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In Eridu Genesis, the divine assembly decides to destroy humankind and Ziugiddu hears a warning at a wall, while in Genesis God tells Noah directly that he will destroy life on earth.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
Eridu Genesis IV
The Sumerian Deluge
Ancient Near East, Sumerian
2 Ziugiddu, standing beside it, heard [...] 3 Stand at the wall on my left and [...] 4 At the wall, I will speak to you. 5 My holy one, listen to me 6 By our hand a rainstorm [...] will be sent; 7 To destroy the seed of humankind, to [...], 8 is the decision, the declaration of the assembly of the gods, whose verdict cannot be reversed, 9 The commands of Anu and Enlil cannot be overturned, 10 Its (or their) kingdom, its (or their) rule has ended,
Date: 1600 BCE (based on scholarly estimates)
Genesis 6:13
Hebrew Bible
12 God saw the earth, and indeed it was ruined, for all living creatures on the earth were sinful. 13 So God said to Noah, “I have decided that all living creatures must die, for the earth is filled with violence because of them. Now I am about to destroy them and the earth. 14 Make for yourself an ark of cypress wood. Make rooms in the ark, and cover it with pitch inside and out. 15 This is how you should make it: The ark is to be 450 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet high. 16 Make a roof for the ark and finish it, leaving 18 inches from the top. Put a door in the side of the ark, and make lower, middle, and upper decks.
Date: 750–400 BCE (based on scholarly estimates)
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Notes and References
"... In Mesopotamia clay tablets are found with traditions that are in some agreement with Genesis 6-9. In the Arahasis Epic, the gods sent a flood to wipe out all humans. The god Enki warned Atrahasis in a dream and advised him to make a boat. In the Gilgamesh Epic, the hero passes countries, mountain peaks, and seas to end up at the home of his ancestor Utnapishtim, who lives on an island paradise in a distant sea, beyond the end of the world ... Compare also 'The Eridu Genesis' (COS 1.158) and the publication of a Babylonian tablet from about 1750 B.C.E. ..."
Mart-Jan Paul, “God's Destruction of the Earth by the Flood (Genesis 6:13),” in Reading and Listening: Meeting One God in Many Texts, ed. Jaap Dekker and Gert Kwakkel, ACEBTSup (Uitgeverij 2VM, 2018), 35.
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
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