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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 Zechariah 14:8

Ancient Near East, Ugaritic · Hebrew Bible

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Summary

Zechariah 14 has living water flow out from Jerusalem, like the cosmic waters that surround El's home in the Baal Cycle, placing the city at the center of God's rule over the earth.

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

Zechariah 14:8

Hebrew Bible
6 On that day there will be no light—the sources of light in the heavens will congeal. 7 It will happen in one day—a day known to the Lord—not in the day or the night, but in the evening there will be light. 8 Moreover, on that day living waters will flow out from Jerusalem, half of them to the eastern sea and half of them to the western sea; it will happen both in summer and in winter. 9 The Lord will then be king over all the earth. In that day the Lord will be seen as one with a single name.
500–401 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Zechariah

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 Zechariah 14:8

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