Texts in Conversation
The marriage image in Ezekiel 16 may draw on the bride's anointing known from Ugarit, where a letter mentions a princess of Amurru anointed with oil, making God's care for Jerusalem a solemn marriage commitment.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
KTU 2.72:31
Cuneiform Texts from Ugarit
Ancient Near East
With my mother may it be well. [May the gods] guard you and keep you well. Here with me all is well. There with you, whatever is well, send word back to me. Why did you send this soldier? then […] of the king […] […] […] of the king And you send two […] to me, and you break my heart. And the tablet of the daughter of the king of Amurru, when my mother speaks before the city if now […] […] the city, then what I have sent the tablet of the daughter of the king of Amurru. Ybnn went to the king of Amurru and he brought a hundred of gold and […] for the king of Amurru. And he took oil in his horn and poured it on the head of the daughter of the king of Amurru.
Ezekiel 16:9
Hebrew Bible
8 “‘Then I passed by you and watched you, noticing that you had reached the age for love. I spread my cloak over you and covered your nakedness. I swore a solemn oath to you and entered into a marriage covenant with you, declares the Sovereign Lord, and you became mine. 9 “‘Then I bathed you in water, washed the blood off you, and anointed you with fragrant oil. 10 I dressed you in embroidered clothing and put fine leather sandals on your feet. I wrapped you with fine linen and covered you with silk. 11 I adorned you with jewelry. I put bracelets on your hands and a necklace around your neck. 12 I put a ring in your nose, earrings on your ears, and a beautiful crown on your head.
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Notes and References
“... Both in Ugarit and biblical
Israel religious connotations of marriage can be determined, as was
the case in Mesopotamia (in contrast to Egypt). [...] Anoint-
ment of a bride, performed as a religious rite of purification in the an-
cient Near East, seems to have occurred in biblical Israel, too (Ezek.
16:8-12). Wedding partners, furthermore, could take an oath in the
name of YHWH (Ezek. 16:8; Mai. 2:14; Prov. 2:17; Ruth 3:13). [...] A reference to marriage as a religious institution may also be found
in the non-literary text KTU 2.72:29-32. This letter mentions a daugh-
ter of the king of Amurru who was anointed with oil. ...”
Marsman, Hennie J.
Women in Ugarit and Israel: Their Social and Religious Position in the Context of the Ancient Near East
(p. PDF 716, 718) Brill, 2003
* 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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