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KTU

Cuneiform Texts from Ugarit

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Sacrificial Ritual

KTU 1.39

A ewe as a gift offering, a dove as a gift offering, a ewe as a gift offering;
kidneys and liver; an ox and a ram for El;
a cow for the gods; for Thukamuna-wa-Shunama a ewe;
for Rashap a ewe; as a burnt offering and as peace offerings, two ewes;
for [the god]; an ox and a ram for the gods; a cow for the gods;
for Baal a ram; for Athirat a ram; for Thukamuna-wa-Shunama a ram;
for Anat a ram; for Rashap a ram; for the circle of El and the assembly of Baal
[…] a cow; for Shalim […] a cow; and in the flames, a heart,
roasted, for the gods; for the Baals […] and emmer, five
ten, in full; as a presentation offering […]; for Baal of Sapan a ram;
for Tirathu a ram; for the goddess of […] a ram; for the goddess of […] a ram.
And at night: for Shapshu Pgr; and for the Thurumanu; in the house of the king:⁠
for the god of the house a cow; for Ushkhara a cow; for Yamm a cow;
for Baal a cow; for Yarih a cow; for Kothar
a cow; for Thurumanu a cow; for Pidray a cow; for Daqqitu
a ewe; for Tirathu a ewe; for Rashap
[a burnt offering]; for Anat Hbly sacrifices; for Shapshu Pgr
[a cow]; for the two strangling goddesses two ewes;
for [Yarih] Kty a cow; and for the young woman a ram;
and thirty times; and […] the [altars].
A cow for the Lady of the Houses; birds
for the people of the gods.

Texts in conversation

Compare KTU 1.39:12 and Numbers 28:4

Ancient Near East, Ugaritic · Hebrew Bible

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Summary

The morning and evening offerings in Numbers 28 share the daily rite of KTU 1.39, the first tablet ever found at Ugarit, which assigns night sacrifices to gods such as the moon god Yarih.

Passages

KTU 1.39:12

Ancient Near East, Ugaritic · Cuneiform Texts from Ugarit
[…] a cow; for Shalim […] a cow; and in the flames, a heart, roasted, for the gods; for the Baals […] and emmer, five ten, in full; as a presentation offering […]; for Baal of Sapan a ram; for Tirathu a ram; for the goddess of […] a ram; for the goddess of […] a ram. And at night: for Shapshu Pgr; and for the Thurumanu; in the house of the king: for the god of the house a cow; for Ushkhara a cow; for Yamm a cow; for Baal a cow; for Yarih a cow; for Kothar a cow; for Thurumanu a cow; for Pidray a cow; for Daqqitu a ewe; for Tirathu a ewe; for Rashap [a burnt offering]; for Anat Hbly sacrifices; for Shapshu Pgr [a cow]; for the two strangling goddesses two ewes; for [Yarih] Kty a cow; and for the young woman a ram;
1350–1185 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in KTU

Numbers 28:4

Hebrew Bible
1 The Lord spoke to Moses: 2 “Command the Israelites: ‘With regard to my offering, be sure to offer my food for my offering made by fire, as a pleasing aroma to me at its appointed time.’ 3 You will say to them, ‘This is the offering made by fire that you must offer to the Lord: two unblemished lambs one year old each day for a continual burnt offering. 4 The first lamb you must offer in the morning, and the second lamb you must offer in the late afternoon, 5 with one-tenth of an ephah of finely ground flour as a grain offering mixed with one-quarter of a hin of pressed olive oil. 6 It is a continual burnt offering that was instituted on Mount Sinai as a pleasing aroma, an offering made by fire to the Lord.
750–400 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Numbers

References

“... There is only one text from the site that may provide the daily rite of a temple in the city. It was the very first tablet recovered from Ugarit (RS 1.001 = KTU 1.39), distinguished from all oth- ers because it prescribes a one-day ceremony. The text prescribes a series of day- time and nighttime sacrifices to various deities. Although certain deities, such as Baal, appear in both the daytime and nighttime lists, there is a clear relationship between the times of day and the deities involved. Specifically, the nighttime sac- rifices are directed toward the deities one would expect, such as chthonic deities, gods of fertility, and nocturnal gods such as Yarihu (the moon god) and Sapii- Pagri (the sun as it passed through the underworld). [...] There are obvious parallels between KTU 1.39 and the Hebrew tamid (see Num 28:1-8), which prescribed morning and evening sacrifices of meat, grain, and drink to Yahweh. ...”
Kenton L. Sparks, Ancient Texts for the Study of the Hebrew Bible: A Guide to the Background Literature (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2017), 152–153.

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 1.39:12 and Numbers 28:4

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