Texts in Conversation
In Ezekiel 26, Tyre's descent into death recalls Baal's fall in the Baal Cycle but removes the hope of return, making the city's judgment final.
Share:
2500 BCE
1000+ CE
KTU 1.5 VI:9
Cuneiform Texts from Ugarit
Ancient Near East
They lifted up their voices and cried: We travelled to the ends of the earth, to the edge of the abyss; we came to Paradise the land of pasture, to Delight, the steppe by the shore of death. We came upon Baal fallen to the earth: dead was Valiant Baal, perished was the Prince, Lord of the earth! Then the Wise One, the perceptive god, went down from his throne: he sat on his footstool. And from his footstool he sat on the ground. He poured the ashes of affliction on his head, the dust of grovelling on his skull For clothing he put on a loin-cloth His skin with a stone he scored, his side-locks with a razor; he gashed cheeks and chin.
Ezekiel 26:20
Hebrew Bible
19 “For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: When I make you desolate like the uninhabited cities, when I bring up the deep over you and the surging waters overwhelm you, 20 then I will bring you down to bygone people, to be with those who descend to the Pit. I will make you live in the lower parts of the earth among the primeval ruins, with those who descend to the Pit, so that you will not be inhabited or stand in the land of the living. 21 I will bring terrors on you, and you will be no more! Though you are sought after, you will never be found again, declares the Sovereign Lord.”
Search:
Notes and References
“... rulers of the sea mourn and intone dirges over the island nation upon hear-
ing of Tyre’s demise in Ezek 26:15–18. Such a motif constitutes a reversal
of the normal course of events in the sea combat mythologies of the
ancient Near Eastern world; normally, the protagonist wins the struggle,
the victory is celebrated, and temples to the hero god are built. Here, quite
the opposite takes place as Tyre sinks into the very sea that once formed
the basis of her power. [...] At this point, a new mythological motif enters the
mix, viz., the descent into the Netherworld, well-known from the mytho-
logical patterns of the dying and rising gods, particularly Inanna’s or
Ishtar’s Descent into the Netherworld,20 the Baal Cycle, and possibly the
Legend of Aqhat. [...] Again, the
usual mythological pattern of overcoming death – at least partially – is
absent in Ezekiel 26. Tyre descends to the Pit to become a horror in the
sight of the coastlands and the rulers of the sea, but no hope for Tyre’s
return from the dead emerges. ...”
Sweeney, Marvin A.
Reading Prophetic Books: Form, Intertextuality, and Reception in Prophetic and Post-Biblical Literature
(p. 212) Mohr Siebeck, 2014
* 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
,