Texts in Conversation
Psalm 48 shares Baal's battle at his mountain home in the Baal Cycle, using the defeat of attacking kings to show that Jerusalem's security rests on its divine defender.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
KTU 1.6 VI:12
Cuneiform Texts from Ugarit
Ancient Near East
Divine Mot ate his seven divine assistants. Divine Mot cried: “Look! It is my brothers whom Baal has given me for my meal, my mother’s sons for my consumption!” He returned to Baal in the recesses of Sapan. He lifted up his voice and cried: “It is my brothers you have given me, Baal, for my meal, my mother’s sons for my consumption!” They glowered at each other like burning coals. Mot was strong; Baal was strong. They gored like wild bulls. Mot was strong; Baal was strong. They bit like serpents. Mot was strong; Baal was strong. They tugged like hunting-dogs. Mot fell. Baal fell on top of him. Shapshu cried to Mot: “Listen, pray, O divine Mot! How can you fight with Valiant Baal?
Psalm 48:5
Hebrew Bible
3 God is in its fortresses; he reveals himself as its defender. 4 For look, the kings assemble; they advance together. 5 As soon as they see, they are shocked; they are terrified, they quickly retreat. 6 Look at them shake uncontrollably, like a woman writhing in childbirth. 7 With an east wind you shatter the large ships. 8 We heard about God’s mighty deeds; now we have seen them, in the city of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, in the city of our God. God makes it permanently secure. (Selah) 9 Within your temple we reflect on your loyal love, O God. 10 The praise you receive as far away as the ends of the earth is worthy of your reputation, O God. You execute justice. 11 Mount Zion rejoices; the towns of Judah are happy, because of your acts of judgment. 12 Walk around Zion. Encircle it. Count its towers.
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Notes and References
“... There are many parallels between this Ugaritic passage and a variety of
biblical texts.425 First, the divine battle takes place at the mountain of the
deity, a motif found in Psalms 2:1-2; 48:5-8; 110; Joel 4:9-14; Zechariah
12:3-4; 14:2; and elsewhere. In Ugaritic, this motif is not restricted to Anat.
Baal also fights his enemies on his mountain (KTU 1.6 VI 12-13; cf. 1.1 V 5,
18). Second, the battle is universal in scope; “peoples” are collectively the
enemies of the deity. Many of the biblical passages just cited likewise contain
this motif. ...”
Smith, Mark S.
The Early History of God: Yahweh and the Other Deities in Ancient Israel
(p. PDF 115) William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2002
* 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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