Texts in Conversation
Genesis shares the reassurance used in a Ugaritic royal letter, making God's promise of protection sound like a ruler's pledge to someone under his care.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
KTU 2.30:21
Cuneiform Texts from Ugarit
Ancient Near East
To the queen, my mother, say: Message of the king, your son. At the feet of my mother I fall. With my mother may it be well. May the gods guard you and keep you well. Here with me all is well. And there with my mother, whatever is well, send word back to me. Here with us the king […] […] And now […] And if the Hittite comes up, I will send to you. And if he does not come up, I will surely send. And you, my mother, do not be troubled, and do not let anything into your heart; do not put it there.
Genesis 15:1
Hebrew Bible
1 After these things the Lord’s message came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram! I am your shield and the one who will reward you in great abundance.” 2 But Abram said, “O Sovereign Lord, what will you give me since I continue to be childless, and my heir is Eliezer of Damascus?” 3 Abram added, “Since you have not given me a descendant, then look, one born in my house will be my heir!” 4 But look, the Lord’s message came to him: “This man will not be your heir, but instead a son who comes from your own body will be your heir.” 5 The Lord took him outside and said, “Gaze into the sky and count the stars—if you are able to count them!” Then he said to him, “So will your descendants be.”
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Notes and References
“... The words “do not fear, for I am with you to save you” ... The wording found in number eight also occurs in Northwest Semitic texts (such as KAI 202 and KTU 2.30 [=UT 1013], lines 16–24) and elsewhere in the Hebrew Bible (e.g., Gen 15.1, 26.24, etc.). ...”
Sommer, Benjamin D.
A Prophet Reads Scripture: Allusion in Isaiah 40-66
(p. 33, 219) Stanford University Press, 1998
* 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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