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KTU

Cuneiform Texts from Ugarit

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Kirta

KTU 1.14 I

([Pertaining to "Kir]ta.")
[ ] kin[g ]
[ ] . . . . [ ]
[ Kirta (the Noble) ]
[ Naaman, the La]d of El[ ]
[ ] . . . . . . . kinship
[ ] sept. The house
of [a k]ing is destroyed, that had seven
[bro]thers, eight mother's sons.
Kirta in offspring is ruined,
Kirta is undermined of establishment.
His lawful wife he did find,
his legitimate spouse:
he married the woman, and she "departed."
Flesh of kinship had he:
A third died in health;
A quarter by disease.
A fifth was gathered by Rashap;⁠
A sixth by the Lad of Yamm.
A seventh part, by the sword it was felled.
He sees his progeny, Kirta,
He sees his progeny ruined,⁠
wholly undermined his seat,
and in its entirety a posterity perishing,
and in its totality a succession.
He enters his cubicle, he weeps,
an inner chamber and cries.
His tears drop
like shekels to the ground.
His bed was soaked⁠
by his weeping, and he slept⁠
a slumber in his crying.
Sleep prevails (over him?)
and he lies, slumber
and he reclines. And in his dream⁠
El descends, in his vision
the Father of Man (Adam). And he approaches
asking Kirta: "What ails you,⁠
Kirta, that he weeps,
that he cries, Naaman the Lad⁠
of El? Is it the kingship of Bull his father
that he desires, or authority
like the Father of Man (Adam)?" [ ? ]
[Here El doubtless offers
Kirta 'silver and gold and perpetual
slaves,' etc. (cf. ll. 53 ff.; 126 ff.;
137 ff.; 250 ff.; 269 ff.; 282 ff.).
But Kirta replies:
"What need]
[have I of silver and yellow-glittering]

Texts in conversation

Compare KTU 1.14 I:40 and Isaiah 41:8

Ancient Near East, Ugaritic · Hebrew Bible

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Summary

Isaiah presents Israel as a specially chosen divine servant, described with intimacy, favor and as a son of God, language that echoes older ancient Near Eastern traditions such as the Legend of Kirta, where Kirta is the special, chosen son of the god El.

Passages

KTU 1.14 I:40

Ancient Near East, Ugaritic · Cuneiform Texts from Ugarit
and he reclines. And in his dream El descends, in his vision the Father of Man (Adam). And he approaches asking Kirta: "What ails you, Kirta, that he weeps, that he cries, Naaman the Lad of El? Is it the kingship of Bull his father that he desires, or authority like the Father of Man (Adam)?" [ ? ]
1350–1185 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in KTU

Isaiah 41:8

Hebrew Bible
7 The craftsman encourages the metalsmith, the one who wields the hammer encourages the one who pounds on the anvil. He says of the welding, ‘It is good’18, and nails it down so it won’t fall over. 8 “You, my servant Israel, Jacob, whom I have chosen, offspring of Abraham my friend, 9 you whom I am bringing back from the earth’s extremities and have summoned from the remote regions—I told you, ‘You are my servant.’ I have chosen you and not rejected you. 10 Don’t be afraid, for I am with you! Don’t be frightened, for I am your God! I strengthen you—yes, I help you—yes, I uphold you with my victorious right hand!
740–450 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Isaiah

References

"... This epithet, like "Servant of El" (II, 153, 155, 200), as the connotations of "favorite" and "intimate." Compare with Numbers 12:6-9, Deuteronomy 34:5-10, and Isaiah 41:8, among others ..."
James B. Pritchard, Ancient Near Eastern Texts Relating to the Old Testament (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2016), 143.

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

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KTU 1.14 I:40 and Isaiah 41:8

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