Canonical Compositions (West Semitic) 1.104-105 357 VERSO Left Right (12-) [ ] [ ] (13-) [ the divine3 cAmmittamru4 (14') [ the divine Ni]qmepac OS") [ the divine cAmmu<ra>pP (16') [ 2 ] the divine DIbiranu (HO [ ] the divine Yacduraddu OS') [ ] the divine Niqmepac (19') [ ]rp] the divine DIbiranu (20-) [ ]d[ the divine cAmmurapi:> (21') [the divine Niq]mepac* [the divine] Niqmepac (22) [the divine cAmmi]ttamru the divine DIbira[nu] (230 [ ] the divine Niqmepac (24-) [ ] the divine 'Ibiranu (25 0 [ ] the divine Niqmaddu (26') [ ]Tql the divine Yaqaru 2 From line 16 to line 19 there is a double vertical line between the columns. 3 Lewis suggests that "it is safe to say that, upon death, a ruler was not deified in the full sense of becoming one of the gods who made up the Ug. pantheon ... upon death a ruler was grouped with his deceased ancestors and was referred to as an ilu. These Hit's were not worshipped in the same way that El or Baal were and we find no elaborate cult attempting to make them into high gods ... former rulers are singled out and 'honored' much in the same way as they were in life (compare the proper burial accorded to Jezebel in 2 Kings 9:34 'because she was a king's daughter')" (1989:49-51). 4 For a recent discussion of the identification of each king in the list see Aboud 1994:11-26, 40. REFERENCES KTU2:128-129; WAT 1985 1:496-497; Aboud 1994:3-4; Kitchen 1977; Lewis 1989:47-52; del Olmo Lete 1986a; Pardee 1988a: 165-178; 1996; Schmidt 1994:67-71; de Tarragon 1980; Virolleaud 1968; Wilson 1977; Xella 1981. 3. REPHADIM TEXTS THE PATRONS OF THE UGARITIC DYNASTY (KTU 1.161) (1.105) Baruch A. Levine, Jean-Michel de Tarragon, Anne Robertson KTU 1.161 is a canonical liturgy, commemorating the accession of the last king of Ugarit, Ammurapi (III), and his queen, Tharyelli. It was first published by Caquot (1975), working only from a cast of the uncleaned tablet. Subse- quently, six photographs appeared in Ugaritica 7, plates VII-IX. Bordeuil and Pardee (1982) prepared a new edition of KTU 1.161 based, for the first time, on a careful exanination of the tablet in Aleppo. It is this version that serves as the basis for the translation presented here. INTRODUCTION: The Title (line l) a Num 14:9; The Invitation to the Rephaim (lines 2-10) 1 Jer 48:45; 3 The written record of the sacred celebration [in Ps 121:5-6; You have summoned the Rephaim* of the nether- 2 4 honor] of the Patrons:" Lam 4:20 world; ilsa 14:9; 26:14; Ps 88:11 1 Ug. dbh, like Heb. zebah, may designate a sacred celebration of many parts. Cf. KTU 1.148:1: dbh spn "the sacred celebration in honor of Saphan." See Exod 12:27; 1 Sam 9:12; 20:29; 2 Kgs 10:19. 2 Ug. zlm, written with the variant -z-, instead of the usual Sade. Pitard 1978 was the first to translate zlm "protectors," an interpretation that yielded "Patrons." Thus, the Israelites are told that the Canaanites can be defeated, because "their protector (sillam) has departed from them, but YHWH remains with us" (Num 14:9b). Similar meanings occur in Akk. (CAD S 189, s.v. sillu, meaning 5). In Aram., the cognate til "shadow," also connotes "protection" (Greenfield-Porten 1982:30, 61, Word List, s.v. tit). Thus, "shade" from the scorching sun became a metaphor for the shelter and protection provided by gods and kings. On the same basis, the long departed ancestors of the Ug. kings were their "Patrons," the guarantors of kingship and succession. 3 The given translation follows Caquot 1975, and Pope 1977:177 in taking the form qritm as a perfect, second person plural "You have sum- moned," whereas Pitard 1978 takes it as a perfect, first person singular "I have summoned," with enclitic mem. The same of uncertainty remains as to the precise form represented by qbitm "You have commanded." The verb qba is cognate with Akk. qabu "to speak, command" (CAD Q, 34, s.v. qabu, meaning 4). 4 The translation "the Rephaim of the netherworld" for Ug. rpi ars, takes the singular, oblique form, rpi, as a collective. The nominative 358 The Context of Scripture, I You have commanded the the Council of the c Gen 37:35 After your lord, to the netherworld descend!0 Didanites!5 To the netherworld descend; Summon ULKN, Raph[a! And go down low into the earth. Summon TRMN, Raph[a! d 1 Sara25:6; Below is SDN-w-RDN;12 6 1 Kgs 2:33; Summon SDN-w-RDN, [Rapha!] Isa 57:19; Below is TR-KLLMN; Summon TR-CLLMN, [Rapha!] 1 Chr 12:19 Below are the the most ancient Rephaim. [All] summon the most ancient Rephaim! Below is Ammishtamru, the King; You have summoned the Rephaim of the nether- Below is Niqmaddu, the King, as well. world! You have commanded the Council of the Didanites! Sacrifices in Honor of the New King (lines 27-30) Once — offer a benefaction.13 The Invitation to Departed Kings (lines 11-12) A second time — offer a benefaction. Summon Ammishtramru, the King! A third time — offer a benefaction. Summon, as well, Niqmaddu, the King!7 A fourth time — offer a benefaction. A fifth time — offer a benefaction. The Lamentation (lines 13-17) A sixth time — offer a benefaction. 0, throne of Niqmaddu — weep! A seventh time — offer a benefaction. Let his footstool shed tears! You shall present a bird. It front of it8 — let the royal table weep; Let it swallow its tears. Blessings (lines 31-34) Tears, and [more] tears; many tears!9 Hail!'' Hail, Ammurapi! Shapash is Sent to Locate the Departed Kings in the And hail to his household!14 Netherworld (lines 18-26), Hail, [Tha]ryelli!15 Shine bright,10 0 Shapash! Hail to her household! Shine bright, 0 great luminary! Hail, Ugarit! On high Shapash cries out: Hail to her gates! After your lord, from the throne;11 singular form is rpu, here taken to be in the accusative, rp[d\. Kings and heroes buried in the earth were eventually beatified. For a discussion of this theme at Ugarit and in biblical literature see de Moor 1976; Pope 1977; Levine and de Tarrgon 1984. 5 Ug. qbs ddn "the council of the Didanites" parallels plir qbs dtn "the assembled council of the Ditanites" in the Keret epic (KTU 1.15, iii 4,15). Both entities are associated with the Rephaim. The word Didanu, also written Ditanu and Tidanufm), refers to a tribe, or large group, perhaps composed of Amorites or neighbors of the Amorites, who inhabited Northeastern Syria in earlier times. To judge from our text and from the Keret epic, the Ugaritians traced their origins to the Didanum people, and thus desired the presence of the Council of Didanites at the accession of their kings. Levine-de Tarragon 1984:654-656; Buccellati 1966:243ff; and Astour 1973. 6 The identities of the divine, dead kings, ULKN, TRMN, SDN-w-RDN, and TR-CLLMN are unknown, except that they are numbered among the Rephaim. 7 Reference is to Niqmaddu III, the father of Ammurapi III, the last king of Ugarit. In the Ug. king list, Niqmaddu III was immediately preceded by a certain Ibiranu, not by Ammistamru II, the king named in the present text. It is likely that our text is summoning only the major kings of the Ug. dynasty to the coronation of Ammurapi III. Another possibility is that Ibiranu and Niqmaddu III were brothers, or co-regents. Kitchen 1977; Healey 1978. 8 Ug. Ipnh could alternatively be taken to mean "in front of him," namely, in front of Niqmaddu, himself. 9 Ug. cdmt may represent a metathesis of drift "tears," resonating the prothetic form udmct "tears" in the previous line. Others have derived it from a cognate of Arabic cadima "to be lacking, without vegetation," hence: "desolation" Lane 1874 Book 1/5:1975-1976. 10 Ug. isffn is to be read is$ahfnt"be warming, bright", an N-stem imperative, fem. sing., addressed to the goddess Shapash. Akk. attests a cognate sahanu "to become warm, to warm — the earth" {CAD S 1:78, s.v. sahanu). " The Ug. text reads / ksh, a scribal error, to be corrected to / ksi "from the throne." 12 Ug. tht is taken as a cognate of Heb. tahat "below, underneath." 13 Ug. ?cy "offer a benefaction" is a verbal form, denominative of fc a type of sacrificial offering, listed in KTU 1.39, line 1. The sense of "benefaction" derives from the epithet /c "noble, gracious" as in krt £c "Keret, the noble" in KTU 1.14, IV, 37, a cognate of Heb. soca "a generous, noble person" (Job 30:24). A noble person offers a benefaction, just as, in Heb. usage, the nadib "generous, noble person," offers a sacrifice called nedabah "free-will offering" (Isa 32:5). In form, lcy may be read as a D-stem, plural imperative, ta"ay«, or as an infinitive absolute, taccayu, with essentially the same meaning. 14 The text actually reads ba(!)h, corrected with considerable certainty to bth "his household." 15 The name Tharyelli, Ug. [t]ryl ,is partially restored, but fairly certain. It is clearly written and complete in KTU 2.14, line 8, an official letter. One would expect it to be the name of Ammurapi's queen. It occurs as the name of a donor of a stele to Dagan in KTU 6.13, restored \t\ryl, as here, and this name has been equated with Akk.