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KTU

Cuneiform Texts from Ugarit

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Baal Cycle

KTU 1.4 V

A court, like Athirat's sons.
And Lady Athirat of the Sea responds:
You are great, El, so very wise;
The gray hair of your beard instructs you
Your soft beard down to your chest.
So now may Baal enrich with his rain⁠
May he enrich with abundant water in a downpour.
And may he give his voice in the clouds
May he flash lightning to the earth.
Is it a cedar house that he would complete
Or a brick house that he would construct
Let it be told to Mightiest Baal:
Invite a caravan into your house,
commodities amid your palace.
The mountains will bring you ample silver,
the hills, the finest gold;
the top-tier ore will be brought to you.
So build a house of silver and gold,
a house of pure stones, of lapis lazuli.
Young Anat rejoices; she stamps
her feet and leaves the ground.
Now she travels
to Baal on the heights of Sapan,
across a thousand fields, ten thousand hectares.
Young Anat laughs; she raises
her voice and cries out: Hear good news, Baal!
I bring you good news. There will be given
to you a house like your brothers, and a court
like your kin. Invite a caravan
into your house, commodities amid
your palace. The mountains will bring you
ample silver, the hills the finest
gold. So build a house of silver
and gold, a house of pure stones,
Mightiest Baal exults;
He invites a caravan into his home
Commodities amid his palace.
The mountains contribute ample silver
The hills, the finest gold;
The top-tier ore is brought to him.
He summons Kothar-wa-Hasis.
And turns to the passage in the text:
When the boys are dispatched.
Then Kothar-wa-Hasis arrives;
He places an ox before him
A fatling right in front of him. A throne is arranged, and he takes a seat
At the right hand of Mightiest Baal
As the gods dine and drink.
Mightiest Baal declares:
[…] [Kothar-wa-Hasis]
Hurry, the house, Kothar⁠
Quickly construct the palace.
You must promptly build the house
You must swiftly construct the palace⁠
On the peak of Sapan.
Let the house span a thousand fields
The palace, ten thousand hectares.
And Kothar-wa-Hasis replies:
Listen, Mightiest Baal
Comprehend, Cloudrider:
Shall I not fix a window in the house⁠
A vent in the midst of the palace?
And Mightiest Baal retorts:
You shall not install a window in the house
A vent in the midst of the palace.

Texts in conversation

Compare KTU 1.4 V:51 and Ezekiel 28:13

Ancient Near East, Ugaritic · Hebrew Bible

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Summary

In the Baal Cycle, Mount Sapan is Baal’s holy mountain at the center of the world, where the gods dwell. Ezekiel echoes that tradition when he places the king of Tyre on the holy mountain of God, walking among fiery stones.

Passages

KTU 1.4 V:51

Ancient Near East, Ugaritic · Cuneiform Texts from Ugarit
As the gods dine and drink. Mightiest Baal declares: […] [Kothar-wa-Hasis] Hurry, the house, Kothar Quickly construct the palace. You must promptly build the house You must swiftly construct the palace On the peak of Sapan. Let the house span a thousand fields The palace, ten thousand hectares. And Kothar-wa-Hasis replies: Listen, Mightiest Baal
1350–1185 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in KTU

Ezekiel 28:13

Hebrew Bible
12 “Son of man, sing a lament for the king of Tyre, and say to him, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: “‘You were the sealer of perfection, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty. 13 You were in Eden, the garden of God. Every precious stone was your covering, the ruby, topaz, and emerald, the chrysolite, onyx, and jasper, the sapphire, turquoise, and beryl; your settings and mounts were made of gold. On the day you were created they were prepared. 14 I placed you there with an anointed guardian cherub; you were on the holy mountain of God; you walked about amidst fiery stones. 15 You were blameless in your behavior from the day you were created, until sin was discovered in you.
600–501 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Ezekiel

References

... In Ugaritic myth, the high god El dwells "at the sources of the (two) rivers, in the midst of the (double) deep" (CTA 3.5.14-15, etc.). Of course, the main feature of the garden of God theme is the presence of the deity. The divine council meets there and decrees of cosmic importance are issued. El’s dwelling is also called the phr m’d, "appointed assembly" (CTA 2.1.19-21). It is to this place that Yamm sends messengers demanding the surrender of Baal (lines 36-38). Also, both Anat and Asherah go to El’s dwelling to seek permission for the building of a temple for Baal (CTA 3.5.12-17, 4.4.20-24). In Ezekiel 28:14 the presence of lesser deities in the garden may be reflected in the reference to the "protecting cherub" and to the "fiery stones" ...
David Noel (ed.) Freedman, The Anchor Bible Dictionary (New York: Doubleday, 1992), 906–907.

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 1.4 V:51 and Ezekiel 28:13

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