Texts in Conversation
David’s curse over Mount Gilboa in 2 Samuel 1 mirrors a threefold curse in the Ugaritic text KTU where Danel blocks dew, rain, and springs to bring drought. Both use the same pattern to express grief and devastation as part of a common lament tradition.
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KTU 1.19
Cuneiform Texts from Ugarit
Ancient Near East
Pughat wept in her heart, she cried in her liver. She tore the garment of Danel the man of healing, the cloak of the hero, the devotee of Hrnm. Then Danel the man of healing cursed the clouds, which rain on the dreadful heat, the clouds which rain on the summer-fruit, the dew which settles on the grapes: “For seven years Baal shall fail, for eight, the Charioteer of the clouds! No dew, no rain, no welling up of the deeps, no goodness of Baal’s voice! For she has torn the garment of Danel the man of healing, the cloak of the hero, the devotee of Hrnm!”
Date: 2300 B.C.E. (based on scholarly estimates)
Source
2 Samuel 1:21
Hebrew Bible
19 “The beauty of Israel lies slain on your high places! How the mighty have fallen! 20 Don’t report it in Gath, don’t spread the news in the streets of Ashkelon, or the daughters of the Philistines will rejoice, the daughters of the uncircumcised will celebrate! 21 O mountains of Gilboa, may there be no dew or rain on you, nor fields of grain offerings! For it was there that the shield of warriors was defiled; the shield of Saul lies neglected without oil. 22 From the blood of the slain, from the fat of warriors,the bow of Jonathan was not turned away.The sword of Saul never returned empty.
Date: 6th Century B.C.E. (Final composition) (based on scholarly estimates)
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Notes and References
"... KTU 1.19 ... This interesting formula has thrown light on the strange form of David's curse on Mount Gilboa in 2 Samuel 1:21 ... A comparison of the texts suggests a correction of the Hebrew. The final line of the Hebrew (the Masoretic text has 'nor fields of offerings') would on the corrected reading mean 'nor rising up of the deeps' ... the corrected text, like the Ugaritic form, represents a threefold curse against life-giving water from any of the three natural sources: dew, rain, or springs ..."
* 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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