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The blessing of Joseph in Deuteronomy uses the goring bull image that Hammurabi applies to his military power. The horns express strength against enemies, connecting the tribes' promised success with language also used to praise a king.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
Code of Hammurabi 1:11
Babylonian Legal Text
Ancient Near East
Who made E-babbar great, which is like the heavens, the warrior who guarded Larsa and renewed E-babbar with Shamash as his helper, the lord who gave new life to Uruk. Who brought abundant water to its inhabitants, raised the head of E-anna, perfected the beauty of Anu and Nana, reunited the scattered inhabitants of Isin, and richly endowed E-gal-mach. The protecting king of the city, brother of the god Zamama, who founded the farms of Kish, crowned E-me-te-ursag with glory, and doubled the great holy treasures of Nana. Who managed the temple of Harsag-kalama, the grave of the enemy, whose help brought victory, who increased the power of Cuthah and made all glorious in E-shidlam, the black bull who gored the enemy.
Deuteronomy 33:17
Hebrew Bible
17 May the firstborn of his bull bring him honor, and may his horns be those of a wild ox; with them may he gore all peoples, all the far reaches of the earth. They are the ten thousands of Ephraim, and they are the thousands of Manasseh.” 18 Of Zebulun he said: “Rejoice, Zebulun, when you go outside, and Issachar, when you are in your tents. 19 They will summon peoples to the mountain, there they will sacrifice proper sacrifices; for they will enjoy the abundance of the seas, and the hidden treasures of the shores.” 20 Of Gad he said: “Blessed be the one who enlarges Gad. Like a lioness he will dwell; he will tear at an arm—indeed, a scalp.
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Notes and References
“... 33:17. bull/ox metaphor. The bull and ox are symbols of fertility and strength. As such, the latter term is used as a title of *El, the head of the Canaanite pantheon. Both elements are included in this blessing on the Joseph tribes, Manasseh and Ephraim. One *Ugaritic text describes the gods *Baal and Mot as strong, goring like wild bulls, and the *Babylonian king *Hammurabi describes his own military might in terms of an ox goring the foe. ...”
Walton, John H.
The IVP Bible Background Commentary: Old Testament
(p. 207) InterVarsity Press, 2000
* 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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