Texts in Conversation
Deuteronomy 26's promise to raise Israel above other nations builds on the royal language of treasured possession in the Ugaritic letter KTU 2.39, treating national honor as a gift from the people's divine ruler.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
KTU 2.39:7
Cuneiform Texts from Ugarit
Ancient Near East
Message of the Sun. To Ammurapi say: With the Sun everything is very well. To the f[eet] of the [l]ord, the Sun, [his] lo[rd], his [ser]vant […] for he is [a servant], his treasured possession, and [his master] […] and […] my lord shall not lack. And [you], you surely [k]now: now […] to the Sun, your lord, [a ser]vant, his treasured possession, are you. Now […] the Sun, your lord, you surely know it. To me, the Sun, your lord, for a year, two years, why have you not come? And as for the tablet about food that you sent to the Sun, your lord: that food in your land there is none, the Sun […] If I go […] I have given […] two […] and […] […] […] […] with […] food […] […] And the letter […] [to] me […] wherever there is any, seek it out and give it to me.
Deuteronomy 26:19
Hebrew Bible
15 Look down from your holy dwelling place in heaven and bless your people Israel and the land you have given us, just as you promised our ancestors—a land flowing with milk and honey.” 16 Today the Lord your God is commanding you to keep these statutes and ordinances, something you must do with all your heart and soul. 17 Today you have declared the Lord to be your God, and that you will walk in his ways, keep his statutes, commandments, and ordinances, and obey him. 18 And today the Lord has declared you to be his special people (as he already promised you) so you may keep all his commandments. 19 Then he will elevate you above all the nations he has made and you will receive praise, fame, and honor. You will be a people holy to the Lord your God, as he has said.
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Notes and References
“... In a metaphorical sense,סגלה
“ ,personal, precious property”, is applied to
the people of Israel. In Deut. 7:6, the element of personal property is evident
from the wordsלהיות לו
(cf. Ps. 135:4, whereלסגלתוandלוare paralleled). The
element of preciousness is reflected in Deut. 26:19, where a formulation similar
to Deut. 7:6 is continued by Yhwh’s promise that He will set Israel high above
all nations, in praise, in fame, and in honour.
The metaphorical meaning ofסגלהalso occurs in Ugarit and Mesopotamia.
In Ugarit, the word sglt is used in a letter from the Hittite king to the king
of Ugarit (ktu 2.39).273 The Hittite king, Suppiluliuma ii (1205–1175 b.c.),274
blames his vassal Ammurapi (1205–1175 b.c.) that he has not come to him for
two years now, as was prescribed in earlier treaties, and that he has failed
to fulfill certain obligations. Because the text has not been preserved in its
entirety, several elements from the letter are debated. The lines that contain
the word sglt, however, are fairly clear.275 ...”
* 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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