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KTU

Cuneiform Texts from Ugarit

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Aqhat

KTU 1.17 I

Then let Danel, the man of healing, at once let the hero, the devotee of Hrnm,
[the gods], [Danel], enrobed, the gods he fed,
let him take up a couch and lie down. Let him take off his robe, go up and lie down.
take off his clothes and go to bed.
Lo, a day and a second,
enrobed, the gods Danel, enrobed, the gods he fed, enrobed, he gave the holy ones to drink.
A third, a fourth day,
enrobed, the gods Danel, enrobed, the gods he fed, enrobed, he gave the holy ones to drink.
A fifth, a sixth day, enrobed, the gods Danel, enrobed, the gods he fed, enrobed, he gave the holy ones to drink.
Danel took off his robe;
he took off his robe, went up and lay down, he took off his clothes and went to bed.
Behold, on the seventh day,⁠
Baal drew near in intercession for him, at the misery of Danel, the man of healing,
the groaning of the hero, the devotee of Hrnm,
who had no son like his brothers, nor scion like his kinsmen!
“Because having no son like his brothers, nor scion like his kinsmen,
enrobed, the gods he feeds, enrobed, he gives the holy ones to drink,
you must surely bless him, Bull El my father,⁠
you must surely give a blessing to him, O Creator-of-creatures,⁠
so that he may beget a son in his house, a scion in the midst of his palace.
He shall set up the stela of his ancestral god, in the sanctuary the cippus of his kinsman;⁠
into the earth sending forth his dying breath,
into the dust protecting his progress; he shall shut the mouths of his slanderers,
he shall drive away those who are ill-disposed towards him.
Taking his hand when he is drunk, supporting him when sated with wine;
he shall serve up his share in the house of Baal, and his portion in the house of El;
he shall plaster his roof on a muddy day,
he shall wash his clothes on a filthy day.
[…] takes […]; his servant he blesses,
[Dan]el, the man of healing; he gives a blessing to the hero,
[the devotee of] Hrnm: “May Danel live in soul,
[the man of healing], in breath the hero, the devotee of Hrnm.
[…] let him go up to his bed
[and lie down]. When he kisses his wife,
[…] in his embrace, conception;
[…] birth, conception
[for the man of healing], so that he may beget a son
[in his house], [a scion] in the midst of his palace.
[He shall set up the stela of] his [ancestral god], in the sanctuary
[the cippus of his kinsman]; [into the] earth sending forth
[his dying breath], [into the dust] protecting his progress;
[he shall shut the mouths of his slanderers], he shall drive away those who are ill-disposed

Texts in conversation

Compare KTU 1.17 I:24 and Genesis 14:19

Ancient Near East, Ugaritic · Hebrew Bible

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Summary

In Genesis 14, Melchizedek's blessing shares El's title as creator in the Tale of Aqhat, expressing his connection with Abraham through a common claim about God's authority over the world.

Passages

KTU 1.17 I:24

Ancient Near East, Ugaritic · Cuneiform Texts from Ugarit
Behold, on the seventh day, Baal drew near in intercession for him, at the misery of Danel, the man of healing, the groaning of the hero, the devotee of Hrnm, who had no son like his brothers, nor scion like his kinsmen! “Because having no son like his brothers, nor scion like his kinsmen, enrobed, the gods he feeds, enrobed, he gives the holy ones to drink, you must surely bless him, Bull El my father, you must surely give a blessing to him, O Creator-of-creatures, so that he may beget a son in his house, a scion in the midst of his palace. He shall set up the stela of his ancestral god, in the sanctuary the cippus of his kinsman; into the earth sending forth his dying breath, into the dust protecting his progress; he shall shut the mouths of his slanderers, he shall drive away those who are ill-disposed towards him.
1350–1185 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in KTU

Genesis 14:19

Hebrew Bible
19 He blessed Abram, saying, “Blessed be Abram by the Most High God, Creator of heaven and earth. 20 Worthy of praise is the Most High God, who delivered your enemies into your hand.” Abram gave Melchizedek a tenth of everything. 21 Then the king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the people and take the possessions for yourself.” 22 But Abram replied to the king of Sodom, “I raise my hand to the Lord, the Most High God, Creator of heaven and earth, and vow 23 that I will take nothing belonging to you, not even a thread or the strap of a sandal. That way you can never say, ‘It is I who made Abram rich.’ 24 I will take nothing except compensation for what the young men have eaten. As for the share of the men who went with me—Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre—let them take their share.”
750–400 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Genesis

References

“... Early El traditions in Israel appear not only in Exod 6:3, but also in Genesis 49 (El parallel to Shadday in Gen 49:25, plus Asherah under- lying "Breasts and Womb" in the same verse?); in Numbers 23-24 ("El, who brought them from Egypt,'' has (horns) like the horns of the wild ox" [cf. Ugaritic title, "Bull El" in KTU 1.3 V 35-36, l.414-15, etc.] in Num 23:22 = 24:8; and El parallel to Shadday in Num 24:4)12; and in 1 Samuel 1-3 (El names, e. g., Elqanah; tradition of the tent of meeting; El's manner of dream-appearance at night). In addition, other fea- tures of El showed through the biblical text: El's title "creator," *qny (Gen 14:19, 22); El's tent-abode as consisting of qrs in Ugaritic (cf. qercisim for the 'ohel mo'ed in Exodus 26-40; Num 3:36, 4:31). Even if all of the biblical texts are not particularly early, they still bear the imprint of older tra,iition about El. ...”
Mark S. Smith, “Biblical Narrative between Ugaritic and Akkadian Literature, Part I: Ugarit and the Hebrew Bible: Consideration of Comparative Research,” RB (2007): 10.

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 1.17 I:24 and Genesis 14:19

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