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Sumerian King List

About this book

When kingship had come down from heaven, kingship was at Eridu.
At Eridu, Alulim was king; he reigned 28,800 years.⁠
Alalgar reigned 36,000 years.
At Bad-tibira, Enmenluanna reigned 43,200 years.
Enmengalanna reigned 28,800 years.
The divine Dumuzi, the shepherd, reigned 36,000 years.⁠
At Larak, Ensipaziana reigned 28,800 years.
At Sippar, Enmenduranna was king; he reigned 21,000 years.⁠
At Suruppak, Ubartutu was king; he reigned 18,600 years.⁠
Five cities; eight kings ruled 241,200 years.
The flood swept over.⁠

Texts in conversation

Why Did Enoch Live Exactly 365 Years?

Ancient Near East, Sumerian · Hebrew Bible

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Summary

The seventh king in the Sumerian King List, Enmenduranna, ruled Sippar, the city of the sun god. The seventh patriarch in Genesis 5, Enoch, lived exactly 365 years, the number of days in a solar year, before God took him away.

Passages

Sumerian King List 1:8

Ancient Near East, Sumerian
Enmengalanna reigned 28,800 years. The divine Dumuzi, the shepherd, reigned 36,000 years. At Larak, Ensipaziana reigned 28,800 years. At Sippar, Enmenduranna was king; he reigned 21,000 years. At Suruppak, Ubartutu was king; he reigned 18,600 years. Five cities; eight kings ruled 241,200 years. The flood swept over.
2100 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in the Sumerian King List

Genesis 5:21

Hebrew Bible
20 The entire lifetime of Jared was 962 years, and then he died. 21 When Enoch had lived 65 years, he became the father of Methuselah. 22 After he became the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked with God for 300 years, and he had other sons and daughters. 23 The entire lifetime of Enoch was 365 years. 24 Enoch walked with God, and then he disappeared because God took him away. 25 When Methuselah had lived 187 years, he became the father of Lamech.
750–400 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Genesis

References

“… An intriguing character in the Sumerian King list is Enmeduranki (Enmeduranna), the king of Sippar, the city of the sun-god Šamaš. In three copies of the List, he occupies the seventh place, which in the Genesis genealogy belongs to Enoch. Moreover, in other Mesopotamian sources Enmeduranki appears in many roles and situations which demonstrate remarkable similarities with Enoch’s story. VanderKam’s research shows that the priestly author responsible for the biblical portrayal of Enoch in Genesis 5:21-24 was aware of these broader Mesopotamian traditions which served as a prototype for Enoch’s figure, whose symbolical age of 365 years reflects the link between the patriarch and the solar cult of Šamaš. …”
Andrei Orlov, The Enoch-Metatron Tradition (Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2005), 26–27.
“… Enoch’s life at his removal is 365 years, and it has often been noted that this corresponds in years to the number of days in a solar year. The seventh king in the Sumerian King List—Enmenduranna—is associated with the city of Sippar, whose tutelary deity was Utu the sun-god. …”
Victor P. Hamilton, The Book of Genesis: Chapters 1-17 (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans, 1990), 158.

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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Sumerian King List 1:8 and Genesis 5:21

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