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The prologue to Hammurabi’s code declares he was divinely commissioned to establish justice and protect the poor from oppression. Psalm 72 similarly prays for Israel’s king to do the same — judging the people fairly and crushing the oppressor.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
Code of Hammurabi
Babylonian Legal Text
Ancient Near East
When Anu the Sublime, King of the Anunaki, and Bel, the lord of Heaven and earth, who decreed the fate of the land, assigned to Marduk, the over-ruling son of Ea, God of righteousness, dominion over earthly man, and made him great among the Igigi. They called Babylon by his illustrious name, made it great on earth, and founded an everlasting kingdom in it, whose foundations are laid as solidly as those of heaven and earth. Then Anu and Bel called by name me, Hammurabi, the exalted prince, who feared God, to bring about the rule of righteousness in the land and destroy the wicked and the evil-doers. So that the strong should not harm the weak, so that I should rule over the black-headed people like Shamash and enlighten the land, to further the well-being of mankind. Hammurabi, the prince, called of Bel am I, making riches and increase, enriching Nippur and Dur-ilu beyond compare, sublime patron of E-kur, who reestablished Eridu and purified the worship of E-apsu.
Date: 1750 B.C.E. (based on scholarly estimates)
Psalm 72:1
Hebrew Bible
1 For Solomon. O God, grant the king the ability to make just decisions. Grant the king’s son the ability to make fair decisions. 2 Then he will judge your people fairly and your oppressed ones equitably. 3 The mountains will bring news of peace to the people, and the hills will announce justice. 4 He will defend the oppressed among the people; he will deliver the children of the poor and crush the oppressor.
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Notes and References
“... Biblical tradition espouses similar judicial ideology about Judean monarchs. The idyllic Davidide in Isaiah 11:2–4 will judge the poor and meek judiciously (sedeq/mishor) due to his piety, with the spirit of Yahweh’s wisdom and counsel resting upon him (compare Isaiah 9:6 [English 9:7]; Jeremiah 23:5). Similar to the prayer on behalf of King Hammurabi (Laws of Hammurabi xlviii 41–47), the royal Psalm 72 prays: O Yahweh, endow the king with your justice, The king’s son with your righteousness That he may judge your people rightly, your poor justly. May he [righteously] judge the common poor, provide deliverance to the needy, and crush those who oppress [them]. (Psalm 72:1–2, 4; compare 72:12–14) As Hammurabi’s divinely elevated city of Babylon is ordained as the seat of justice and its temple as the seat of cult (Laws of Hammurabi xlvii 59–78), so too a psalmist proclaims that Jerusalem with its temple is a divinely ordained city where the thrones of the Davidic house are established as “thrones of justice” (Psalm 122:3–5). ...”
Smith, Mark S.
The Origin and Character of God: Ancient Israelite Religion through the Lens of Divinity
(pp. 517-518) Eerdmans, 2018
* 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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