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KTU

Cuneiform Texts from Ugarit

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Baal Cycle

KTU 1.5 II

[…]
He extends a lip to the earth, a lip to the heavens,⁠
he extends a tongue to the stars. Baal must enter his belly,
down into hs mouth he must go,⁠
since he scorched the olive, the produce of the earth,
and the fruit of the trees. Valiant Baal was afraid of him;
Valiant Warrior was in dread of him.
Depart, say to divine Mot,
declare to the Beloved of El, the hero:
Message of Valiant Baal, word of Valiant Warrior:
Greetings, O divine Mot,
your servant am I, and forever.
The gods departed and did not stay. Then they set their faces
towards divine Mot (death),
towards his city Muddy, a pit the seat of his enthronement,
a crevice the land of his inheritance. They lifted lip their voices and cried:
Message of Valiant Baal,
word of Valiant Warrior:
Greetings, O divine Mot, your servant am I, and forever so.
Divine Mot (death) rejoiced,
he lifted up his voice and cried: Why, has Baal invited me with my brothers,
has Haddu summoned me with my kinsmen?
[…] my food
[…]
[…] my joy
[…] departed […]
[…]

Texts in conversation

Compare KTU 1.5 II:4 and Psalm 141:7

Ancient Near East, Ugaritic · Hebrew Bible

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Summary

Psalm 141 describes the grave with the swallowing mouth of Death from the Baal Cycle, where Mot's jaws stretch from earth to sky, treating burial as capture by a power that consumes life.

Passages

KTU 1.5 II:4

Ancient Near East, Ugaritic · Cuneiform Texts from Ugarit
[…] He extends a lip to the earth, a lip to the heavens, he extends a tongue to the stars. Baal must enter his belly, down into hs mouth he must go, since he scorched the olive, the produce of the earth, and the fruit of the trees. Valiant Baal was afraid of him; Valiant Warrior was in dread of him. Depart, say to divine Mot, declare to the Beloved of El, the hero: Message of Valiant Baal, word of Valiant Warrior: Greetings, O divine Mot, your servant am I, and forever. The gods departed and did not stay. Then they set their faces towards divine Mot (death), towards his city Muddy, a pit the seat of his enthronement, a crevice the land of his inheritance. They lifted lip their voices and cried: Message of Valiant Baal, word of Valiant Warrior: Greetings, O divine Mot, your servant am I, and forever so.
1350–1185 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in KTU

Psalm 141:7

Hebrew Bible
2 May you accept my prayer like incense, my uplifted hands like the evening offering. 3 O Lord, place a guard on my mouth. Protect the opening of my lips. 4 Do not let me have evil desires or participate in sinful activities with men who behave wickedly. I will not eat their delicacies. 5 May the godly strike me in love and correct me. May my head not refuse choice oil. Indeed, my prayer is a witness against their evil deeds. 6 They will be thrown over the side of a cliff by their judges. They will listen to my words, for they are pleasant. 7 As when one plows and breaks up the soil, so our bones are scattered at the mouth of Sheol. 8 Surely I am looking to you, O Sovereign Lord. In you I take shelter. Do not expose me to danger.
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 1.5 II:4 and Psalm 141:7

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