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The Ugaritic text KTU 1.23 describes El, the chief god, taking two wives who bear the divine offspring Shachar and Shalem. Genesis 6:1–4 echoes this pattern of divine beings taking human women as wives, producing the Nephilim.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
KTU 1.23:88
Cuneiform Texts from Ugarit
Ancient Near East
The two wives are the wives of El, the wives of El, and forever. He stooped: their lips he kissed. O, how sweet were their lips, as sweet as pomegranates; from kissing came conception, from embracing, impregnation. He sat and counted five months for growth, ten for the full completion. Both of them crouched and gave birth to Shahar and Shalem. Word was brought to El: The two wives of El have given birth! What have they borne? Shahar and Shalem have been born. Raise up an offering to Shapsh, the Great Lady, and to the stars who have been begotten.
Date: 2300 B.C.E. (based on scholarly estimates)
Genesis 6:2
Hebrew Bible
1 When humankind began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born to them, 2 the sons of God saw that the daughters of humankind were beautiful. Thus they took wives for themselves from any they chose. 3 So the Lord said, “My Spirit will not remain in humankind indefinitely, since they are mortal. They will remain for 120 more years.” 4 The Nephilim were on the earth in those days (and also after this) when the sons of God would sleep with the daughters of humankind, who gave birth to their children. They were the mighty heroes of old, the famous men.
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Notes and References
“… The story of the coupling of the sons of god with the beautiful mortal women reminds us of mythological traditions that were widespread in ancient cultures, including some that were Israel’s neighbors. Canaanite literature (we’ve already mentioned the discovery of the rich archives in Ugarit) tells how the father of the gods, El, had relations with two women. Shachar and Shalem, the progeny of these unions, became gods themselves and joined the pantheon. Classical literature tells the tale of Zeus, the father of the gods, having relations with the mortal Alcamene and fathering Heracles, who ultimately gains divine status and immortality. …”
Shinan, Avigdor and Yair Zakovitch
From Gods to God: How the Bible Debunked, Suppressed, or Changed Ancient Myths and Legends
(pp. 27-28) The Jewish Publication Society, 2012
* 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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