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Surpu

Sumerian and Akkadian Incantations

About this book
Chapter 3

The effect of any oath this man, son of his god, is under, Asalluḫi, exorcist among the gods, will undo; the oath of father and mother he is under, the oath of his father’s father, the oath of his mother’s mother, the oath of brother or sister, the oath of seven generations of his father’s house he is under, the oath of old or young, the oath of family or in-laws, the oath of offspring or sucklings, the oath of friend or companion, the oath of comrade or associate, true or false oath, heavy or light oath, the oath: to invoke the name of the god holding a spade, the oath of bellows or stove, the oath: to stretch out one’s hands toward a lamp, the oath: to invoke the name of the god holding a lamp, the oath that fire was thrown in front of this man, the oath of cup or table, the oath of bed or couch, the oath: to drink water from an unfired clay cup, the oath: to set something aside for the god but ask again for it, the oath: to sit on a seat facing the sun, the oath: to pronounce a judgement for bribe, the oath: to tear up grass in the plain, the oath: to break reeds in the marsh, the oath of bow or chariot, the oath of sword or spear, the oath of lance or arrow, the oath: to strike the cheek of an animal, the oath: to crush a clod or throw a clod into the water, the oath: that a cult lamp? was placed in front of this man, the oath of road or path, the oath: to swear faithfulness to a friend, but kill him, the oath: to slaughter a sheep but misuse the cuts, the oath: to show the symbolic pestle in the assembly, the oath of the cymbals or harp, the oath: to ask on a dark day, but deny it, the oath: to ask for a promised thing, but deny it, the oath: to tear out a clod in the field, the oath: to invoke the name of the god holding a plow, the oath that the man has asked in the vicinity of the stable or the animals, the oath: to swear by Šamaš at sunrise, the oath: to invoke the name of the god while making the prayer gesture with unclean hands, the oath of protective spirit or protecting goddess, the oath of tamarisk or date-palm, the oath of boat or river, the oath of harbor or ferry, the oath of canal or bridge, the oath that the man has set out on a journey, the oath that the mann has touched a pitchfork in the river, the oath: to draw a shovel in … …, the oath: to sprinkle his hand and a frontier, the oath: to fix a boundary, but change it, the oath: to promise, but change one’s word, the oath: to transgress the commands of god, the oath: to dam up an open ditch, the oath: to eat stolen meat, the oath: to listen to a wicked person, but deny it, the oath: to mark frontier or boundary, the oath: to overturn a chariot but touch its equipment, the oath: to drink water from a ṣarṣaru-vase, the oath: to urinate or vomit into a river, the oath of the Ṣalīḫu-river or the canals, the oath of mountain or ravine, the oath of source or torrent, the oath of pass or .., the oath of ram, owl, or frog, the oath: to pull out a reed from its bundle, the oath: to break down door or bolt, the oath: to show a weapon in the assembly, the oath of Ninurta, lord of the censer, the oath of chapel or shrine, the oath of dais or throne, the oath of Silakku or Barittu, the oath of Bēlili, the always weeping one, the oath of Manungal, the snatcher, the oath of Kilili looking out of the windows, the oath of Gazbaba, the always laughing one, the oath of Abtagigi, goddess of news, the oath of Lady of the city-wall and crenels, the oath of the …-demons of the corners, the oath of the open altar or its socle, the oath of the laughing protective spirits, the oath of the demons who chase around, the oath of the ghosts, the revenants, the oath of the lurking-demons who sneak around, the oath of drum and kettle-drum, the oath of timbrel and cymbals, the oath of lyre, harp and timbūtu-harp, the oath of lute and pipe, the oath of pit or ditch, the oath: to invoke the name of god holding a torch, the oath: to throw grain into the mill, but pull it out?, the oath: to roast salt and cress in fire, the oath: to retaliate against someone, the oath: to put the breast into the mouth of a small child, the oath: to cause the drying up of the breast, the oath: …, the oath: … and invoke the name of god, the oath of holy eve and …, the oath of holy day and …, the oath of night …, the oath of Sîn …, the oath of Šamaš …, the oath of Ninurta …, the oath of Ningiršu …, the oath of Nusku …, the oath of the Igigi …, the oath of the Anunnaki, great gods …, the oath of the gods of the night, the oath of Ea, lord of wise understanding, the oath of heaven and earth, the oath that he mentioned the patron god of the day, the oath of day, month or year, the oath of nadītu-priestess or qadištu-woman, the oath of …-priest or high-priestess, the oath of skipping-rope or ankle-bell, the oath of barley or silver, the oath of cattle and wild animals, the oath of thorns and thistles, the oath of pair or team, the oath of hunger or hardship, the oath that the name of god was invoked before this man, the oath that this man has seen bad luck, the oath that bad luck entered into the home of this man, the oath: to go down into a magic circle at sunlight, the oath that an accursed man touched this man, the oath: to stretch out his hand to his god or goddess when accursed, the oath: to talk to an accursed man, the oath: to eat an accursed man’s food, the oath: to drink an accursed man’s water, the oath: to drink an accursed man’s leftovers, the oath: to talk to a sinner, the oath: to eat a sinner’s food, the oath: to drink a sinner’s water, the oath: to drink a sinner’s leftovers, the oath: to intercede for a sinner, the oath: to carry, but swear to the opposite, the oath: to take, but swear to the opposite, the oath of sin or interdict, the oath: to commit neglect, the oath of error or crime, the oath of lie or blasphemy, the oath of lamp or stove, the oath of the Lord of the poplar or the Euphrates, the oath of throne or assembly, the oath of dead or living, the oath of wronged man or wronged woman, the oath he knows or does not know; the oath of Anu and Antu, the oath of Enlil and Ninlil, the oath of Ea and Damkina, the oath of Sîn and Ningal, the oath of Šamaš and Aya, the oath of Adad and Šala, the oath of Marduk and Ṣarpanītu, the oath of Nabû and Tašmētu, the oath of Ninurta and Bēlet-Nippuri, the oath of Damu and Gula, the oath of Ningirsu and Bau, the oath of Birdu and Bēbi, the oath of Nusku and Sadarnunna, the oath of … and mountains, the oath of …, the oath of …, the oath of Nin…, the oath of Papsukka…, the oath of the ‘Seven’ …, the oath of day and night, the oath of the gods …, any oath …. The sin of father or mother,⁠ the sin of his father’s father or his mother’s mother, the sin of brother or sister, the sin of friend or companion, the sin of family or in-laws, the sin of late offspring or sucklings, the sin of dead or living, the sin of wronged man or wronged woman, the sin he knows and the sin he does not know,⁠ Asalluḫi, exorcist among the gods, will undo. The committing of assault or violence.

Texts in conversation

Compare Surpu III and Exodus 20:5

Ancient Near East, Babylonian · Hebrew Bible

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Summary

Exodus describes covenant curses for disobedience extending multiple generations, following ancient Near Eastern traditions such as the Surpu tablets that similarly describe oath-curses that also extend multiple generations.

Passages

Surpu III

Ancient Near East, Babylonian · Sumerian and Akkadian Incantations
the oath of day and night, the oath of the gods …, any oath …. The sin of father or mother, the sin of his father’s father or his mother’s mother, the sin of brother or sister, the sin of friend or companion, the sin of family or in-laws, the sin of late offspring or sucklings, the sin of dead or living, the sin of wronged man or wronged woman, the sin he knows and the sin he does not know,
1200 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Surpu

Exodus 20:5

Hebrew Bible
4 “You shall not make for yourself a carved image or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above or that is on the earth beneath or that is in the water below. 5 You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I, the Lord, your God, am a jealous God, responding to the transgression of fathers by dealing with children to the third and fourth generations of those who reject me, 6 and showing covenant faithfulness to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.
750–400 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Exodus

References

"... When all is said and done, however, textual evidence from Sumerian, Akkadian, Hebrew, and Hittite sources attest to the existence of three different ways conditional curses could be discharged. One procedure allowed a person to curse himself or herself conditionally. This occurred when the individual declared the malediction and directed the harm in it to his or her person. The second procedure allowed a person to impose a conditional curse on an object, an underling, or even on future generations without the affected individuals’ being present. Consent is not an issue. This method could also be described as ‘distance cursing’ because the target’s formal acknowledgement of the curse was not essential for the malediction to be considered effective ..."
Anne Marie Kitz, Cursed Are You! The Phenomenology of Cursing in Cuneiform and Hebrew Texts (University Park, PA: Penn State University Press, 2021), 132.

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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Surpu III and Exodus 20:5

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