Texts in Conversation
Isaiah 33 applies the Baal Cycle's picture of El's home beside great waters to Jerusalem, turning the city's streams into a sign of protection under its divine king.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
KTU 1.2 III:4
Cuneiform Texts from Ugarit
Ancient Near East
[…] […] [Caphtor] is far, [O gods], [Memphis] [is far], [O deities: two layers beneath the springs of the earth, three spans beneath the caverns.] [Then] he sets his face towards El at the source of the [rivers], [amid the channels of the two deeps]. [He enters] the tent of El and comes into the [pavilion] of the King, [the Father of the Bright One]. [At the feet of El] [he bows] and falls, he bows down and honours [him]. [Then] […] […] Kothar-wa-[Hasis], depart! Build the house of Yamm, [raise] the palace of Ruler [Nahar] […] [Nahar] in the midst of […]. Kothar-wa-[Hasis] departs […] build the house of Prince Yamm, […] the palace [of] [Ruler] Nahar in the midst of […] [Quickly] his [house] shall be built, [quickly] [his palace] shall be raised. [A thousand fields] the house shall take,
Isaiah 33:21
Hebrew Bible
19 You will no longer see a defiant people whose language you do not comprehend, whose derisive speech you do not understand. 20 Look at Zion, the city where we hold religious festivals! You will see Jerusalem, a peaceful settlement, a tent that stays put; its stakes will never be pulled up; none of its ropes will snap in two. 21 Instead the Lord will rule there as our mighty king. Rivers and wide streams will flow through it; no war galley will enter; no large ships will sail through. 22 For the Lord, our ruler, the Lord, our commander, the Lord, our king—he will deliver us. 23 Though at this time your ropes are slack, the mast is not secured, and the sail is not unfurled, at that time you will divide up a great quantity of loot; even the lame will drag off plunder.
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Notes and References
“... Moreover, the description of Yahweh’s
dwelling-place as a “tent” (’o¯hel) (e.g., Psalms 15:1; 27:6; 91:10; 132:3), called in
the Pentateuchal traditions the “tent of meeting” (’ohel moˆ‘e¯d) (Exodus 33:7–11;
Numbers 12:5, 10; Deuteronomy 31:14, 15), recalls the tent of El. The tabernacle
of Yahweh has qeˇra¯sˇıˆm, usually understood as “boards” (Exodus 26–40); Numbers
3:36; 4:31), whereas the dwelling of El is called qrsˇ, perhaps “tabernacle” or “pa-
vilion” (CAT 1.2 III 5; 1.3 V 8; 1.4 IV 24; 1.17 V 49). Furthermore, the dwelling
of El is set amid the cosmic waters (CAT 1.2 III 4; 1.3 V 6; 1.4 IV 20–22; 1.17
V 47–48), a theme evoked in descriptions of Yahweh’s abode in Jerusalem (Psalms
47:5; 87; Isaiah 33:20–22; Ezekiel 47:1–12; Joel 4:18; Zechariah 14:8). ...”
Smith, Mark S.
The Origins of Biblical Monotheism: Israel’s Polytheistic Background and the Ugaritic Texts
(p. 142) Oxford University Press, 2001
* 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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