Texts in Conversation
Numbers shares Ugarit's provision for forgiveness of both citizens and foreign residents, treating shared guilt as a problem that requires a response from the whole community.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
KTU 1.40:18
Cuneiform Texts from Ugarit
Ancient Near East
[…] [and the well-being of the stranger within the walls of Ugarit, and the well-being of] […], and the well-being of […]: whether you have sinned, [or by the word of the Qatian,] or by the word of the Dadmian, or by the word of the [Hurrian], or by the word of the Hittite, or by the word of the [Alashian], [or by the word of] […], or by the word of […], or by the word of […], or by the word of […], whether you have sinned in your anger, or in your impatience, [or in] […] […], whether you have sinned regarding the sacrifices or regarding the gift offering, the sacrifice [we make].
Numbers 15:26
Hebrew Bible
24 then if anything is done unintentionally without the knowledge of the community, the whole community must prepare one young bull for a burnt offering—for a pleasing aroma to the Lord—along with its grain offering and its customary drink offering, and one male goat for a purification offering. 25 And the priest is to make atonement for the whole community of the Israelites, and they will be forgiven, because it was unintentional and they have brought their offering, an offering made by fire to the Lord, and their purification offering before the Lord, for their unintentional offense. 26 And the whole community of the Israelites and the resident foreigner who lives among them will be forgiven, since all the people were involved in the unintentional offense.
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Notes and References
“... As in the
Ugaritic
text the expiation of sins in Leviticus applies to the
Israelites as well as to the alien residents (Lev. 16:29). Another text
that is pertinent to the Ugaritic ceremony is Numbers 15:22-26
where after an expiation offering brought on behalf of the people
(vv. 24-25) we read: “The whole Israelite community and the
foreigner residing among them shall be forgiven”. ...”
Weinfeld, Moshe
Social Justice in Ancient Israel and in the Ancient Near East
(p. 212) Fortress Press, 1995
* 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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