Texts in Conversation
Psalm 114 shares the land trembling at Baal's voice in the Baal Cycle, using an earthquake image to show that God's rescue of Israel involves power over nature.
Share:
2500 BCE
1000+ CE
KTU 1.4 VII:32
Cuneiform Texts from Ugarit
Ancient Near East
He opens a window in the house A vent in the midst of the palace. Baal opens a gap in the clouds Baal releases his sacred voice. Baal pronounces the matter of his lips His sacred voice, the earth quakes The high places of the Earth tremble. […] Baal's enemies retreat to the woods The haters of Haddu to the mountain sides. And Mightiest Baal declares: O Foes of Haddu, why do you tremble? Why tremble, O Arms-bearers of the Warrior? Baal surveys the East; Indeed, his hand trembles With a cedar in his right hand. So Baal is seated in his house: Will either king or commoner Establish a dominion land? So I will send an emissary to Divine Mot A messenger to El's Beloved, the Hero That he may summon Mot with his voice Instruct the Beloved with his insides.
Psalm 114:7
Hebrew Bible
1 When Israel left Egypt, when the family of Jacob left a foreign nation behind, 2 Judah became his sanctuary, Israel his kingdom. 3 The sea looked and fled; the Jordan River turned back. 4 The mountains skipped like rams, the hills like lambs. 5 Why do you flee, O sea? Why do you turn back, O Jordan River? 6 Why do you skip like rams, O mountains, like lambs, O hills? 7 Tremble, O earth, before the Lord—before the God of Jacob, 8 who turned a rock into a pool of water, a hard rock into springs of water.
Search:
Notes and References
“... By extension, deities’ sanctuaries and their dwellings on mountains partake of holiness. So Baal’s mountain, Mount Sapan, is called “holy” (KTU 1.3 III 30; 1.16 I 7) as well as “divine” (KTU 1.3 III 29). So, too, Yahweh’s dwelling-place is called the “holy mountain” (har qodesh; Psalm 48:2) and “the holy dwelling-place of the Most High” (qedosh mishkene ‘elyon; Psalm 46:5). Divine holiness, as experienced and expressed in cult, is associated with shaking, whether of places of theophany (KTU 1.4 VII; Psalm 114) or people who experience it (KTU 1.4 VII; Isaiah 6:4). ...”
* 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.
Your Feedback:
Leave a Comment
Anonymous comments are welcome. All comments are subject to moderation.
User Comments
,