Texts in Conversation
Leviticus shares Ugarit's inclusion of foreign residents in the community's forgiveness ritual, showing that removal of guilt concerns everyone living among the people.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
KTU 1.40:18
Cuneiform Texts from Ugarit
Ancient Near East
[…] [and the well-being of the stranger within the walls of Ugarit, and the well-being of] […], and the well-being of […]: whether you have sinned, [or by the word of the Qatian,] or by the word of the Dadmian, or by the word of the [Hurrian], or by the word of the Hittite, or by the word of the [Alashian], [or by the word of] […], or by the word of […], or by the word of […], or by the word of […], whether you have sinned in your anger, or in your impatience, [or in] […] […], whether you have sinned regarding the sacrifices or regarding the gift offering, the sacrifice [we make].
Leviticus 16:29
Hebrew Bible
27 The bull of the sin offering and the goat of the sin offering, whose blood was brought to make atonement in the Holy Place, must be brought outside the camp and their hide, their flesh, and their dung must be burned up, 28 and the one who burns them must wash his clothes and bathe his body in water, and afterward he may reenter the camp. 29 “This is to be a perpetual statute for you. In the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you must humble yourselves and do no work of any kind, both the native citizen and the resident foreigner who lives in your midst, 30 for on this day atonement is to be made for you to cleanse you from all your sins; you must be clean before the Lord.
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Notes and References
“... As in the
Ugaritic
text the expiation of sins in Leviticus applies to the
Israelites as well as to the alien residents (Lev. 16:29). Another text
that is pertinent to the Ugaritic ceremony is Numbers 15:22-26
where after an expiation offering brought on behalf of the people
(vv. 24-25) we read: “The whole Israelite community and the
foreigner residing among them shall be forgiven”. ...”
Weinfeld, Moshe
Social Justice in Ancient Israel and in the Ancient Near East
(p. 212) Fortress Press, 1995
* 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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