Texts in Conversation
Micah 4's iron horns give Zion the battle strength associated with Anat in the Ugaritic text KTU 1.10, placing a woman's power over enemies in a promise of God's help for his people.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
KTU 1.10 II:22
Cuneiform Texts from Ugarit
Ancient Near East
He has taken his bow in his hand, and his arrows in his right hand. Then he set his face toward Ah-Shamak, full of wild oxen.” The Maiden Anat lifts her wing, she lifts her wing and soars in flight toward Ah-Shamak, full of wild oxen. And Mighty Baal lifts his eyes, he lifts his eyes and sees, he sees the Maiden Anat, the loveliest among the sisters of Baal. Before her he […] and stands, at her feet he bows and falls down. And he lifts his voice and cries: “Live, sister, and long life to us. The horns of your strength, Maiden Anat, the horns of your strength Baal will anoint, Baal will anoint them in flight. We will thrust my enemies into the earth, and into the dust those who rise against your brother.”
Micah 4:13
Hebrew Bible
10 Twist and strain, Daughter Zion, as if you were in labor! For you will leave the city and live in the open field. You will go to Babylon, but there you will be rescued. There the Lord will deliver you from the power of your enemies. 11 Many nations have now assembled against you. They say, “Jerusalem must be desecrated, so we can gloat over Zion!” 12 But they do not know what the Lord is planning; they do not understand his strategy. He has gathered them like stalks of grain to be threshed at the threshing floor. 13 “Get up and thresh, Daughter Zion! For I will give you iron horns; I will give you bronze hooves, and you will crush many nations.” You will devote to the Lord the spoils you take from them and dedicate their wealth to the sovereign Ruler of the whole earth.
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Notes and References
“... To judge from the comparable phrasing in Deut 33:17, the image denotes power
in warfare in Num 23:22 and 24:8, more specifically El’s victory over the Egyp-
tians in warfare. Victory over enemies also seems to be the force of Anat’s
anointed horns (KTU 1.10 II 21–24, in UNP 183) noted above (for oil in con-
nection with horns, see Ps 92:10). Note also that Baal and Mot “gore each
other like wild oxen” (KTU 1.6 VI 17–18, in UNP 162). For horns for victory, see
also 1 Kgs 22:11//2 Chr 18:10; Mic 4:13; Ps 89:17, 24; for the horns of the enemy
in signaling defeat, see Ps 22:21. ...”
Smith, Mark S.
Where the Gods Are: Spatial Dimensions of Anthropomorphism in the Biblical World
(p. 150) Yale University Press, 2016
* 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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