Go to Related Reading
About this book

KTU

Cuneiform Texts from Ugarit

About this book

Funerary Ritual for a King

KTU 1.161

Order of service for the sacrifice(s) of the divine Winged Disc:
You are invoked, O saviours of the underworld, you are summoned, O assembly of Didan.⁠
Invoked is Ulkan the saviour;
invoked is Taruman the saviour.
Invoked is Sidan-and-Radan;
invoked is the eternal one, Thar.
They have been invoked, the ancient saviours.
You are invoked, O saviours of the underworld, you are summoned, assembly of Didan.
Invoked is Ammithtamru the king
and invoked as well is Niqmad the king.
O throne of Niqmad, may you be mourned!⁠
And lamented be his footstool.
Let the table of the king be mourned in his presence.
But let their tears be swallowed, and their dreadful lamentations.
Go down, Shapshu, yes, go down, Great Luminary!
May Shapshu shine upon him,
After your lords, from the throne,
After your lords into the underworld go down:
into the underworld go down and fall into the dust,
down to Sidanu-and-Radanu, down to the eternal one, Thar,
down to the ancient saviours,
down to Ammithtamru the king
lower edge: and also down to Niqmad the king.
One—and make an offering, two—and make an offering,
three—and make an offering, four—and make an offering,
five—and make an offering, six—and make an offering,
seven—and make an offering. You shall present a bird.
Peace! Peace on Ammurapi, and peace on his sons;
peace on his kinsmen, peace on his house;
peace on Ugarit, peace on her gates!

Texts in conversation

Compare KTU 1.161:13 and 2 Kings 9:34

Ancient Near East, Ugaritic · Hebrew Bible

Share:

Summary

In 2 Kings 9, Jehu's concern for Jezebel's burial may reflect the royal funeral duties known at Ugarit, suggesting that royal birth still required respect after a ruler's defeat.

Passages

KTU 1.161:13

Ancient Near East, Ugaritic · Cuneiform Texts from Ugarit
Invoked is Ammithtamru the king and invoked as well is Niqmad the king. O throne of Niqmad, may you be mourned! And lamented be his footstool. Let the table of the king be mourned in his presence. But let their tears be swallowed, and their dreadful lamentations. Go down, Shapshu, yes, go down, Great Luminary! May Shapshu shine upon him, After your lords, from the throne, After your lords into the underworld go down: into the underworld go down and fall into the dust, down to Sidanu-and-Radanu, down to the eternal one, Thar, down to the ancient saviours, down to Ammithtamru the king lower edge: and also down to Niqmad the king.
1350–1185 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in KTU

2 Kings 9:34

Hebrew Bible
34 He went inside and had a meal. Then he said, “Dispose of this accursed woman’s corpse. Bury her, for after all, she was a king’s daughter.” 35 But when they went to bury her, they found nothing left but the skull, feet, and palms of the hands. 36 So they went back and told him. Then he said, “It is the fulfillment of the Lord’s message that he had spoken through his servant, Elijah the Tishbite, ‘In the plot of land at Jezreel, dogs will devour Jezebel’s flesh. 37 Jezebel’s corpse will be like manure on the surface of the ground in the plot of land at Jezreel. People will not be able to even recognize her.’”
600–501 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in 2 Kings

References

“... In 2 Kings 9:34-37 is apparently reflected the special concern for the proper burial of the royal dead. T. J. Lewis has proposed that the description of the disposal of Jezebel’s corpse in this passage refers to traditional funerary custom. The command of Jehu to attend to Jezebel’s corpse, piqdû-nā’, does not mean simply to “take care of” or “see to” in a general sense. Rather, this root has a cultic sense, tied to funerary ritual. It means to “act as a pāqidu on her behalf in fulfilling the customary funerary rites, including the essential services of the cult of the dead.” The command is motivated by Jezebel’s royal lineage, “for she was a king’s daughter” (kî bat-melek hî’). If this interpretation of this passage is correct, it would suggest that Jehu adhered to traditional funerary practices. With regard to practices involving the dead, royal and popular religion belonged to the same fabric. ...”
Mark S. Smith, The Early History of God: Yahweh and the Other Deities in Ancient Israel, 2nd ed., The Biblical Resource Series (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2002), PDF 165–166.

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

Your feedback

KTU 1.161:13 and 2 Kings 9:34

Leave a comment

Your questions and comments are welcome!

Comments

Glossary

Search the Library