Texts in Conversation
Psalms 14 and 53 share Ugarit's habit of giving inner organs a voice, as Kirta's son Yassib is urged on by his insides to seize the throne, using the heart to express a person's judgment about God.
Share:
2500 BCE
1000+ CE
KTU 1.16 VI:26
Cuneiform Texts from Ugarit
Ancient Near East
Yassib also sits in the palace, and his inward parts instruct him: "Go to your father, Yassib. Go [to] your fa[ther] and speak, repeat to Kir[ta the Noble]: Lis[ten] and incline [(your) ear. For . . . . . . . . . ] . . . . and . . . . . [ ] You have let your hand fall into mischief. You used to judge the cause of the widow, to adjudicate the case of the wretched. Since you have become a brother of the bed of sickness, a companion of the bed of suffering, descend from the kingship—I will be king; in your authority I will sit."—
Psalm 14:1
Hebrew Bible
1 For the music director, by David. Fools say to themselves, “There is no God.” They sin and commit evil deeds; none of them does what is right. 2 The Lord looks down from heaven at the human race, to see if there is anyone who is wise and seeks God. 3 Everyone rejects God; they are all morally corrupt. None of them does what is right, not even one. 4 All those who behave wickedly do not understand— those who devour my people as if they were eating bread and do not call out to the Lord. 5 They are absolutely terrified, for God defends the godly. 6 You want to humiliate the oppressed, even though the Lord is their shelter. 7 I wish the deliverance of Israel would come from Zion! When the Lord restores the well-being of his people, may Jacob rejoice, may Israel be happy!
Psalm 53:1
Hebrew Bible
1 For the music director, according to the machalath style; a well-written song by David. Fools say to themselves, “There is no God.” They sin and commit evil deeds; none of them does what is right. 2 God looks down from heaven at the human race, to see if there is anyone who is wise and seeks God. 3 Everyone rejects God; they are all morally corrupt. None of them does what is right, not even one! 4 All those who behave wickedly do not understand—those who devour my people as if they were eating bread and do not call out to God. 5 They are absolutely terrified, even by things that do not normally cause fear. For God annihilates those who attack you. You are able to humiliate them because God has rejected them.
Search:
Notes and References
“... Perhaps compare also the benighted man who “speaks in his heart” (Psalm 14:1 = 53:1) and the rebellious son whose insides instruct him in the Ugaritic story of Kirta (KTU 1.16 VI 26; see Greenstein, “Kirta.”). Passages such as these raise the question of how the ancients understood the parts and the whole of the human person. ...”
* 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.
User Comments
,