Texts in Conversation

Psalm 8 and the Epic of Gilgamesh end with the same words that open them, creating a circular literary structure. In Psalm 8, this framing celebrates the divine name, while in Gilgamesh, the repeated lines mark the close of the hero’s journey.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE

Epic of Gilgamesh VI 182

Ancient Near East, Babylonian
176 ‘[...whom] we knew in our fury!’ 177 ‘[...in] the street he has none that defames him, 178 […] … […] way of his […!]’ 179 Gilgameš made merry in his palace. 180 The men were lying down, that were asleep on beds for the night, 181 Enkidu was lying down, seeing a dream. 182 Enkidu arose to reveal the dream, 183 saying to his friend:
Date: 2100 BCE (based on scholarly estimates)

Psalm 8:1

Hebrew Bible
1 For the music director, according to the gittith style; a psalm of David. O Lord, our Lord, how magnificent is your reputation throughout the earth! You reveal your majesty in the heavens above. 2 From the mouths of children and nursing babies you have ordained praise on account of your adversaries, so that you might put an end to the vindictive enemy. 3 When I look up at the heavens, which your fingers made, and see the moon and the stars, which you set in place,
Date: 600–201 BCE (based on scholarly estimates)
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Notes and References

#4898
"... Gilgamesh tablet XII, as attested by the Sumerian fragments, consists of material which dates from about the end of the third millennium or the beginning of the second millennium B.C. and which therefore existed in literary form already at the time of the commonly accepted date of the composition of the epic. Nevertheless, this tablet is without question a later supplement to the adventures of Gilgamesh. For it will be noted that the concluding passage of Tablet XI returns to the beginning of the epic and closes with almost the same words with which the poem ends, indicating that the wreath of myths and legends is complete. An instructive parallel to this is found in Psalm 8, which closes with exactly the same words with which it opens - "O Lord, our Lord, how glorious is Thy name in all the earth." Others are contained in the sections on the new, postdiluvian world order and the sign of the covenant in Genesis 9:1-7 and 12-17, which close in much the same way in which they begin. It will be recalled that also some of our church hymns, ending with the same stanza with which they begin, exhibit this feature ..."
Alexander Heidel, The Gilgamesh Epic and Old Testament Parallels (Chicago: University of Chicago, 1973), 15–16.

* 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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