Texts in Conversation
Isaiah's promise of a son's birth shares Nikkal's birth announcement at Ugarit, making the sign for Judah's king part of familiar language about royal and divine births.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
KTU 1.24:7
Cuneiform Texts from Ugarit
Ancient Near East
I sing of Nikkal-and-Ib, Hirhibi, king of summer, Hirhibi, king […] Yarih […], he embraces her who will bear […] […] to the daughters of Hilal, [the swallows]. Look, a young woman will bear a son […] […] […] […] like a bride […] Listen, goddesses, Kotharat, […] […] to his lord […] Dagan […] […] to the Kotharat, to the daughters of Hilal, [the swallows]. Yarih, lamp of heaven, sends to Hirhibi, king of summer: "Give Nikkal; Yarih will pay the bride-price for Ib. Let her enter his house, and I will give her bride-price to her father: a thousand of silver and ten thousand of gold; I will send gleaming lapis lazuli; I will make her fields into vineyards, the field of her love […]." Then Hirhibi, king of summer, answered: "O most gracious of the gods, become a son-in-law to Baal; marry Pidray, [his] daughter.
Isaiah 7:14
Hebrew Bible
13 So Isaiah replied, “Pay attention, family of David. Do you consider it too insignificant to try the patience of men? Is that why you are also trying the patience of my God? 14 For this reason the Lord himself will give you a confirming sign. Look, this young woman is pregnant and will give birth to a son. You, young woman, will name him Immanuel. 15 He will eat sour milk and honey, which will help him know how to reject evil and choose what is right. 16 Here is why this will be so: Before the child knows how to reject evil and choose what is right, the land whose two kings you fear will be desolate. 17 The Lord will bring on you, your people, and your father’s family a time unlike any since Ephraim departed from Judah—the king of Assyria!”
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Notes and References
“... 9.
Ug. ,~/nlf: to the line cf. Isa. 7.14. Rather than 'young woman'. The term is
restricted to royal women and goddesses. See at KTU 1.2 i 13 and n. 99.
10. Ug. tid. Or 'begot'? Or 'will bear'. Thus Caquot and Sznycer (1974: 392)
and del Olmo (l981a: 457) etc. Or 'would beget'? Cf. the formula at Isa. 7.14. ...”
* 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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