Texts in Conversation
Hammurabi’s prologue claims divine appointment to execute justice and destroy evildoers. Jeremiah delivers the same demand to Judah’s royal house, warning that its survival depends on doing what is just and right.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
Code of Hammurabi
Babylonian Legal Text
Ancient Near East
When Anu the Sublime, King of the Anunaki, and Bel, the lord of Heaven and earth, who decreed the fate of the land, assigned to Marduk, the over-ruling son of Ea, God of righteousness, dominion over earthly man, and made him great among the Igigi. They called Babylon by his illustrious name, made it great on earth, and founded an everlasting kingdom in it, whose foundations are laid as solidly as those of heaven and earth. Then Anu and Bel called by name me, Hammurabi, the exalted prince, who feared God, to bring about the rule of righteousness in the land and destroy the wicked and the evil-doers. So that the strong should not harm the weak, so that I should rule over the black-headed people like Shamash and enlighten the land, to further the well-being of mankind. Hammurabi, the prince, called of Bel am I, making riches and increase, enriching Nippur and Dur-ilu beyond compare, sublime patron of E-kur, who reestablished Eridu and purified the worship of E-apsu. Who conquered the four quarters of the world, made great the name of Babylon, rejoiced the heart of Marduk, his lord who daily pays devotions in Saggil, the royal scion whom Sin made.
Date: 1750 B.C.E. (based on scholarly estimates)
Jeremiah 22:3
Hebrew Bible
1 The Lord told me, “Go down to the palace of the king of Judah. Give him a message from me there. 2 Say: ‘Listen, O king of Judah who follows in David’s succession. You, your officials, and your subjects who pass through the gates of this palace must listen to the Lord’s message. 3 The Lord says, “Do what is just and right. Deliver those who have been robbed from those who oppress them. Do not exploit or mistreat resident foreigners who live in your land, children who have no fathers, or widows. Do not kill innocent people in this land. 4 If you are careful to obey these commands, then the kings who follow in David’s succession and ride in chariots or on horses will continue to come through the gates of this palace, as will their officials and their subjects. 5 But, if you do not obey these commands, I solemnly swear that this palace will become a pile of rubble. I, the Lord, affirm it!”’
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Notes and References
“... In the ancient Near East generally, the king was both lawgiver and judge. In Israel, however, laws were not promulgated by the king but by Yahweh. But the king did possess judicial powers, as de Vaux points out, and was, in fact, a judge. In the capacity of judge, he had a solemn obligation to see that justice reigned in the land and was himself expected to execute justice (Psalm 72). Justice was also expected from kings in neighboring cultures. The Prologue to the Code of Hammurabi (circa 1700 B.C.) begins by stating that Hammurabi had been named by the gods Anum and Enlil to cause justice to prevail in the land to destroy the wicked and the evil that the strong might not oppress the weak. At the end, Hammurabi states that he did precisely this. A Neo-Babylonian text tells similarly of a king contemporary with Jeremiah who restored justice when the social order was in complete collapse. ...”
Lundbom, Jack R.
Jeremiah 21-36: A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary
(p. 112) Doubleday, 2004
* 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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