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KTU

Cuneiform Texts from Ugarit

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Baal Cycle

KTU 1.6 VI

[…] drove him off,
[…] expelled him.
[…]
[…]
[…] Mot
Mot, the Powerful One,
Divine Mot ate his seven divine assistants.
Divine Mot cried:
“Look! It is my brothers whom Baal has given me for my meal,
my mother’s sons for my consumption!”
He returned to Baal in the recesses of Sapan.⁠
He lifted up his voice and cried:
“It is my brothers you have given me, Baal, for my meal,
my mother’s sons for my consumption!”
They glowered at each other like burning coals.
Mot was strong;⁠ Baal was strong.
They gored like wild bulls. Mot was strong; Baal was strong.
They bit like serpents.
Mot was strong; Baal was strong.
They tugged like hunting-dogs. Mot fell. Baal fell on top of him.
Shapshu cried to Mot:
“Listen, pray, O divine Mot!
How can you fight with Valiant Baal?
How will Bull El your father not hear you?
He will surely pull down the pillars of your dwelling,
he will surely overturn the throne of your kingship,⁠
he will surely break the scepter of your rule!”
Divine Mot was afraid; the Beloved of El, the hero, was in dread.
Mot started at her voice and lifted up his voice and cried:
“Let Baal be installed on the throne of his kingship,
on the back-rest, on the siege of his dominion!”
of his dominion […]
[…]
[…]
[…] year […]
[…] El of mercy
[…]
[…]
“Come, pray, to the fresh meat; yes, eat the offering-bread;
[…] fresh; indeed you shall eat
pray drink the libation-wine.
Shapshu, you rule the saviors; Shapshu, you rule the chthonian gods.⁠
the Rephaim are under you;
Shapshu, under you are the divine ones;⁠
Your company are the gods; lo, mortals are your company.
Kothar is your associate, and Hasis is your companion.
and Hasis is your friend.
In the sea of Arsh and the dragon,
Kothar-wa-Hasis, steer the bark!
Pilot the ship, Kothar-wa-Hasis!”
Scribe: Ilimilku the Shubbanite,
pupil of Attenu the diviner, chief
of the priests, chief of the herdsmen,
official of Niqmaddu, king of Ugarit,
lord of Yrgb, master of Trmn.

Texts in conversation

Compare KTU 1.6 VI:12 and Zechariah 14:3

Ancient Near East, Ugaritic · Hebrew Bible

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Summary

Zechariah 14 shares Baal's battle at his mountain home in the Baal Cycle, using an older pattern of divine warfare to promise that Jerusalem's defeat will not end God's defense of the city.

Passages

KTU 1.6 VI:12

Ancient Near East, Ugaritic · Cuneiform Texts from Ugarit
Divine Mot ate his seven divine assistants. Divine Mot cried: “Look! It is my brothers whom Baal has given me for my meal, my mother’s sons for my consumption!” He returned to Baal in the recesses of Sapan. He lifted up his voice and cried: “It is my brothers you have given me, Baal, for my meal, my mother’s sons for my consumption!” They glowered at each other like burning coals. Mot was strong; Baal was strong. They gored like wild bulls. Mot was strong; Baal was strong. They bit like serpents. Mot was strong; Baal was strong. They tugged like hunting-dogs. Mot fell. Baal fell on top of him. Shapshu cried to Mot: “Listen, pray, O divine Mot! How can you fight with Valiant Baal?
1350–1185 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in KTU

Zechariah 14:3

Hebrew Bible
2 For I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to wage war; the city will be taken, its houses plundered, and the women raped. Then half of the city will go into exile, but the remainder of the people will not be taken away. 3 Then the Lord will go to battle and fight against those nations, just as he fought battles in ancient days. 4 On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives that lies to the east of Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives will be split in half from east to west, leaving a great valley. Half the mountain will move northward and the other half southward.
500–401 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Zechariah

References

“... There are many parallels between this Ugaritic passage and a variety of biblical texts. First, the divine battle takes place at the mountain of the deity, a motif found in Psalms 2:1-2; 48:5-8; 110; Joel 4:9-14; Zechariah 12:3-4; 14:2; and elsewhere. In Ugaritic, this motif is not restricted to Anat. Baal also fights his enemies on his mountain (KTU 1.6 VI 12-13; cf. 1.1 V 5, 18). Second, the battle is universal in scope; “peoples” are collectively the enemies of the deity. Many of the biblical passages just cited likewise contain this motif. ...”
Mark S. Smith, The Early History of God: Yahweh and the Other Deities in Ancient Israel, 2nd ed., The Biblical Resource Series (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2002), PDF 115.

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 1.6 VI:12 and Zechariah 14:3

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