Texts in Conversation
The Ugaritic Legend of Kirta and Psalm 82 both depict failing rulers, human or divine, who no longer defend the vulnerable, widows, and orphans. In both, this failure is portrayed as a moral collapse and justification for losing authority or life.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
KTU 1.16 VI:45
Cuneiform Texts from Ugarit
Ancient Near East
and cries: "Listen, I pray you, O Kirta the Noble! Listen, and incline (your) ear. For . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . and . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . You have let your hand fall into mischief. You used to judge the cause of the widow, to adjudicate the case of the wretched, to drive out them that prey upon the poor, to feed before you the orphan, behind your back the widow. Since you have become a brother of the bed of sickness, a companion of the bed of suffering, descend from the kingship— I will be king; in your authority I will sit."—And [K]irta the Noble makes answer:
Psalm 82:3
Hebrew Bible
1 A psalm of Asaph. God stands in the assembly of El; in the midst of the gods he renders judgment. 2 He says, “How long will you make unjust legal decisions and show favoritism to the wicked? (Selah) 3 Defend the cause of the poor and the fatherless. Vindicate the oppressed and suffering. 4 Rescue the poor and needy. Deliver them from the power of the wicked. 5 They neither know nor understand. They stumble around in the dark, while all the foundations of the earth crumble.
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Notes and References
"... The position of widow and orphan in ancient Israel was no different from that elsewhere in the ancient Near East and the world of antiquity in general. The statements made concerning them in the literature of the ancient Near East are similar in nature to those in the Old Testament. They can count on divine protection. Compassion for widow and orphan is a motif in kingly ideology. (See the prologue of the code of Urnammu, the epilogue of the code of Hammurabi, the Tale of Aqhat, and also compare Psalm 82:3) A king who ignores the plight of widow and orphan is weak and incompetent. (Compare with the Keret epic) In Wisdom texts kings and officials are admonished to defend widows and orphans ..."
* 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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