Texts in conversation

Compare KK 17.37 K.3372+5241 and 1 Samuel 28:13

Ancient Near East, Assyrian · Hebrew Bible

Summary

In a Mesopotamian incantation and 1 Samuel 28, the spirits of the dead are described with divine language. The Mesopotamian text calls ghosts “imprisoned gods,” while in 1 Samuel, the medium at Endor calls the ghost of Samuel a god, an “elohim.”

Passages

KK 17.37 K.3372+5241

Ancient Near East, Assyrian · Cuneiform Texts from Babylonian Tablets

The imprisoned gods have come forth. The evil winds/spirits have come forth. For the funerary offering kispu, for the libation, For the funerary offering kispu, for the libation, That the wicked man unto the wicked man That the evil man unto the evil man That destruction unto That oil of laštu-plant The ghost eṭemmu of the army

670 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in KK

1 Samuel 28:13

Hebrew Bible

10 But Saul swore an oath to her by the Lord, “As surely as the Lord lives, you will not incur guilt in this matter!” 11 The woman replied, “Who is it that I should bring up for you?” He said, “Bring up for me Samuel.” 12 When the woman saw Samuel, she cried out loudly. The woman said to Saul, “Why have you deceived me? You are Saul!” 13 The king said to her, “Don’t be afraid! But what have you seen?” The woman replied to Saul, “I have seen a divine being coming up from the ground!” 14 He said to her, “What about his appearance?” She said, “An old man is coming up! He is wrapped in a robe!” Then Saul realized it was Samuel, and he bowed his face toward the ground and kneeled down.

600–501 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in 1 Samuel

References

"... In a bilingual incantation text from Assyria, the ghosts of the dead are called "gods", as we have seen. To judge from this passage and a number of personal names from Mesopotamia, it does not appear to have been uncommon to refer to the discarnate spirits as "gods." For the explanation of this practice we do not have to go far afield. According to various creation stories from the land of the two rivers, man was created partly with divine blood and so received the immortal spirit of the gods and was able to partake of divine understanding ... what was of vital importance to Saul was to know whether the apparition answered the description of Samuel, the judge and the prophet of God, as it was evidently for the purpose of communicating with the spirit of Samuel, and of no one else (compare 1 Samuel 28), that he had come to Endor. When therefore Saul heard the witch call the ghost an elohim and describe him as an old man and as being covered with a mantle, obviously such as Samuel was accustomed to wear, Saul concluded that he was at last once more in the presence of this man of God, this former representative of God on earth, who could give him absolutely reliable Information, as he had demonstrated in his lifetime ..."

Alexander Heidel, The Gilgamesh Epic and Old Testament Parallels (Chicago: University of Chicago, 1973), 196–197.

References are not endorsements of their contents. Read each reference in full to understand its author's intentions in using these texts.

Compare KK 17.37 K.3372+5241 and 1 Samuel 28:13

Summary

Passages

KK 17.37 K.3372+5241

1 Samuel 28:13

References

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