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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

Compare KTU 1.5 I:1 and Psalms 104:26

Ancient Near East, Ugaritic · Hebrew Bible

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Summary

The Ugaritic text KTU describes Litan as a fearsome serpent destroyed by Baal in cosmic combat. Psalm 104 reshapes this same creature, also called Leviathan, into a sea monster God created as a plaything or pet.

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.
1350–1185 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in KTU

Psalms 104:26

Hebrew Bible
25 Over here is the deep, wide sea, which teems with innumerable swimming creatures, living things both small and large. 26 The ships travel there, and over here swims Leviathan35 you made to play in it. 27 All your creatures wait for you to provide them with food on a regular basis. 28 You give food to them and they receive it; you open your hand and they are filled with food.
600–201 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Psalms

References

“... Psalm 104 extols God for the majesty of creation; in speaking of the sea, the psalmist says: ‘There go the ships, and Leviathan whom you formed to play with’ (Psalm 104:26). The terrifying chaos monster is in fact God’s playmate. There appears to be a contradiction here: in certain texts, God battles and slays Leviathan, while in others, God praises and plays with Leviathan. Rabbinic interpreters, committed to the idea that the Bible contains no contradictions, decided that there must be two Leviathans. God killed one at the beginning of time (Psalm 74), and will kill the other at the end of time (Isaiah 27); in the meantime, God keeps the surviving Leviathan for sport (Psalm 104; Job 40–41). ...”
Ryan S. Higgins, “The Good, the God, and the Ugly: The Role of the Beloved Monster in the Ancient Near East and the Hebrew Bible,” Int 74.2 (2020): 16–17.

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 Psalms 104:26

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