Texts in Conversation
In Genesis 18, Abraham's position at the tent entrance resembles Danel's place at the city gate in the Tale of Aqhat, presenting divine hospitality as part of a leader's public role.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
KTU 1.17 V:6
Cuneiform Texts from Ugarit
Ancient Near East
[…] […] I will bring a bow […] […] arrows. And lo, on the seventh day, then Danel, the man of healing, then the hero, the devotee of Hrnm, rises and sits at the entrance of the gate, beneath the nobles who are on the threshing floor. He judges the case of the widow, he decides the cause of the orphan. When he lifts his eyes, he sees: at a thousand fields, ten thousand acres, the coming of Kothar; he looks, and he sees the striding of Hasis. He brings a bow; look, […] […] arrows. Then Danel, the man of healing, then the hero, the devotee of Hrnm, calls aloud to his wife: “Listen, lady Danatay, prepare a lamb from the flock for the appetite of Kothar- wa-Hasis, for the hunger of Hayyin, skilled of hand. Feed, give drink to
Genesis 18:1
Hebrew Bible
1 The Lord appeared to Abraham by the oaks of Mamre while he was sitting at the entrance to his tent during the hottest time of the day. 2 Abraham looked up and saw three men standing across from him. When he saw them he ran from the entrance of the tent to meet them and bowed low to the ground. 3 He said, “My lord, if I have found favor in your sight, do not pass by and leave your servant. 4 Let a little water be brought so that you may all wash your feet and rest under the tree. 5 And let me get a bit of food so that you may refresh yourselves since you have passed by your servant’s home. After that you may be on your way.” “All right,” they replied, “you may do as you say.”
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Notes and References
“... Various features of Genesis 18:1-15 suggest continuity with an ar-
chaic tradition. As argued by Cooper and Goldstein, the position of the
clan chieftain at the entrance to the tent represents a longstanding
popular motif. They compare Abraham’s position in Genesis 18:1 with
Deborah’s in Judges 4:5, Danil’s in the Ugaritic myth of Aqhat (KTU
1.17 V 6-8; 1.19 I 21-25), and others.19 ...”
Hamori, Esther J.
When Gods Were Men: The Embodied God in Biblical and Near Eastern Literature
(p. 76) De Gruyter, 2008
* 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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