“... Yhwh has chosen Israel to be for Him a עם סגלה. The word סגלה occurs only eight times in the Old Testament, six of which refer to the people of Israel (Exod. 19:5; Deut. 7:6; 14:2; 26:18; Ps. 135:4; Mal. 3:17). The other two texts make clear that the word denotes possessions. [...] In a metaphorical sense, סגלה, “personal, precious property”, is applied to the people of Israel. In Deut. 7:6, the element of personal property is evident from the words להיות לו (cf. Ps. 135:4, where לסגלתו and לו are paralleled). [...] The metaphorical meaning of סגלה also occurs in Ugarit and Mesopotamia. In Ugarit, the word sglt is used in a letter from the Hittite king to the king of Ugarit (ktu 2.39). The Hittite king, Suppiluliuma ii (1205–1175 b.c.), blames his vassal Ammurapi (1205–1175 b.c.) that he has not come to him for two years now, as was prescribed in earlier treaties, and that he has failed to fulfill certain obligations. [...] The lines that contain the word sglt, however, are fairly clear. 7 k . ʿ[bdm . ]sglth . hw 7 for he [the king of Ugarit] is a servant [of the Hittite king], his personal property 12 ʿb[d]m. sglth . at 12 a servant, his personal property you are ...”