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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:8 and Daniel 7:13

Ancient Near East, Ugaritic · Hebrew Bible

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Summary

The humanlike figure in Daniel 7 arrives with the clouds associated with Baal in the Baal Cycle, giving a ruler who looks human a sign of divine authority over all nations.

Passages

KTU 1.2 IV:8

Ancient Near East, Ugaritic · Cuneiform Texts from Ugarit
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.
1350–1185 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in KTU

Daniel 7:13

Hebrew Bible
11 “Then I kept on watching because of the arrogant words of the horn that was speaking. I was watching until the beast was killed and its body destroyed and thrown into the flaming fire. 12 As for the rest of the beasts, their ruling authority had already been removed, though they were permitted to go on living for a time and a season. 13 “I was watching in the night visions, And with the clouds of the sky, one like a son of man was approaching. He went up to the Ancient of Days and was escorted before him. 14 To him was given ruling authority, honor, and sovereignty. All peoples, nations, and language groups were serving him. His authority is eternal and will not pass away. His kingdom will not be destroyed. 15 “As for me, Daniel, my spirit was distressed, and the visions of my mind were alarming me.
200–101 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Daniel

References

“... The notion of Yahweh using the clouds as a chariot or riding on the clouds/ heavens occurs in Isa 19:1; Ps 68:34; Deut 33:26; and probably Ps 68:5. The “one like a son of man” in Dan 7 is also said to arrive “with the clouds of heaven.” This is comparable to the Ugaritic notion of Baʿlu as the “rider on the clouds” (KTU 1.2 IV 8, 29; 1.4 III 11, 18, V 60; 1.5 II 7), the Babylonian notion of Adad as the “cloud-rider” (Enki and the World Order, l.313; CT xv 15–16: “Hymn to Iškur”), and the description of Marduk riding on a storm-chariot (EE II 151, IV 50). The characteristic of riding on the clouds/storms/heavens was a widespread and seemingly fitting description for ancient West Asian storm deities (Alberto Green, The Storm-God in the Ancient Near East [Winona Lake:  Eisenbrauns, 2003], 195; M. S. Smith, Early History of God, 80–82; Moshe Weinfeld, “ ‘Rider of the Clouds’ and ‘Gatherer of the Clouds,’ ” JANES 5 [1973]: 421–426). For depic­ tion of a storm god’s chariot, see Antoine Vanel, L’iconographie du dieu de l’orage dans le Proche-Orient ancien (Paris: J. Gabalda, 1965), 23, fig. 5. 31. ...”
Debra Scoggins Ballentine, The Conflict Myth and the Biblical Tradition (New York: Oxford University Press, 2015), 222.

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:8 and Daniel 7:13

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