel (Bani Israel) as a phenomenology of collective human behavior confronting divine revelation.
Objective: The primary objective is to examine the semiotic functions of core narrative components in the story of Bani Israel and explicate the structural link between narrative form and deep semantic layers.
Methodology: Employing an analytical-inferential method anchored in structural narrative semiotics (specifically A. J. Greimas’s actantial model), this study analyzes textual contexts, binary oppositions, and semiotic relations in relevant verses, integrating classical exegesis with linguistic theories.
Findings: The semiotic paradigm operates across four dimensions: 1) Characters: Aaron symbolizes rational forbearance and balanced leadership; Korah represents monopolistic wealth and epistemic arrogance; and Samiri signifies elite intellectual deviation and emotional manipulation; 2) Space: Mount Sinai marks the threshold linking divine and terrestrial realms; the sea embodies the dual function of liberating the oppressed and destroying tyrants; and the Egypt–Tih opposition contrasts entrenched despotism with generational catharsis; 3) Time: Temporal compression, the forty-night appointment, and prolepsis illustrate spiritual maturation and the immutability of divine laws; 4) Events: Post-deliverance idolatry reflects the psychological residues of subjugation, while the slaughter of the cow functions as an act of demythologization and material de-sacralization.