Texts in Conversation
The Sumerian Bilgames and Akka describes a king rejecting his elders and following younger men who favor resistance. In 1 Kings 12, Rehoboam makes a similar choice, and his harsh policy prompts Israel to reject his rule.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
Gilgamesh and Aga 17
Bilgames and Akka
Ancient Near East, Sumerian
Before his city’s elders Bilgames laid the matter, seeking a solution: ‘“To empty the wells, to empty the wells of the land, to empty the shallow wells of the land, to empty the deep wells furnished with hoisting ropes:” let us not submit to the house of Kish, let us wage war!’ The convened assembly of his city’s elders gave answer to Bilgames: ‘“To empty the wells, to empty the wells of the land, to empty the shallow wells of the land, to empty the deep wells furnished with hoisting ropes:” let us submit to the house of Kish, let us not wage war!’ Bilgames, the lord of Kullab, placing his trust in the goddess Inanna, took no notice of what his city’s elders said. Before his city’s young men Bilgames laid the matter a second time, seeking a solution: ‘“To empty the wells, to empty the wells of the land, to empty the shallow wells of the land, to empty the deep wells furnished with hoisting ropes:” let us not submit to the house of Kish, let us wage war!’ The convened assembly of his city’s young men gave answer to Bilgames: ‘To stand on duty, to sit in attendance, to escort the king’s son – to hold a donkey by the hindquarters – as they say, who is there has breath for that? Let us not submit to the house of Kish, let us wage war!
1 Kings 12:8
Hebrew Bible
6 King Rehoboam consulted with the older advisers who had served his father Solomon when he had been alive. He asked them, “How do you advise me to answer these people?” 7 They said to him, “Today if you will be a servant to these people and grant their request, speaking kind words to them, they will be your servants from this time forward.” 8 But Rehoboam rejected their advice and consulted the young advisers who served him, with whom he had grown up. 9 He asked them, “How do you advise me to respond to these people who said to me, ‘Lessen the demands your father placed on us’?” 10 The young advisers with whom Rehoboam had grown up said to him, “Say this to these people who have said to you, ‘Your father made us work hard, but now lighten our burden.’ Say this to them: ‘I am a lot harsher than my father! 11 My father imposed heavy demands on you; I will make them even heavier. My father punished you with ordinary whips; I will punish you with whips that really sting your flesh.’”
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Notes and References
“... Briefly put, the plot is as follows: Gilgamesh, lord of Uruk, bibli-
cal Erech, listed in the "table of nations" (Gen. 10:10) and Agga,
ruler of Kish, are engaged in a power struggle for hegemony in
Sumer. The king of Kish issues an ultimatum to Gilgamesh that he
and his subjects submit themselves as corvee to Kish, otherwise Agga
will wage war against them. Gilgamesh, like Rehoboam, does not
reply to the emissaries on his own. Instead, he approaches two bod-
ies in his kingdom for their resolution on the matter. Like Rehoboam
he first appeals to the "assembly of the elders" or, more precisely,
to the "town fathers." These pursue a path of moderacy and sug-
gest that Gilgamesh submit to the enemy, that he avoid war at all
costs. Gilgamesh rejects this proposal and turns to the council of
"men," the young armsbearers of the realm who favor rejecting the
terms even at the price of war. Gilgamesh, like Rehoboam, acqui-
esces in their urging but, unlike Rehoboam, goes off to war. ...”
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
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