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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 Isaiah 33:21

Ancient Near East, Ugaritic · Hebrew Bible

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Summary

Isaiah 33 applies the Baal Cycle's picture of El's home beside great waters to Jerusalem, turning the city's streams into a sign of protection under its divine king.

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

Isaiah 33:21

Hebrew Bible
19 You will no longer see a defiant people whose language you do not comprehend, whose derisive speech you do not understand. 20 Look at Zion, the city where we hold religious festivals! You will see Jerusalem, a peaceful settlement, a tent that stays put; its stakes will never be pulled up; none of its ropes will snap in two. 21 Instead the Lord will rule there as our mighty king. Rivers and wide streams will flow through it; no war galley will enter; no large ships will sail through. 22 For the Lord, our ruler, the Lord, our commander, the Lord, our king—he will deliver us. 23 Though at this time your ropes are slack, the mast is not secured, and the sail is not unfurled, at that time you will divide up a great quantity of loot; even the lame will drag off plunder.
740–450 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Isaiah

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 Isaiah 33:21

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