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KTU

Cuneiform Texts from Ugarit

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Baal Cycle

KTU 1.2 III

[…]
[…] [Caphtor] is far, [O gods], [Memphis] [is far],
[O deities: two layers beneath the springs of the earth, three spans beneath the caverns.]
[Then] he sets his face towards El at the source of the [rivers], [amid the channels of the two deeps].⁠
[He enters] the tent of El and comes into the [pavilion] of the King, [the Father of the Bright One]. [At the feet of El]
[he bows] and falls, he bows down and honours [him]. [Then] […]
[…] Kothar-wa-[Hasis], depart! Build the house of Yamm, [raise] the palace of Ruler [Nahar]
[…] [Nahar] in the midst of […]. Kothar-wa-[Hasis] departs […] build the house of Prince Yamm,
[…] the palace [of] [Ruler] Nahar in the midst of […]
[Quickly] his [house] shall be built, [quickly] [his palace] shall be raised. [A thousand fields] the house shall take,
[ten thousand] acres the palace. […]
[…] Athtar […]
[…] fire […] fire
[…]
[…] the Lamp of the Gods, Shapshu, raises her voice and [cries]: [Hear] now,
[…] Bull El your father […] before Prince Yamm, before Ruler Nahar.
[How] will Bull El your father not hear you? He will surely pull up the [post] of your seat, he will surely [overturn]
[the throne of] your kingship, he will surely break the scepter of your rule. And Athtar answers […]
[…] Bull El my father. As for me, I have no house [like] the gods, nor a court [like the sons of]
[the Holy One]. […] [He sits] in [the house of]
[Prince] Yamm, in the palace of Ruler Nahar. Bull El his father […] before [Prince] Yamm,
[before] [Ruler Nahar]. […] There is no wife [for] you [like]
[the gods] […] Prince Yamm […] Ruler Nahar
[…] And Athtar answers
[…]

Texts in conversation

Compare KTU 1.2 III:4 and Ezekiel 47:12

Ancient Near East, Ugaritic · Hebrew Bible

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Summary

Ezekiel 47 gives Jerusalem's temple the place at the source of the waters that El's home occupies in the Baal Cycle, linking the restored temple to the land's renewal.

Passages

KTU 1.2 III:4

Ancient Near East, Ugaritic · Cuneiform Texts from Ugarit
[…] […] [Caphtor] is far, [O gods], [Memphis] [is far], [O deities: two layers beneath the springs of the earth, three spans beneath the caverns.] [Then] he sets his face towards El at the source of the [rivers], [amid the channels of the two deeps]. [He enters] the tent of El and comes into the [pavilion] of the King, [the Father of the Bright One]. [At the feet of El] [he bows] and falls, he bows down and honours [him]. [Then] […] […] Kothar-wa-[Hasis], depart! Build the house of Yamm, [raise] the palace of Ruler [Nahar] […] [Nahar] in the midst of […]. Kothar-wa-[Hasis] departs […] build the house of Prince Yamm, […] the palace [of] [Ruler] Nahar in the midst of […] [Quickly] his [house] shall be built, [quickly] [his palace] shall be raised. [A thousand fields] the house shall take,
1350–1185 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in KTU

Ezekiel 47:12

Hebrew Bible
9 Every living creature that swarms where the river flows will live; there will be many fish, for these waters flow there. It will become fresh, and everything will live where the river flows. 10 Fishermen will stand beside it; from En Gedi to En Eglaim they will spread nets. They will catch many kinds of fish, like the fish of the Great Sea. 11 But its swamps and its marshes will not become fresh; they will remain salty. 12 On both sides of the river’s banks, every kind of tree will grow for food. Their leaves will not wither nor will their fruit fail, but they will bear fruit every month because their water source flows from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be for food and their leaves for healing.”
600–501 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Ezekiel

References

“... Moreover, the description of Yahweh’s dwelling-place as a “tent” (’o¯hel) (e.g., Psalms 15:1; 27:6; 91:10; 132:3), called in the Pentateuchal traditions the “tent of meeting” (’ohel moˆ‘e¯d) (Exodus 33:7–11; Numbers 12:5, 10; Deuteronomy 31:14, 15), recalls the tent of El. The tabernacle of Yahweh has qeˇra¯sˇıˆm, usually understood as “boards” (Exodus 26–40); Numbers 3:36; 4:31), whereas the dwelling of El is called qrsˇ, perhaps “tabernacle” or “pa- vilion” (CAT 1.2 III 5; 1.3 V 8; 1.4 IV 24; 1.17 V 49). Furthermore, the dwelling of El is set amid the cosmic waters (CAT 1.2 III 4; 1.3 V 6; 1.4 IV 20–22; 1.17 V 47–48), a theme evoked in descriptions of Yahweh’s abode in Jerusalem (Psalms 47:5; 87; Isaiah 33:20–22; Ezekiel 47:1–12; Joel 4:18; Zechariah 14:8). ...”
Mark S. Smith, The Origins of Biblical Monotheism: Israel's Polytheistic Background and the Ugaritic Texts (New York: Oxford University Press, 2001), 142.

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 1.2 III:4 and Ezekiel 47:12

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