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KTU

Cuneiform Texts from Ugarit

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Baal Cycle

KTU 1.2 IV

[…]
If I see and with Yamm is the sieve of destruction.
By Yamm I shall be worm-eaten
and thanks to Nahar, devoured by maggots. There, with a sword I shall destroy. I shall knock down his houses.
Into the underworld will fall my strength, and into the dust my power.
From his mouth his speech barely went forth, from his lips his word, and he gave forth his voice in groaning
beneath the throne of Prince Yamm. And Kothar-wa-Hasis spoke:
Indeed I say to you, O Prince Baal, I repeat, O Charioteer of the Clouds,⁠ now your foe, Baal,⁠
now your foe you must smite; now you must destroy your adversary.⁠
Take your everlasting kingdom, your eternal dominion.⁠
Kothar fashioned two maces, and he pronounced their names: You, your name is “Expeller”.
Expeller, expel Yamm, expel Yamm from his throne,
Nahar from the siege of his dominion! You must leap from the hand of Baal, like a falcon from his fingers.
Strike the shoulders of Prince Yamm,⁠ the chest of Ruler Nahar!
The mace leapt from the hand of Baal, like a falcon from his fingers.
It struck the shoulders of Prince Yamm, the chest of Ruler Nahar.
But Yamm was strong, he did not flinch. His joints did not tremble; his visage was not discomposed.
Kothar fashioned two maces, and he pronounced their names.
You, your name is 'All-Driver' All-Driver, drive Yamm away, drive Yamm from his throne,
Nahar from the siege of his dominion! You must leap from the hand of Baal,
like a falcon from his fingers. Strike the skull of Prince Yamm (Ocean),⁠
the brow of Ruler Nahar (River)! Let Yamm collapse in a heap,
and let him fall to the ground!' Then the mace leapt from the hand of Baal,
like a falcon from his fingers. It struck the skull of Prince Yamm,⁠
the brow of Ruler Nahar. Yamm collapsed in a heap; he fell to the ground.⁠
His joints trembled, and his visage was discomposed.⁠
Baal gathered Up and drank Prince Yamm to the dregs, he exterminated Ruler Nahar.
By name Athtart chided him Dry him Up, O Valiant Baal!
Dry him up, O Charioteer of the Clouds! For our captive is Prince [Yamm], [for]
our captive is Ruler Nahar. And […] goes out […]
Valiant Baal dries him up, and […]⁠
Yamm is surely dead! Baal shall [reign]
[…] And [he answers]
he answers: Yamm is surely dead! […]
[…] And [she answers]
Baal […]
[…]
on his head […]
his enemy […]
between his eyes […]

Texts in conversation

Compare KTU 1.2 IV:25 and Psalm 89:25

Ancient Near East, Ugaritic · Hebrew Bible

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Summary

Psalm 89 extends Baal's victory over Sea and River in the Baal Cycle to the human king, presenting royal power as a share in God's power over the same older enemies.

Passages

KTU 1.2 IV:25

Ancient Near East, Ugaritic · Cuneiform Texts from Ugarit
Nahar from the siege of his dominion! You must leap from the hand of Baal, like a falcon from his fingers. Strike the skull of Prince Yamm (Ocean), the brow of Ruler Nahar (River)! Let Yamm collapse in a heap, and let him fall to the ground!' Then the mace leapt from the hand of Baal, like a falcon from his fingers. It struck the skull of Prince Yamm, the brow of Ruler Nahar. Yamm collapsed in a heap; he fell to the ground. His joints trembled, and his visage was discomposed. Baal gathered Up and drank Prince Yamm to the dregs, he exterminated Ruler Nahar.
1350–1185 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in KTU

Psalm 89:25

Hebrew Bible
20 I have discovered David, my servant. With my holy oil I have anointed him as king. 21 My hand will support him, and my arm will strengthen him. 22 No enemy will be able to exact tribute from him; a violent oppressor will not be able to humiliate him. 23 I will crush his enemies before him; I will strike down those who hate him. 24 He will experience my faithfulness and loyal love, and by my name he will win victories. 25 I will place his hand over the sea, his right hand over the rivers. 26 He will call out to me, ‘You are my father, my God, and the protector who delivers me.’ 27 I will appoint him to be my firstborn son, the most exalted of the earth’s kings. 28 I will always extend my loyal love to him, and my covenant with him is secure.
600–201 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Psalms

References

“... A number of West Semitic texts likewise allude to the cosmic conflict between the storm-god and his enemies, as noted at length in section 3 of chapter 8. The use of the conflict story to reinforce human kingship appears in a variety of texts, hailing from the city of Mari on the Euphrates river all the way to Egypt. The political use of the conflict between storm-god and cosmic enemies passed into Israelite tradition. Yahweh is not only generally similar to Baal as a storm-god. Yahweh inherited the names of Baal’s cosmic enemies such as Leviathan, Sea, Death, and Tannin, as well as the name of Baal’s home on Mount Saphon, which is secondarily identified with Zion in Psalm 48:3. With this evidence, it would appear that Yahweh’s titles, “Rider of the heavens” (Deuteronomy 33:26; Psalm 104:3) and “Rider of the Steppes” (Psalm 68:5), echo Baal’s own title, “Rider of the Clouds.” The political use of this conflict language also passed into ancient Israel. The biblical parallel between Yahweh, the divine king, and the Davidic ruler, the human king, may be seen in Psalm 89. The parallelism between Yahweh and the king changes, however, in verse 26, and a different sort of notion appears: Yahweh promises to extend his power to the monarch in language associated in Ugaritic with the god Baal: “I will set his hand on Sea and his right hand on Rivers.” ...”
Mark S. Smith, The Origins of Biblical Monotheism: Israel's Polytheistic Background and the Ugaritic Texts (New York: Oxford University Press, 2001), 168.

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 IV:25 and Psalm 89:25

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