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KTU

Cuneiform Texts from Ugarit

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Baal Cycle

KTU 1.5 I

Though you struck Litan the wriggling serpent,⁠
finished off the writhing serpent,⁠
Encircler-with-seven-heads,⁠
the skies will be hot, they will shine
when I tear you in pieces: I shall devour you,
elbows, blood and forearms;
You will indeed go down into the throat of divine Mot (death),⁠
into the maw of the Beloved of El, the hero.
The gods departed and did not stay. Then they set their faces
towards the lord of the heights of Sapan,
and Gupan and Ugar said:
Message of divine Mot (death),
word of the Beloved of El, the hero:
My appetite is the appetite of the lion in the wasteland⁠
as the desire of the shark is in the sea;
as wild bulls yearn for pools, or the hind longs for the spring.
Look, in truth does my throat devour clay
and with both my hands I devour them.
My seven portions are on the plate,
and Nahar has mixed my cup.
For Baal did not invite me with my brothers,
nor did Haddu summon me with my kinsmen,
but he ate food with my brothers,
and drank wine with my kinsmen!
But you forget, Baal, that I can indeed pierce you,
Though you struck Litan the wriggling serpent,
finished off the writhing serpent,
Encircler-with-seven-heads, the heavens will be hot, they will shine
when I tear you in pieces, I shall devour you, thighs, blood and forearms; you will indeed go down into the throat of divine Mot (death), into the maw of the Beloved of El, the hero.⁠

Texts in conversation

How Isaiah 27 Echoes the Baal Cycle's Twisting Serpent

Ancient Near East, Ugaritic · Hebrew Bible

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Summary

Isaiah 27 follows ancient Near Eastern traditions, describing God attacking a twisting serpent and a dragon with multiple heads. This is taken from the Ugaritic Baal Cycle, which references Baal’s defeat of a seven-headed, cosmic serpent.

Passages

KTU 1.5 I:1

Ancient Near East, Ugaritic · Cuneiform Texts from Ugarit
Though you struck Litan the wriggling serpent, finished off the writhing serpent, Encircler-with-seven-heads, the skies will be hot, they will shine when I tear you in pieces: I shall devour you, elbows, blood and forearms; You will indeed go down into the throat of divine Mot (death), into the maw of the Beloved of El, the hero. The gods departed and did not stay. Then they set their faces
1350–1185 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in KTU

Isaiah 27:1

Hebrew Bible
1 At that time the Lord will punish with his destructive, great, and powerful sword Leviathan the fast-moving serpent, Leviathan the squirming serpent; he will kill the sea monster. 2 When that time comes, sing about a delightful vineyard! 3 “I, the Lord, protect it; I water it regularly. I guard it night and day, so no one can harm it. 4 I am not angry. I wish I could confront some thorns and briers! Then I would march against them for battle; I would set them all on fire, 5 unless they became my subjects and made peace with me; let them make peace with me.”
740–450 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Isaiah

References

"... One of the most famous instances showing the relationship between the common Northwest Semitic cultural milieu and the Hebrew Bible that grew out of it is Isaiah 27:1. This verse has even become a 'poster boy' of sorts for the comparative study of Ugaritic and Biblical Hebrew literature, and it is certainly not difficult to see why ... As noted for a long time and by many scholars, this verse contains etymological and poetic material identical with that found at the beginning of the Ugaritic tablet 1.5, a passage from the Baal Cycle, in which Mot (the god of death) is threatening Baal while referring to his earlier, heroic exploits, which were apparently presupposed to be well-known by the audience ..."
Ola Wikander, “From Indo-European Dragon Slaying to Isa 27.1: A Study in the Longue Durée,” in Studies in Isaiah: History, Theology and Reception, ed. Tommy Wasserman, Greger Andersson, and David Willgren, LHBOTS 654 (London: Bloomsbury T&T Clark, 2017), 116–135.

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 1.5 I:1 and Isaiah 27:1

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