Texts in Conversation
The Ugaritic text KTU 1.23 describes the sun god Shamsu, along with the gods Dawn, and Dusk, as children of the high god El. Isaiah 14 echoes this tradition, referring to the stars of El as deities in a divine council.
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KTU 1.23
Cuneiform Texts from Ugarit
Ancient Near East
He sat and counted five months for growth, ten for the full completion. Both of them crouched and gave birth to Shahar and Shalem. Word was brought to El: The two wives of El have given birth! What have they borne? Shahar and Shalem have been born. Raise up an offering to Shapsh, the Great Lady, and to the stars who have been begotten.
Date: 2300 B.C.E. (based on scholarly estimates)
Isaiah 14:13
Hebrew Bible
11 Your splendor has been brought down to Sheol, as well as the sound of your stringed instruments. You lie on a bed of maggots, with a blanket of worms over you.’ 12 “Look how you have fallen from the sky, O shining one, son of the dawn! You have been cut down to the ground, O conqueror of the nations! 13 You said to yourself, ‘I will climb up to the sky. Above the stars of El I will set up my throne. I will rule on the mountain of assembly on the remote slopes of Zaphon. 14 I will climb up to the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High!’ 15 But you were brought down to Sheol, to the remote slopes of the Pit.
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Notes and References
"... El and Athirat are the divine royal parents of the pantheon, and the dominant deities are generally regarded as their royal children ... Beyond this general four-tier structure, it would appear that this family at times is understood as astral in character. This notion seems to be reflected in one text (CAT 1.101.3– 5), which evidently lists “the assembly of the stars” in parallelism with “the sons of El” ... The evidence in this text is shaky, however, given the broken nature of the lines in question. Accordingly, the case that El’s family is astral will require support from texts that mention El and astral deities. Many astral figures are worthy of consideration in this regard: Shahar and Shalim; Yarih; Shapshu, Athtar and Athtart; and Resheph. A. Shahar, “Dawn,” and Shalim, “Dusk,” are El’s two sons, according to CAT 1.23. B. The moon-god Yarih is evidently identified as nºmn [ªi]lm, “the favorite of El,” in CAT 1.24.25 (Theuer 2000). In 1.92.14–16, Athtart’s hunt provides meat for El and Yarih, presumably as a member of the head god’s household. Yarih participates in the meal in El’s house in 1.114 (Keel 1998: 85 n. 13). C. The sun-goddess Shapshu serves as El’s special messenger according to CAT 1.6 VI. It should be noted further that the stars (kbkbm knm) are generally grouped after her in 1.23.54 (cf. bt ªilm kbkbm in 1.43.2–3). Note also the blessing in 1.102.26–27 paralleling the sun and moon with El: lymt sps wyrh wnºmt snt ªil. From these texts, it might be suggested that the sun, moon, and stars belong to El’s family ..."
Smith, Mark S.
"When the Heavens Darkened: Yahweh, El, and the Divine Astral Family in Iron Age II Judah" in Dever, William G., and Seymour Gitin (eds.) Symbiosis, Symbolism, and the Power of the Past: Canaan, Ancient Israel, and Their Neighbors from the Late Bronze Age through Roman Palaestina
(pp. 265-277) Eisenbrauns, 2003
* 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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