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KTU

Cuneiform Texts from Ugarit

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Baal Cycle

KTU 1.4 VIII

Then you shall set off
To Mount (TRGZZ)
To Mount (THRMG)
The two hills at Earth's edge.
Lift the mountain in your hands
The hill atop your palms.
And descend to Hell, the House of Freedom
Be counted among those descended to Hell.
who go down into the earth.
Then you shall set off
To Divine Mot
At his town, the Pit Low, the throne where he sits
Filth, the land of his heritage.
But beware, divine servants:
Do not get too close to Divine Mot
draw near to Divine
Do not let him seize you like a lamb in his mouth⁠
Like a kid crushed in the chasm of his throat.
The Divine Lamp, Shapshu
Ignites the sphere of Heaven
By the power of Divine Mot.
From across a thousand fields, a myriad hectares
At the feet of Mot bow.
bow and fall down,
prostrate yourselves and honor
him, and say
to Divine Mot,
repeat to the Beloved
of El, the Hero: Message of
Mightiest Baal,
the word of the Mightiest of
[Warriors]: I have built my house
[of silver, I have raised]
[my palace of gold]
[…] my brothers
[…] my brothers
[…] [my house]
[…] [the midst]
[…] I invited
[…] Mot
[…] Divine
[…]
[…] [the Hero]
[…] [Gupan] and Ugar
[…]
[Scribe: Ilimilku], officiant of Niqmaddu, King of Ugarit.

Texts in conversation

Compare KTU 1.4 VIII:17 and Psalm 49:14

Ancient Near East, Ugaritic · Hebrew Bible

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Summary

The picture of Death as a shepherd in Psalm 49 recalls Mot seizing people like lambs in the Baal Cycle, stressing that wealth cannot free people from Death's power.

Passages

KTU 1.4 VIII:17

Ancient Near East, Ugaritic · Cuneiform Texts from Ugarit
Then you shall set off To Mount (TRGZZ) To Mount (THRMG) The two hills at Earth's edge. Lift the mountain in your hands The hill atop your palms. And descend to Hell, the House of Freedom Be counted among those descended to Hell. who go down into the earth. Then you shall set off To Divine Mot At his town, the Pit Low, the throne where he sits Filth, the land of his heritage. But beware, divine servants: Do not get too close to Divine Mot draw near to Divine Do not let him seize you like a lamb in his mouth Like a kid crushed in the chasm of his throat. The Divine Lamp, Shapshu Ignites the sphere of Heaven By the power of Divine Mot. From across a thousand fields, a myriad hectares At the feet of Mot bow.
1350–1185 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in KTU

Psalm 49:14

Hebrew Bible
10 Surely one sees that even wise people die; fools and spiritually insensitive people all pass away and leave their wealth to others. 11 Their grave becomes their permanent residence, their eternal dwelling place. They name their lands after themselves, 12 but, despite their wealth, people do not last. They are like animals that perish. 13 This is the destiny of fools, and of those who approve of their philosophy. (Selah) 14 They will travel to Sheol like sheep, with death as their shepherd. The godly will rule over them when the day of vindication dawns. Sheol will consume their bodies, and they will no longer live in impressive houses. 15 But God will rescue my life from the power of Sheol; certainly he will pull me to safety. (Selah) 16 Do not be afraid when a man becomes rich and his wealth multiplies.
600–201 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Psalms

References

“... Th ere is some mythology of Death in the Psalms ( DDD 598–603), but unlike the Baal-Mot confl ict in the Baal Cycle, it is not represented as a matter of confl ict between Yahweh and Death personifi ed. Still some imagery for Death in the Psalms (141:7; cf. Isa. 5:14; Hab. 2:5; Prov. 1:12; 27:20; 30:15–16) echoes the traditional language found in the Baal Cycle: “One lip to the earth, one lip to the heavens; . . . his tongue to the stars. Baal must enter inside him; he must go down into his mouth” (KTU 1.5 II 2–5, SAC 141; cf. KTU 1.23.61–63, SAC 165). Th is mythic image of the cosmic enemy’s ravenous mouth is transferred to descriptions of human enemies (Ps. 73:9; cf. Isa 9:19). Another image of Death represents him as a shepherd leading people to the underworld (Ps. 49:15[14]); this metaphor has been read in light of the warning not to get too close to Death so that he not take “like a lamb in his mouth” (KTU 1.4 VIII 14–20, SAC 138). ...”
Mark S. Smith, “Canaanite Backgrounds to the Psalms,” in The Oxford Handbook of the Psalms, ed. William P. Brown (New York: Oxford University Press, 2014), 52.

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 VIII:17 and Psalm 49:14

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