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KTU

Cuneiform Texts from Ugarit

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Nikkal and Yarih

KTU 1.24

I sing of Nikkal-and-Ib,⁠
Hirhibi, king of summer, Hirhibi, king
[…]
Yarih […], he embraces her who
will bear […]
[…] to the daughters of Hilal, [the swallows].
Look, a young woman will bear a son […]⁠
[…]
[…]
[…] like a bride […]
Listen, goddesses, Kotharat, […]
[…]
to his lord […]
Dagan […]
[…] to the Kotharat, to the daughters of Hilal, [the swallows].
Yarih, lamp of heaven, sends to
Hirhibi, king of summer: "Give Nikkal; Yarih
will pay the bride-price for Ib. Let her enter his house,
and I will give her bride-price to her father:⁠
a thousand of silver and ten thousand of gold;
I will send gleaming lapis lazuli;
I will make her fields into vineyards,
the field of her love […]."
Then Hirhibi, king of summer, answered: "O
most gracious of the gods, become a son-in-law
to Baal; marry Pidray, [his] daughter.
I will bring you near to her father Baal.
[…] Athtar. Marry
for yourself Ybrdmy, the daughter of [her] father
the Lion […]." Then
Yarih, lamp of heaven, answered: "Now
with Nikkal is my marriage." Afterward
Yarih paid the bride-price for Nikkal. Her father
set up the stand of the scales; her mother
the pans of the scales; her brothers arranged
[…]; her sisters the
stones of the scales. Of Nikkal-and-Ib
I sing: may Yarih give light, and may
Yarih shine on you.
I sing of the goddesses, the Kotharat, [daughters]
of Hilal, the swallows, daughters of
Hilal, lord of the sickle, who went down
[…]
[…] with the Kindly One, El
the Compassionate. Look, in my mouth is
their number, on my lips their count:
her dowry and her bridal gift […]
[…]
[…]
the Good One, the youngest of the Kotharat.

Texts in conversation

Compare KTU 1.24:7 and Isaiah 7:14

Ancient Near East, Ugaritic · Hebrew Bible

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Summary

Isaiah's promise of a son's birth shares Nikkal's birth announcement at Ugarit, making the sign for Judah's king part of familiar language about royal and divine births.

Passages

KTU 1.24:7

Ancient Near East, Ugaritic · Cuneiform Texts from Ugarit
I sing of Nikkal-and-Ib, Hirhibi, king of summer, Hirhibi, king […] Yarih […], he embraces her who will bear […] […] to the daughters of Hilal, [the swallows]. Look, a young woman will bear a son […] […] […] […] like a bride […] Listen, goddesses, Kotharat, […] […] to his lord […] Dagan […] […] to the Kotharat, to the daughters of Hilal, [the swallows]. Yarih, lamp of heaven, sends to Hirhibi, king of summer: "Give Nikkal; Yarih will pay the bride-price for Ib. Let her enter his house, and I will give her bride-price to her father: a thousand of silver and ten thousand of gold; I will send gleaming lapis lazuli; I will make her fields into vineyards, the field of her love […]." Then Hirhibi, king of summer, answered: "O most gracious of the gods, become a son-in-law to Baal; marry Pidray, [his] daughter.
1350–1185 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in KTU

Isaiah 7:14

Hebrew Bible
13 So Isaiah replied, “Pay attention, family of David. Do you consider it too insignificant to try the patience of men? Is that why you are also trying the patience of my God? 14 For this reason the Lord himself will give you a confirming sign. Look, this young woman is pregnant and will give birth to a son. You, young woman, will name him Immanuel. 15 He will eat sour milk and honey, which will help him know how to reject evil and choose what is right. 16 Here is why this will be so: Before the child knows how to reject evil and choose what is right, the land whose two kings you fear will be desolate. 17 The Lord will bring on you, your people, and your father’s family a time unlike any since Ephraim departed from Judah—the king of Assyria!”
740–450 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Isaiah

References

“... 9. Ug. ǵlmt: to the line cf. Isa. 7.14. Rather than 'young woman'. The term is restricted to royal women and goddesses. See at KTU 1.2 i 13 and n. 99. 10. Ug. tld. Or 'begot'? Or 'will bear'. Thus Caquot and Sznycer (1974: 392) and del Olmo (l981a: 457) etc. Or 'would beget'? Cf. the formula at Isa. 7.14. ...”
N. Wyatt, Religious Texts from Ugarit, 2nd ed. (London: Sheffield Academic, 2006), 337.

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 1.24:7 and Isaiah 7:14

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