Texts in Conversation
Psalm 2 shares Baal's defense of his mountain against enemies in the Baal Cycle, treating the nations' challenge to Israel's king as opposition to the divine ruler who appointed him.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
KTU 1.6 VI:12
Cuneiform Texts from Ugarit
Ancient Near East
Divine Mot ate his seven divine assistants. Divine Mot cried: “Look! It is my brothers whom Baal has given me for my meal, my mother’s sons for my consumption!” He returned to Baal in the recesses of Sapan. He lifted up his voice and cried: “It is my brothers you have given me, Baal, for my meal, my mother’s sons for my consumption!” They glowered at each other like burning coals. Mot was strong; Baal was strong. They gored like wild bulls. Mot was strong; Baal was strong. They bit like serpents. Mot was strong; Baal was strong. They tugged like hunting-dogs. Mot fell. Baal fell on top of him. Shapshu cried to Mot: “Listen, pray, O divine Mot! How can you fight with Valiant Baal?
Psalm 2:6
Hebrew Bible
1 Why do the nations rebel? Why are the countries devising plots that will fail? 2 The kings of the earth form a united front; the rulers collaborate against the Lord and his anointed king. 3 They say, “Let’s tear off the shackles they’ve put on us. Let’s free ourselves from their ropes.” 4 The one enthroned in heaven laughs in disgust; the Lord taunts them. 5 Then he angrily speaks to them and terrifies them in his rage, saying, 6 “I myself have installed my king on Zion, my holy hill.” 7 The king says, “I will announce the Lord’s decree. He said to me: ‘You are my son. This very day I have become your father. 8 Ask me, and I will give you the nations as your inheritance, the ends of the earth as your personal property.
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Notes and References
“... There are many parallels between this Ugaritic passage and a variety of
biblical texts.425 First, the divine battle takes place at the mountain of the
deity, a motif found in Psalms 2:1-2; 48:5-8; 110; Joel 4:9-14; Zechariah
12:3-4; 14:2; and elsewhere. In Ugaritic, this motif is not restricted to Anat.
Baal also fights his enemies on his mountain (KTU 1.6 VI 12-13; cf. 1.1 V 5,
18). Second, the battle is universal in scope; “peoples” are collectively the
enemies of the deity. Many of the biblical passages just cited likewise contain
this motif. ...”
Smith, Mark S.
The Early History of God: Yahweh and the Other Deities in Ancient Israel
(p. PDF 115) William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2002
* 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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