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In the Baal Cycle, Mount Sapan is Baal’s holy mountain at the center of the world, where the gods dwell. Ezekiel echoes that tradition when he places the king of Tyre on the holy mountain of God, walking among fiery stones.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
The Baal Cycle
Ancient Near East
As the gods dine and drink. Mightiest Baal declares: Hurry, the house, Kothar Quickly construct the palace. You must promptly build the house You must swiftly construct the palace On the peak of Sapan. Let the house span a thousand fields The palace, ten thousand hectares. And Kothar-wa-Hasis replies: Listen, Mightiest Baal
Date: 1500 - 1300 B.C.E. (based on scholarly estimates)
Ezekiel 28:13
Hebrew Bible
12 “Son of man, sing a lament for the king of Tyre, and say to him, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: “‘You were the sealer of perfection, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty. 13 You were in Eden, the garden of God. Every precious stone was your covering, the ruby, topaz, and emerald, the chrysolite, onyx, and jasper, the sapphire, turquoise, and beryl; your settings and mounts were made of gold. On the day you were created they were prepared. 14 I placed you there with an anointed guardian cherub; you were on the holy mountain of God; you walked about amidst fiery stones. 15 You were blameless in your behavior from the day you were created, until sin was discovered in you.
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Notes and References
... In Ugaritic myth, the high god El dwells "at the sources of the (two) rivers, in the midst of the (double) deep" (CTA 3.5.14-15, etc.). Of course, the main feature of the garden of God theme is the presence of the deity. The divine council meets there and decrees of cosmic importance are issued. El’s dwelling is also called the phr m’d, "appointed assembly" (CTA 2.1.19-21). It is to this place that Yamm sends messengers demanding the surrender of Baal (lines 36-38). Also, both Anat and Asherah go to El’s dwelling to seek permission for the building of a temple for Baal (CTA 3.5.12-17, 4.4.20-24). In Ezekiel 28:14 the presence of lesser deities in the garden may be reflected in the reference to the "protecting cherub" and to the "fiery stones" ...
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