Code of Hammurabi
Babylonian Legal Text
Ancient Near East
May Bel, the lord, who fixes destiny, whose command can not be altered, who has made my kingdom great, order a rebellion which his hand can not control; may he let the wind of the overthrow of his habitation blow, may he ordain the years of his rule in groaning, years of scarcity, years of famine, darkness without light, death with seeing eyes be fated to him; may he (Bel) order with his potent mouth the destruction of his city, the dispersion of his subjects, the cutting off of his rule, the complete extinction of his name and memory from the land.
Date: 1750 B.C.E. (based on scholarly estimates)
Source
Deuteronomy 29:20
Hebrew Bible
19 When such a person hears the words of this oath he secretly blesses himself and says, ‘I will have peace though I continue to walk with a stubborn spirit.’ This will destroy the watered ground with the parched. 20 The Lord will be unwilling to forgive him, and his intense anger will rage against that man; all the curses written in this scroll will fall upon him, and the Lord will obliterate his name from memory. 21 The Lord will single him out for judgment from all the tribes of Israel according to all the curses of the covenant written in this scroll of the law.
Date: 6th Century B.C.E. (Final composition) (based on scholarly estimates)
Source
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Notes and References
"... The Hittite and Aramaic treaties, then, like Deuteronomy 29 also deal with the eventuality of tacit rebellion. However, as the authorities cannot act as they do in chapter 13 against such passive violators of the covenant, their punishment must consequently be left to Heaven ... Similar formulations are repeatedly encountered in the epilogue sections or on the seal impressions of the ancient Near Eastern treaties. This type of malediction is to be found already in the epilogue of the Code of Hammurabi ..."
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