Texts in Conversation
Psalm 33 shares Baal's control of Sea in the Baal Cycle, emphasizing God's complete authority by showing that he can arrange its waters with a command.
Share:
2500 BCE
1000+ CE
KTU 1.2 IV:25
Cuneiform Texts from Ugarit
Ancient Near East
You, your name is 'All-Driver' All-Driver, drive Yamm away, drive Yamm from his throne, Nahar from the siege of his dominion! You must leap from the hand of Baal, like a falcon from his fingers. Strike the skull of Prince Yamm (Ocean), the brow of Ruler Nahar (River)! Let Yamm collapse in a heap, and let him fall to the ground!' Then the mace leapt from the hand of Baal, like a falcon from his fingers. It struck the skull of Prince Yamm, the brow of Ruler Nahar. Yamm collapsed in a heap; he fell to the ground. His joints trembled, and his visage was discomposed. Baal gathered Up and drank Prince Yamm to the dregs, he exterminated Ruler Nahar. By name Athtart chided him Dry him Up, O Valiant Baal! Dry him up, O Charioteer of the Clouds! For our captive is Prince [Yamm], [for]
Psalm 33:7
Hebrew Bible
2 Give thanks to the Lord with the harp. Sing to him to the accompaniment of a ten-stringed instrument. 3 Sing to him a new song. Play skillfully as you shout out your praises to him. 4 For the Lord’s decrees are just, and everything he does is fair. 5 He promotes equity and justice; the Lord’s faithfulness extends throughout the earth. 6 By the Lord’s decree the heavens were made, and by the breath of his mouth all the starry hosts. 7 He piles up the water of the sea; he puts the oceans in storehouses. 8 Let the whole earth fear the Lord. Let all who live in the world stand in awe of him. 9 For he spoke, and it came into existence. He issued the decree, and it stood firm. 10 The Lord frustrates the decisions of the nations; he nullifies the plans of the peoples.
Search:
Notes and References
“... Ugaritic texts (KTU 1.3 III 38–42; KTU 1.5 I 1–8; and KTU 1.83) refer
ence Baʿlu and ʿAnatu defeating Yammu and/or Lōtanu. Within the bibli
cal anthology, many texts emphasize Yahweh’s authority over the sea (Ps
93:1–5; Ps 29:3; Ps 65:8; Nah 1:3b–5; Ps 104; Ps 33; Job 7:12 Job 9:8; Job 38:4a,
8–11, 16); some use the conflict motif to promote Yahweh’s royal author
ity (Ps 93 and Ps 29); several describe battles against Rahab, Leviathan,
dragon/s, Sea, and/or the sea (Ps 89:6–15, Ps 74:12–17, Job 26:10–13),
though we also have descriptions of Leviathan as Yahweh’s plaything (Ps
104 and Job 40–41); and many passages interweave the conflict motif with
creation themes in order to portray Yahweh’s dominion as universal (Ps
89:6–15, Ps 74:12–17, Ps 104:2–6; Job 38). Ugaritic and biblical literatures
promote the prowess of Baʿlu and Yahweh, respectively, through reference
to their defeat of Lōtanu/Leviathan, a multi-headed serpent. Judean and
Mesopotamian combat traditions share use of the conflict motif to sup
port the claim that the victorious warrior deity is incomparable. Mari letter
A.1968 preserves reference to Adad defeating the sea as well. Though we
have no full narratives of Yahweh or Adad defeating divine enemies, these
victorious warrior deities, along with Baʿlu, Ninurta, Marduk, and Aššur,
attained their kingship and dominion through combat with their enemies.
I describe examples of the conflict motif that focus primarily on the status
of the victorious deity as primary application of the motif. ...”
Ballentine, Debra Scoggins
The Conflict Myth and the Biblical Tradition
(p. 124) Oxford University Press, 2015
* 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.
Your Feedback:
Leave a Comment
Anonymous comments are welcome. All comments are subject to moderation.
1 && show(index - 1)"
@keydown.right.window="open && comments.length > 1 && show(index + 1)">
User Comments
,