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KTU

Cuneiform Texts from Ugarit

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Letter of the Hittite King to Ammurapi

KTU 2.39

Message of the Sun.
To Ammurapi say:
With the Sun everything is very
well.
To the f[eet] of the [l]ord, the Sun,
[his] lo[rd], his [ser]vant […]
for he is [a servant], his treasured possession,⁠
and [his master] […]
and […] my lord shall not lack.
And [you], you surely [k]now:
now […] to the Sun, your lord,
[a ser]vant, his treasured possession, are you.⁠
Now […] the Sun, your lord,
you surely know it.
To me, the Sun, your lord,
for a year, two years, why have you not come?
And as for the tablet about food that
you sent to the Sun,
your lord: that food
in your land there is none,
the Sun […]
If I go […]
I have given […]
two […]
and […]
[…]
[…]
[…]
with […]
food […]
[…]
And the letter […] [to] me
[…]
wherever there is any, seek it out
and give it to me.

Texts in conversation

Compare KTU 2.39:12 and Exodus 19:5

Ancient Near East, Ugaritic · Hebrew Bible

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Summary

Exodus 19 uses a ruler's language of treasured possession from the Ugaritic letter KTU 2.39 for Israel's bond with God, making this valued position depend on loyalty to the divine king.

Passages

KTU 2.39:12

Ancient Near East, Ugaritic · Cuneiform Texts from Ugarit
Message of the Sun. To Ammurapi say: With the Sun everything is very well. To the f[eet] of the [l]ord, the Sun, [his] lo[rd], his [ser]vant […] for he is [a servant], his treasured possession, and [his master] […] and […] my lord shall not lack. And [you], you surely [k]now: now […] to the Sun, your lord, [a ser]vant, his treasured possession, are you. Now […] the Sun, your lord, you surely know it. To me, the Sun, your lord, for a year, two years, why have you not come? And as for the tablet about food that you sent to the Sun, your lord: that food in your land there is none, the Sun […] If I go […] I have given […] two […] and […] […] […] […] with […] food […] […] And the letter […] [to] me […] wherever there is any, seek it out and give it to me.
1350–1185 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in KTU

Exodus 19:5

Hebrew Bible
2 After they journeyed from Rephidim, they came to the desert of Sinai, and they camped in the desert; Israel camped there in front of the mountain. 3 Moses went up to God, and the Lord called to him from the mountain, “Thus you will tell the house of Jacob, and declare to the people of Israel: 4 ‘You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt and how I lifted you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. 5 And now, if you will diligently listen to me and keep my covenant, then you will be my special possession out of all the nations, for all the earth is mine, 6 and you will be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words that you will speak to the Israelites.”
750–400 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Exodus

References

“... Yhwh has chosen Israel to be for Him a עם סגלה. The word סגלה occurs only eight times in the Old Testament, six of which refer to the people of Israel (Exod. 19:5; Deut. 7:6; 14:2; 26:18; Ps. 135:4; Mal. 3:17). The other two texts make clear that the word denotes possessions. [...] In a metaphorical sense, סגלה, “personal, precious property”, is applied to the people of Israel. In Deut. 7:6, the element of personal property is evident from the words להיות לו (cf. Ps. 135:4, where לסגלתו and לו are paralleled). [...] The metaphorical meaning of סגלה also occurs in Ugarit and Mesopotamia. In Ugarit, the word sglt is used in a letter from the Hittite king to the king of Ugarit (ktu 2.39). The Hittite king, Suppiluliuma ii (1205–1175 b.c.), blames his vassal Ammurapi (1205–1175 b.c.) that he has not come to him for two years now, as was prescribed in earlier treaties, and that he has failed to fulfill certain obligations. [...] The lines that contain the word sglt, however, are fairly clear. 7 k . ʿ[bdm . ]sglth . hw 7 for he [the king of Ugarit] is a servant [of the Hittite king], his personal property 12 ʿb[d]m. sglth . at 12 a servant, his personal property you are ...”
Arie Versluis, The Command to Exterminate the Canaanites: Deuteronomy 7 (Leiden: Brill, 2017), 81–82.

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 2.39:12 and Exodus 19:5

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