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KTU

Cuneiform Texts from Ugarit

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Aqhat

KTU 1.17 V

[…]
[…] I will bring a bow […]
[…] arrows. And lo, on the seventh
day, then Danel, the man
of healing, then the hero, the devotee of Hrnm,
rises and sits at the entrance of the gate, beneath⁠
the nobles who are on the threshing floor. He judges
the case of the widow, he decides the cause of the orphan.⁠
When he lifts his eyes, he sees: at a thousand
fields, ten thousand acres, the coming of Kothar;
he looks, and he sees the striding of Hasis.
He brings a bow; look, […]
[…] arrows. Then Danel,
the man of healing, then the hero, the devotee
of Hrnm, calls aloud to his wife:
“Listen, lady Danatay, prepare⁠
a lamb from the flock for the appetite of Kothar-
wa-Hasis, for the hunger of Hayyin, skilled
of hand. Feed, give drink to
the gods; serve and honor them, the lord
of Hikpat, the god of all of it.” She hears,
lady Danatay; she prepares a lamb
from the flock for the appetite of Kothar-wa-Hasis,
for the hunger of Hayyin, skilled
of hand. Afterward Kothar-
wa-Hasis arrives; into Danel's hand he gives
the bow, on his knees he places
the arrows. Then lady Danatay
feeds, gives drink to the gods,
serves and honors them, the lord of
Hikpat, the god of all of it. Kothar departs
to his tent, Hayyin departs to his
dwelling. Then Danel, the man
of healing, then the hero, the devotee
of Hrnm, […] the bow […]
[…] over Aqhat […]
“The choicest of your hunt, my son, […]
the choicest of your hunt, look, the [choicest]
of game in his palace […]

Texts in conversation

Compare KTU 1.17 V:6 and Genesis 18:1

Ancient Near East, Ugaritic · Hebrew Bible

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Summary

In Genesis 18, Abraham's position at the tent entrance resembles Danel's place at the city gate in the Tale of Aqhat, presenting divine hospitality as part of a leader's public role.

Passages

KTU 1.17 V:6

Ancient Near East, Ugaritic · Cuneiform Texts from Ugarit
[…] […] I will bring a bow […] […] arrows. And lo, on the seventh day, then Danel, the man of healing, then the hero, the devotee of Hrnm, rises and sits at the entrance of the gate, beneath the nobles who are on the threshing floor. He judges the case of the widow, he decides the cause of the orphan. When he lifts his eyes, he sees: at a thousand fields, ten thousand acres, the coming of Kothar; he looks, and he sees the striding of Hasis. He brings a bow; look, […] […] arrows. Then Danel, the man of healing, then the hero, the devotee of Hrnm, calls aloud to his wife: “Listen, lady Danatay, prepare a lamb from the flock for the appetite of Kothar- wa-Hasis, for the hunger of Hayyin, skilled of hand. Feed, give drink to
1350–1185 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in KTU

Genesis 18:1

Hebrew Bible
1 The Lord appeared to Abraham by the oaks of Mamre while he was sitting at the entrance to his tent during the hottest time of the day. 2 Abraham looked up and saw three men standing across from him. When he saw them he ran from the entrance of the tent to meet them and bowed low to the ground. 3 He said, “My lord, if I have found favor in your sight, do not pass by and leave your servant. 4 Let a little water be brought so that you may all wash your feet and rest under the tree. 5 And let me get a bit of food so that you may refresh yourselves since you have passed by your servant’s home. After that you may be on your way.” “All right,” they replied, “you may do as you say.”
750–400 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Genesis

References

“... Various features of Genesis 18:1-15 suggest continuity with an ar- chaic tradition. As argued by Cooper and Goldstein, the position of the clan chieftain at the entrance to the tent represents a longstanding popular motif. They compare Abraham’s position in Genesis 18:1 with Deborah’s in Judges 4:5, Danil’s in the Ugaritic myth of Aqhat (KTU 1.17 V 6-8; 1.19 I 21-25), and others. ...”
Esther J. Hamori, When Gods Were Men: The Embodied God in Biblical and Near Eastern Literature (Berlin: de Gruyter, 2008), 76.

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 V:6 and Genesis 18:1

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