The Evil Inclination is like Amalek

The Evil Inclination is like Amalek

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Psalm 31: My Bones Waste Away

Psalm 31: My Bones Waste Away

By A. D. Wayman

Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am in distress; my eye wastes away from grief, my soul and body also. For my life is spent with sorrow, and my years with sighing; my strength fails because of my misery, and my bones waste away. I am the scorn of all my adversaries, a horror to my neighbors, an object of dread to my acquaintances; those who see me in the street flee from me. I have passed out of mind like one who is dead; I have become like a broken vessel. (Psa 31:9-12)

In the Psalm discussed we see that it can be broken into three distinct sections. The first section tells of a life threatening disease that has overcome the writer and we can deduct that he may be near death. The second section tells how he is abandoned by all his friends and his enemies are telling lies about the writer. Lastly we see in verses 20-25 a prayer of thanksgiving which are commonly found when reading the Psalms.1

In comparing this text to other literature of the ancient Near East we come to perhaps the most commonly used, the “Prayer of Lamentation to Ishtar”. This fits properly into context with this Psalm and the reader of this essay is encouraged to read this text in full to understand the many similarities to this Psalm and others. Below is possibly the most relevant verses of the prayer in comparison to the discussed Psalm.

See me O my Lady, accept my prayers.
Faithfully look upon me and hear my supplication.
Promise my forgiveness and let thy spirit be appeased.
Pity! For my wretched body which is full of confusion and trouble.
Pity! For my sickened heart which is full of tears and suffering.
Pity! For my wretched intestines (which are full of) confusion and trouble.

Pity! For my afflicted house which mourns bitterly.
Pity! For my feelings which are satiated with tears and suffering.
O exalted Irnini, fierce lion, let thy heart be at rest.
O angry wild ox, let thy spirit be appeased.

Let the favor of thine eyes be upon me.
With thy bright features look faithfully upon me.
Drive away the evil spells of my body (and) let me see thy bright light.

How long, O my Lady, shall my adversaries be looking upon me,
In lying and untruth shall they plan evil against me,

Shall my pursuers and those who exult over me rage against me?
How long, O my Lady, shall the crippled and weak seek me out?
One has made for me long sackcloth; thus I have appeared before thee.

The weak have become strong; but I am weak.
I toss about like flood-water, which an evil wind makes violent.
My heart is flying; it keeps fluttering like a bird of heaven.
I mourn like a dove night and day.

I am beaten down, and so I weep bitterly.
With “Oh” and “Alas” my spirit is distressed.
I - what have I done, O my god and my goddess?
Like one who does not fear my god and my goddess I am treated;
While sickness, headache, loss, and destruction are provided for me;2

Another text that may be relevant to Psalm 31 comes to us from the East in the Rig Veda Book 8 “Hymn 18 to Aditya.”. Here the writer asks favors from the deity and in this case deities, for some of the same issues.

Now let the mortal offer prayer to win the unexampled grace
Of these Adityas and their aid to cherish life.
For not an enemy molests the paths which these Adityas tread:
Infallible guards, they strengthen us in happiness.
Now soon may Bhaga, Savitar, Varuna, Mitra, Aryaman
Give us the shelter widely spread which we implore.
With Gods come thou whose fostering care none checks, O Goddesss Aditi:
Come, dear to many, with the Lords who guard us well.
For well these Sons of Aditi know to keep enmities aloof,
Unrivalled, giving ample room, they save from woe.
Aditi guard our herd by day, Aditi, free from guile, by night,
Aditi, ever strengthening, save us from grief!
And in the day our hymn is this: May Aditi come nigh to help,
With loving-kindness bring us weal and chase our foes.
And may the Asvins, the divine Pair of Physicians, send us health:
May they remove iniquity and chase our foes.
May Agni bless us with his fires, and Surya warm us pleasantly:
May the pure Wind breathe sweet on us, and chase our foes.
Drive ye disease and strife away, drive ye away malignity:

Adityas, keep us ever far from sore distress.
Remove from us the arrow, keep famine, Adityas! far away:
Keep enmities afar from us, Lords of all wealth!
Now, O Adityas, grant to us the shelter that lets man go free,

Yea, even the sinner from his sin, ye Bounteous Gods
Whatever mortal with the powe r of demons fain would injure us,
May he, impetuous, suffer harm by his own deeds.
May sin o’ertake our human foe, the man who speaketh evil thing,
Him who would cause our misery, whose heart is false.
Gods, ye are with the simple ones, ye know each mortal in your hearts;
Ye, Vasus, well discriminate the false and true.
Fain would we have the sheltering aid of mountains and of water-floods:
Keep far from us iniquity, O Heaven and Earth.
So with auspicious sheltering aid do ye, O Vasus, carry us
Beyond all trouble and distress, borne in your ship.
Adityas, ye Most Mighty Ones, grant to our children and their seed
Extended term of life that they may live long days.
Sacrifice, O Adityas, is your inward monitor: be kind,
For in the bond of kindred we are bound to you.
The Maruts’ high protecting aid, the Asvins, and the God who saves,
Mitra and Varuna for weal we supplicate.
Grant us a home with triple guard, Aryaman, Mitra, Varuna!
Unthreatened, Maruts! meet for praise, and filled with men.
And as we human beings, O Adityas, are akin to death,
Graciously lengthen ye our lives that we may live.3

In the above hymn, written beautifully by a writer possibly from the same time period as the Psalm, we can see that the writer was concerned with the same themes; concerns about heath, protection from evil doers, death, and verses of thanksgiving. Next we come to an interesting text from the Uargit.

The Epic of Kret, interestingly follows the story of the Iliad and may possibly be the bridge between the Iliad and the early Hebrew stories of Abraham and Sarah. In the epic Kret’s wife, who was to merry him, is taken by another king. Kret, in turn, pleads to the head of the Canaanite pantheon god El for justice. El, in his divine mercy, has compassion and tells Kret that he must follow certain rites and sacrifices and then lay siege to the city. Kret follows the god El’s instructions; the wife is given to him and all the promises that El made to Kret are fulfilled. He has seven sons and one daughter.

Kret however, fails to honor the goddess Asherah, wife of El. The goddess in a fit of rage causes a sickness to fall on Kret. His children weep for him and his daughter tries to cure him without success. It is after much drama, and pleading that El has once again compassion. After all mortal healing attempts are exhausted El; after holding council among the gods, after no god steps forward to help, heals and restores Kert to kingship.4 Below is the lamentation of Kret’s daughter, Octivia, and the reply of El the compassionate.

Will the Kind One’s offspring not live on?
Baal’s mountain, father, will weep for you,
Zaphon, the holy stronghold,
the holy stronghold will lament,
the stronghold wide and broad:

‘Is not Kirta El’s son,
an offspring of the Kind and Holy One?’ “
Baal’s rain for the earth,
and the rain of the Most High for the fields;
for Baal’s rain benefits the earth,
and the rain of the Most High the fields,
benefits the wheat in the furrow,
the spelt in the tilled ground. . . .
The plowmen lifted their heads,
the sowers of grain their backs:
gone was the food from their bins,
gone was the wine from their skins,
gone was the oil from their vats.

“El has heard your speech:
look-you are wise, like El,

like the Bull, the Kind One;
call to Ilisha, the carpenter god,
Ilisha, the carpenter of Baal’s house,
and his wives, the carpenter goddesses. . . .”

He called to Ilisha, the carpenter god,
Ilisha, the carpenter of Baal’s house,
and his wives, the carpenter goddesses.
And El the Kind, the Compassionate, replied:
“Listen, Ilisha, carpenter god,

Ilisha, the carpenter of Baal’s house,
and your wives, the carpenter goddesses:
go up to the height of the building. . . .”

And El the Kind, the Compassionate, replied:
Who among the gods can expel the sickness,
drive out the disease?”
But none of the gods answered him.

He spoke a second, then a third time:
“Who among the gods can expel the sickness,
drive out the disease?”
But none of the gods answered him. .

He spoke a fourth, then a fifth time:
Who among the gods can expel the sickness,
drive out the disease?”
But none of the gods answered him.

He spoke a sixth, then a seventh time:
“Who among the gods can expel the sickness,
drive out the disease?”
But none of the gods answered him.

Then El the Kind, the Compassionate, replied:
My sons, sit down upon your thrones,
upon your princely seats.
I will work magic,
I will bring relief:
I will expel the sickness,
I will drive out the disease.” 5

The rest of the text tells how Kert is restored to power. In passing the story of Abraham’s promise, taking of Sarah by the kings, heavenly council convening, and Psalm 82 all may be relevant for discussion when researching the above text. However, such topics may be better dealt with at grater length in another essay. focusing again on Psalm 31 we can see the common themes presented here and how the different writes used lamentation to provoke the god to act on their behalf.

1. Dahood, Mitchell. The Anchor Bible: Psalms 1-50. Doubleday & Company, Inc. Garden City, New York 1968.

2. Pritchard, James. Ancient Near Eastern Texts Relating to the Old Testament. “Prayer of Lamentation to Ishtar” Princeton University Press, Princeton, New York 1950. pg. 384. Also online at http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/humm/Resources/Ane/lamIshtr.html

3. Griffith, Ralph T.H. The Rig Veda Book 8 Hymn 18 http://www.sacred-texts.com/hin/rigveda/rv08018.htm

4. Gordon, Cyrus H. Ugarit and Minoan Crete: The Bearing of Their Texts on the Origins of Western Culture. New York: Norton, 1966. pg 100-101.

5. Coogan, Michael David. Stories from Ancient Canaan. The Westminster Press. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 1978. p. 71-72

 

This essay was written by the creator of religionthink.com

 

Psalm 30: O Yahweh, You Lifted me From Sheol

Psalm 30: O Yahweh, You Lifted me From Sheol

By A. D. Wayman

מזמור שׁיר־חנכת הבית לדוד׃

ארוממך יהוה כי דליתני ולא־שׂמחת איבי לי׃

יהוה אלהי שׁועתי אליך ותרפאני׃

יהוה העלית מן־שׁאול נפשׁי חייתני מיורדי־בור׃

זמרו ליהוה חסידיו והודו לזכר קדשׁו׃

כי רגע באפו חיים ברצונו בערב ילין בכי ולבקר רנה׃

ואני אמרתי בשׁלוי בל־אמוט לעולם׃

יהוה ברצונך העמדתה להררי עז הסתרת פניך הייתי נבהל׃

אליך יהוה אקרא ואל־אדני אתחנן׃

מה־בצע בדמי ברדתי אל־שׁחת היודך עפר היגיד אמתך׃

שׁמע־יהוה וחנני יהוה היה־עזר לי׃

הפכת מספדי למחול לי פתחת שׂקי ותאזרני שׂמחה׃

למען יזמרך כבוד ולא ידם יהוה אלהי לעולם אודך׃

The Hebrew text it’s self is given here do to translation issues. It is interesting that some translations leave out the heading of the Psalms while others include it. Still some use the wording of Yhovah 1 while others YHWH. Such terms are loaded with symbolism, along with preconceived notions about the theology of the wording with interpretations all derived from a belief system or underlying denominational motive. For the sake of avoiding confusion the translation in English is given from The Scriptures. 1998 version compiled by the Institute for Scripture Research (ISR).2

I exalt You, O יהוה, for You have drawn me up, And have not let my enemies rejoice over me. (2) יהוה my Elohim, I have cried to You, And You have healed me. (3) יהוה, You brought me up from the grave; You have kept me alive, from going down into the pit. (4) Sing praise to יהוה, You kind ones of His, And give thanks at the remembrance of His Set-apartness. (5) For His displeasure is for a moment, His delight is for life; Weeping might last for the night, But joy comes in the morning. (6) As for me, I have said in my ease, “Never would I be shaken!” (7) יהוה, in Your good pleasure You have made my mountain to stand strong; You hid Your face, and I was troubled. ( I cried out to You, O יהוה ; And to יהוה I prayed: (9) “What gain is there in my blood, When I go down to the pit? Would dust praise You? Would it declare Your truth? (10) “Hear, O יהוה, and show me favour; יהוה, be my helper!” (11) You have turned my mourning into dancing for me; You have torn off my sackcloth and girded me with gladness, (12) So that esteem might praise You and not be silent. O יהוה my Elohim, I thank You forever. Psa 30:1-12.

As we can see above even this translation leaves off the title of the Psalm, which we may find elsewhere:

A Mizmor / a song of David for the dedication of the temple /. 3

Moving along without other distractions we can view from the texts that the write has been spared from death and death in this Psalm is viewed as punishment. While it may be appropriate to bring the mind the text of Job, and his dealings with Yahweh on the issue it may server better to view across the cultural landscape of mythology to broaden our views of such literature. We will now look to other texts that view death in such a way from the East and Ancient Near East to see what role this motif has played. We will first look to the Rig Veda, then to a Sumerian text for comparisons. As we see the similarities, one will note how the same metaphors played the same roles for both the Hebrews and their neighbors.

Turning to the Rig Veda, already in volume one we come to a text suited almost perfect to Psalm 30. In Hymn 25 to Verna we read the following:

1 WHATEVER law of thine, O God, O Varuna, as we are men,
Day after day we violate.
2 give us not as a prey to death, to be destroyed by thee in wrath,
To thy fierce anger when displeased.
3 To gain thy mercy, Varuna, with hymns we bind thy heart, as binds
The charioteer his tethered horse.
4 They flee from me dispirited, bent only on obtaining wealths
As to their nests the birds of air.
5 When shall we bring, to be appeased, the Hero, Lord of warrior might,
Him, the far-seeing Varuna?
6 This, this with joy they both accept in common: never do they fail
The ever-faithful worshipper.
7 He knows the path of birds that fly through heaven, and, Sovran of the sea,
He knows the ships that are thereon.
8 True to his holy law, he knows the twelve moons with their progeny:
He knows the moon of later birth.
9 He knows the pathway of the wind, the spreading, high, and mighty wind:
He knows the Gods who dwell above.
10 Varuna, true to holy law, sits down among his people; he,
Most wise, sits there to govern all.
11 From thence percerving he beholds all wondrous things, both what hath been,
And what hereafter will be done.
12 May that Aditya, very wise, make fair paths for us all our days:
May he prolong our lives for us.
13 Varuna, wearing golden mail, hath clad him in a shining robe.
His spies are seated found about.
14 The God whom enemies threaten not, nor those who tyrannize o’er men,
Nor those whose minds are bent on wrong.
15 He who gives glory to mankind, not glory that is incomplete,
To our own bodies giving it.
16 Yearning for the wide-seeing One, my thoughts move onward unto him,
As kine unto their pastures move.
17 Once more together let us speak, because my meath is brought: priest-like
Thou eatest what is dear to thee.
18 Now saw I him whom all may see, I saw his car above the earth:
He hath accepted these my songs.
19 Varuna, hear this call of mine: be gracious unto us this day
Longing for help I cried to thee.
20 Thou, O wise God, art Lord of all, thou art the King of earth and heaven
Hear, as thou goest on thy way.
21 Release us from the upper bond, untie the bond between, and loose
The bonds below, that I may live..4

Taking note of verse two of this Hymn we can readily see the motif of death playing the functions discussed earlier. Death here is seen as a punishment dealt out by Verna, god of the Sky. 5 Turning now to the Ancient Near East we come to the text of Lugalbanda in the Mountain Cave. Here Lugalbanda is stricken with a fever and being unconscious for some time was feared dead and was taken to a cave. Below we read a portion of the text and the response of the deities. And so lugalbanda is saved from the brink of death by the gods.

“Utu, I greet you! Let me be ill no longer! Hero, Ningal’s son, I greet you! Let me be ill no longer! Utu, you have let me come up into the mountains in the company of my brothers. In the mountain cave, the most dreadful spot on earth, let me be ill no longer! Here where there is no mother, there is no father, there is no acquaintance, no one whom I value, my mother is not here to say “Alas, my child!” My brother is not here to say “Alas, my brother!” My mother’s neighbor who enters our house is not here to weep over me. If the male and female protective deities were standing by, the deity of neighbourliness would say, “A man should not perish”. A lost dog is bad; a lost man is terrible. On the unknown way at the edge of the mountains, Utu, is a lost man, a man in an even more terrible situation. Don’t make me flow away like water in a violent death! Don’t make me eat saltpetre as if it were barley! Don’t make me fall like a throwstick somewhere in the desert unknown to me! Afflicted with a name which excites my brothers’ scorn, let me be ill no longer! Afflicted with the derision of my comrades, let me be ill no longer! Let me not come to an end in the mountains like a weakling!”

Utu accepted his tears. He sent down his divine encouragement to him in the mountain cave.

She who makes …… for the poor, whose game (i.e. battle) is sweet, the prostitute who goes out to the inn, who makes the bedchamber delightful, who is food to the poor man — Inana (i.e. the evening star), the daughter of Suen, arose before him like a bull in the Land. Her brilliance, like that of holy Cara, her stellar brightness illuminated for him the mountain cave. When he lifted his eyes upwards to Inana, he wept as if before his own father. In the mountain cave he raised to her his fair hands:

“Inana, if only this were my home, if only this were my city! If only this were Kulaba, the city in which my mother bore me ……! Even if it were to me as the waste land to a snake! If it were to me as a crack in the ground to a scorpion! My mighty people ……! My great ladies ……! …… to E-ana!”
2 lines unclear
“The little stones of it, the shining stones in their glory, sajkal stones above, …… below, from its crying out in the mountain land Zabu, from its voice …… open — may my limbs not perish in the mountains of the cypresses!”

Inana accepted his tears. With power of life she let him go to sleep just like the sleeping Utu. Inana enveloped him with heart’s joy as if with a woollen garment. Then, just as if ……, she went to brick-built Kulaba.

The bull that eats up the black soup, the astral holy bull-calf (i.e. the moon), came to watch over him. He shines (?) in the heavens like the morning star, he spreads bright light in the night. Suen, who is greeted as the new moon, father Nanna, gives the direction for the rising Utu. The glorious lord whom the crown befits, Suen, the beloved son of Enlil, the god (1 ms. has instead: the lord) reached the zenith splendidly. His brilliance like holy Cara (1 ms. has instead: Utu) (1 ms. has instead: like lapis lazuli), his starry radiance illuminated for him the mountain cave. When Lugalbanda raised his eyes to heaven to Suen, he wept to him as if to his own father. In the mountain cave he raised to him his fair hands:

“King whom one cannot reach in the distant sky! Suen, whom one cannot reach in the distant sky! King who loves justice, who hates evil! Suen, who loves justice, who hates evil! Justice brings joy justly to your heart. A poplar, a great staff, forms a sceptre for you, you who loosen the bonds of justice, who do not loosen the bonds of evil. If you encounter evil before you, it is dragged away behind ……. When your heart becomes angry, you spit your venom at evil like a snake which drools poison.”

Suen accepted his tears and gave him life. He conferred on his feet the power to stand.

A second time (i.e. at the following sunrise), as the bright bull rising up from the horizon, the bull resting among the cypresses, a shield standing on the ground, watched by the assembly, a shield coming out from the treasury, watched by the young men — the youth Utu extended his holy, shining rays down from heaven (1 ms. from Ur adds: …… holy, his brilliance illuminated for him the mountain cave), he bestowed them on holy Lugalbanda in the mountain cave. His good protective god hovered ahead of him, his good protective goddess walked behind him. The god which had smitten him.6

It the comparisons above are able to get a glimpse of how much of the Hebrew metaphors were used elsewhere. This may also server a a way to view such issues across the culture and even the globe. At times our view of sacred texts are limited and one tends to forget that such written forms of human expression were a part everyday life. An as seen above more then one god showed mercy and compassion on the believer that called out in some form of lamentation and was spared from death.

1. For an explanation on how Jehovah was used see article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jehovah

2. The author tends at times not to agree with the translations of TS98 but the text was used here to show the word usage of YHWEH in the Psalm discussed.

3. ‘The Psalms Project Master Table” http://www.bibal.net/04/proj/proj-pss1.html. Text used is from file: http://www.bibal.net/04/proso/psalms-ii/pdf/dlc_ps030-001-f.pdf

4. English translation by Ralph T.H. Griffith http://www.hinduwebsite.com/sacredscripts/

5. For information on the god Varuna see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Varuna

6. Black, J.A., Cunningham, G., Robson, E., and Zólyomi, G., The Electronic Text Corpus of Sumerian Literature, Oxford 1998

*This essay was written by the author of religionthink.com

Psalm 28: I would become like those who have descended the Pit

Psalm 28: I would become like those who have descended the Pit

To you, O Lord, I call; my rock, do not refuse to hear me, for if you are silent to me, I shall be like those who go down to the Pit. Hear the voice of my supplication, as I cry to you for help, as I lift up my hands toward your most holy sanctuary. Do not drag me away with the wicked, with those who are workers of evil, who speak peace with their neighbors, while mischief is in their hearts. Repay them according to their work, and according to the evil of their deeds; repay them according to the work of their hands; render them their due reward. Because they do not regard the works of the Lord, or the work of his hands, he will break them down and build them up no more. Blessed be the Lord, for he has heard the sound of my pleadings. The Lord is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts; so I am helped, and my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him. The Lord is the strength of his people; he is the saving refuge of his anointed. O save your people, and bless your heritage; be their shepherd, and carry them forever. (Psa 28:1-9 NRSV)

In the mentioned Psalm when read we can come to realize that the text has two distinct parts the first verses 1-5 is a personal lament pleading for Yahweh to deliver from impending death. Verses 6-9 is seen as a prayer of thanksgiving for the recovery from a sickness that may have cause death. Verses 8-9 give the illusion that this possibly was prayed by a king. Some believe that this text could be dated to the Second Temple Period.1

This text takes us back to a much older text like that of Job and of the written hardship there. We find Job sitting in the dung pile scraping his sores with ceramic shards saying almost the same types of themes we account for in the Psalm above. However we will leave this scene, and for a change turn to Eastern texts and see if there are any references to such themes as the ones we read here. One text that comes to light is the text of the Bhagavad-Gita or (the song of God). It is thought by some that the text may have been written between the fifth and second centuries BCE.2

The Bhagavad-Gita is relevant here because of the themes it presents. A warrior is on the battle field and knows he may die in that battle along with many others from both sides and results in a conversation between him and his god, Krishna. Krishna addresses his fears and in an act of divine revelation is able to encourage Arjuna to fight. Below we will compare two themes from this text to the Psalm above to bring to light the relationship in a more defined way.

The author of this essay strongly favors the translation by Juan Mascaro for its beautiful wording. For in the first chapter the text in this translation reads: “On the field of truth, on the battle-field of life, what came to pass, Sanjaya, when my sons and their warriors faced those of my brother Pandu? This translation, written in metaphoric terms places the account, as it should, squarely in our lives today. On the field of truth , on the battle field of life. Just like the first verses of the Psalm above we already have a very real and serious issues occurring from the start.3

Let us now look at some other relationships by searching deeper in the Bhagavad-Gita. Below we read the lament of Arjuna to his God:

Arguna said: Seeing these kinsmen, O Krishna! standing (here) desirous to engage in battle, my limbs droop down; my mouth is quite dried up; a tremor comes on my body; and my hairs stand on end; the Gândîva (bow) slips from my hand; my skin burns intensely. I am unable, too, to stand up; my mind whirls round, as it were; O Kesava! I see adverse omens ; and I do not perceive any good (to accrue) after killing (my) kinsmen in the battle. I do not wish for victory, O Krishna! nor sovereignty, nor pleasures: what is sovereignty to us, O Govinda! what enjoyments, and even life? Even those, for whose sake we desire sovereignty, enjoyments, and pleasures, are standing here for battle, abandoning life and wealth-preceptors, fathers, sons as well as grandfathers, maternal uncles, fathers-in-law, grandsons, brothers-in-law, as also (other) relatives. These I do not wish to kill, though they kill (me), O destroyer of Madhu! even for the sake of sovereignty over the three worlds, how much less then for this earth (alone)? What joy shall be ours, O Ganârdana! after killing Dhritarâshtra’s sons? Killing these felons we shall only incur sin. Therefore it is not proper for us to kill our own kinsmen, the sons of Dhritarâshtra. For how, O Mâdhava! shall we be happy after killing our own relatives? Although having their consciences corrupted by avarice, they do not see the evils flowing from the extinction of a family, and the sin in treachery to friends, still, O Ganârdana! Should not we, who do see the evils flowing from the extinction of a family, learn to refrain from that sin? On the extinction of a family, the eternal rites of families are destroyed. 4

After much debate on the issue and some most beautiful words and understanding given by Krishna and at the end a theophany experience, like the speech of Yahweh from the whirlwind in the text of Job, Arjuna, is most encouraged and offers a hymn of thanksgiving:

You are the supreme Brahman, the supreme goal, the holiest of the holy. All sages, as well as the divine sage Nârada, Asita, Devala, and Vyâsa, call you the eternal being, divine, the first god, the unborn, the all-pervading. And so, too, you tell me yourself, O Kesava! I believe all this that you tell me (to be) true; for, O lord! neither the gods nor demons understand your manifestation.. You only know your self by your self. O best of beings! creator of all things! lord of all things! god of gods! lord of the universe! be pleased to declare without, exception your divine emanations, by which emanations you stand pervading all these worlds. How shall I know you, O you of mystic power! always meditating on you? And in what various entities, O lord! should I meditate on you? Again, O Ganârdana! do you yourself declare your powers and emanations; because hearing this nectar, I (still) feel no satiety. 5

And later in the last chapter of the text we hear Arjuna say:

Destroyed is my delusion; by your favour, O undegraded one! I (now) recollect myself. I stand freed from doubts. I will do your bidding.6

So as we can see that there are common themes that run throughout the texts. Both cry out to the deity for assistance and both lamenters seem to receive and answer from the deity, followed by a thanksgiving confirming the wisdom, protection, and power of the God. In both cases the writers seem helpless and believe they are at an intersection of their lives and as seen both seem to deal with such issues in almost the same way even though they are from two different cultures and belief systems.

1. Dahood, Mitchell. The Anchor Bible: Psalms 1-50. Doubleday & Company, Inc. Garden City, New York 1968.

2. Bhagavad Gita, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhagavad_Gita

3. Mascara, Juan. The Bhagavad Gita. Penguin Classics, New York, NY 1962.

4. Telang, Trimbak Kâshinâth, M. A. The Bhagavadgîtâ with the Sanatsugâtîya and the Anugîtâ Volume 8, The Sacred Books of the East Oxford, The Clarendon Press. 1882. pp.40-42
5. Telang, pp. 87-88
6. Telang, p. 130.

Posted by the author of Religionthink.com

The Terror of the Warriors Was in the Land of the Living: Thoughts on Sheol.

The Terror of the Warriors Was in the Land of the Living: Thoughts on Sheol.

Hell to the Jewish mind is altogether different then the views popular among the evangelical Christians. To obtain a better understanding of this most horrible dimension it is important to note that the Jewish “Tofet” lasts not for eternity as the Christian but after a time some of the condemned are brought to the Gates of Eden. Below we will explore some texts and ideas of the underworld. The first examples are those that may have been influence by Greeks, Romans, and later Christianity. The next will be from earlier texts that have not. What we will find is that no specific doctrine exists amoung Jewish theology.

The most modern view can be found in an essay by Shlomo Yaffe and Yanki Tauber:

“While there are numerous stations in a soul’s journey, these can generally be grouped into four general phases:

i) the wholly spiritual existence of the soul before it enters the body;

ii) physical life;

iii) post-physical life in Gan Eden (the “Garden of Eden,” also called “Heaven” and “Paradise”);

iv) the “World to Come” (Olam HaBa) that follows the resurrection of the dead.”1

The first view we find in the Babyloian Talmud:

“Nay; even Resh Lakish admits that the sinners descend into hell; but our father Abraham, seeing that they are circumcised, rescues them. R. Jeremiah ben Elazar said again. “Hell has three gates: One in the desert, one in the sea, and one in Jerusalem.” “In the desert,” as it is written [Numbers xvi. 33]: “And they went down, they, and all they that appertained to them, alive into the pit (Sheol-Gehenna).” “In the sea,” as it is written [Jonah ii. 3]: “Out of the depth of the grave have I cried, and thou hast heard my voice.” “And one in Jerusalem,” as it is written [Isaiah xxxi. 9]: “Who hath a fire in Zion, and a furnace in Jerusalem.” And the disciples of R. Ishmael taught, that by a fire in Zion is meant Gehenna, and by the furnace in Jerusalem is meant the gate of Gehenna.R. Jehoshua, ben Levi said, that hell has seven names, viz.: Sheol, Abadon, Baar Shachath, Bor Sheon, Tit Hayavon, Tzalmoveth, and Eretz Hathachthith ”2

In short there is said to be three types of transgressions that one would commit to end up in such a dimension. The first one would be the denial of God, second, those who deny the divine authority of the law, and lastly, those who reject the resurrection of the dead. In passing the last, perhaps was to sure up a theological belief. Not all get out for some are consumed eventually altogether. 3

The second, found in the book of Enoch, another description is told:

“I saw the spirits of the children of men who were dead, and their voice went forth to heaven and made suit. Then I asked Raphael the angel who was with me, and I said unto him: ‘This spirit–whose is it whose voice goeth forth and maketh suit?’ Then I asked regarding it, and regarding all the hollow places: ‘Why as one separated from the other?’. And he answered me and said unto me: ‘These three have been made that the spirits of the dead might be separated. And such a division has been made for the spirits of the righteous, in which there as the bright spring of water. And such has been made for sinners when they die and are buried in the earth and judgment has not been executed on them in their lifetime. Here their spirits shall be set apart in this great pain till the great day of judgment and punishment and torment of those who curse for ever, and retribution for their spirits. There He shall bind them for ever. And such a division has been made for the spirits of those who make their suit, who make disclosures concerning their destruction, when they were slain in the days of the sinners. Such has been made for the spirits of men who were not righteous but sinners, who were complete in transgression, and of the transgressors. they shall be companions: but their spirits shall not be slain in the day of judgment nor shall they be raised from thence. Then I blessed the Lord of glory and said: ‘Blessed be my Lord, the Lord of righteousness, who ruleth for ever.”4

A third example come to us from Rabbi Joshua son of Levi. Rabbi Joshua contributed to such views. In a vision, after he was denied by one angel, he found a second angel could not go either. After much hardship he was finally able to observe hell and its different parts.

“He saw compartments ten miles in length and five in width and they were full of mountains of fire and consuming the sinners. And in one compartment he saw ten nations from the heathens, and Absalom, the son of David presides over them…”5

After reading such accounts it would be interesting to note the influences these writings had on Dante.

A different kind of hell was to those of the past. Although it is clear that there is destruction in the grave but is not with great detail.

“This is the portion of the wicked with God, and the heritage that oppressors receive from the Almighty: If their children are multiplied, it is for the sword; and their offspring have not enough to eat. Those who survive them the pestilence buries, and their widows make no lamentation. Though they heap up silver like dust, and pile up clothing like clay— they may pile it up, but the just will wear it, and the innocent will divide the silver. They build their houses like nests, like booths made by sentinels of the vineyard. They go to bed with wealth, but will do so no more; they open their eyes, and it is gone. Terrors overtake them like a flood; in the night a whirlwind carries them off. The east wind lifts them up and they are gone; it sweeps them out of their place. It hurls at them without pity; they flee from its power in headlong flight. It claps its hands at them, and hisses at them from its place.” (Job 27:13-23 NRSV)

The Psalms and laments are filled with images of death and the pit. Ezekiel 32:27 discusses the fate of warriors in Sheol. Below as another example we view one who feels betrayed. Here references to Shoel, the pit, and being forgotten by the deity are used to describe the place of death.

“O Lord, God of my salvation, when, at night, I cry out in your presence, let my prayer come before you; incline your ear to my cry. For my soul is full of troubles, and my life draws near to Sheol. I am counted among those who go down to the Pit; I am like those who have no help, like those forsaken among the dead, like the slain that lie in the grave, like those whom you remember no more, for they are cut off from your hand. You have put me in the depths of the Pit, in the regions dark and deep. Your wrath lies heavy upon me, and you overwhelm me with all your waves. (Selah) You have caused my companions to shun me; you have made me a thing of horror to them. I am shut in so that I cannot escape; my eye grows dim through sorrow. Every day I call on you, O Lord; I spread out my hands to you. Do you work wonders for the dead? Do the shades rise up to praise you? (Selah) Is your steadfast love declared in the grave, or your faithfulness in Abaddon? Are your wonders known in the darkness, or your saving help in the land of forgetfulness? But I, O Lord, cry out to you; in the morning my prayer comes before you. O Lord, why do you cast me off? Why do you hide your face from me? Wretched and close to death from my youth up, I suffer your terrors; I am desperate. Your wrath has swept over me; your dread assaults destroy me. They surround me like a flood all day long; from all sides they close in on me. You have caused friend and neighbor to shun me; my companions are in darkness.” (Psa 88:1-18 NRSV)

Thirdly, I would like to use a text that is not Jewish at all but comes from a distant history far removed that at times many forget that it compares with Jewish themes of the underworld and gives us a glimpse of the idea of the after life in the Ancient Near East in general. That text is the epic of Gilgamesh.

In a short summery, for those not so familiar, Gilgamesh was thought to be two thirds God and one third human. He conquers all, and experiences mostly all things then becomes board. That is until Enkidu, Gilgamesh’s soon to be rival, comes out of the forest and is domesticated by a harlot. It is in this text one views the struggles of the nomadic life style with that of the civilized. In the end they become best of friends, so much so that when Enkidu dies Gilgamesh is disillusioned by his death. He sets out to find life everlasting. Below we have the most beautiful description of Gilgamesh travels through the pains of loosing a friend and death.

“The scorpion-being spoke to Gilgamesh, saying:
“Go on, Gilgamesh, fear not!
The Mashu mountains I give to you freely (!),
the mountains, the ranges, you may traverse …
In safety may your feet carry you.
The gate of the mountain …”
As soon as Gilgamesh heard this
he heeded the utterances of the scorpion-being.
Along the Road of the Sun L he journeyed–
one league he traveled …,
dense was the darkness, light there was none.
Neither what lies ahead nor behind does it allow him to see.
Two leagues he traveled …,
dense was the darkness, light there was none,
neither what lies ahead nor behind does it allow him to see.
Four leagues he traveled …,
dense was the darkness, light there was none,
neither what lies ahead nor behind does it allow him to see.
Five leagues he traveled …,
dense was the darkness, light there was none,
neither what lies ahead nor behind does it allow him to see.
Six leagues he traveled …,
dense was the darkness, light there was none,
neither what lies ahead nor behind does it allow him to see.
Seven leagues he traveled ..
dense was the darkness, light there was none,
neither what lies ahead nor behind does it allow him to see.
Eight leagues he traveled and cried out (!),
dense was the darkness, light there was none,
neither what lies ahead nor behind does it allow him to see.
Nine leagues he traveled … the North Wind.
It licked at his face,
dense was the darkness, light there was none,
neither what lies ahead nor behind does it allow him to see.
en leagues he traveled …
… is near,
… four leagues.
Eleven leagues he traveled and came out before the sun(rise).
Twelve leagues he traveled and it grew brilliant.
…it bears lapis lazuli as foliage,
bearing fruit, a delight to look upon.” 6

As we come to a conclusion we can see the stark difference between view that were influenced and those that were not. It seems that after the Babylonian Exile the dimensions of haven and hell, named angels, and other ideas appear in the texts. However before that it appears that one would be as dust in the ground until the day when Yahweh, out of his own will chose to resurrect the bones of dust that lay piled, and forgotten in the earth. It is topic of many writings hoping the deity did not forget our human state in death.

1.” What Happens after we die?” [URL=http://www.chabad.org/library/article.asp?AID=282508]http://www.chabad.org/library/article.asp?AID=282508[/URL]

2. Babyloian Talmud Book 2 Tract Erubin-7

3. Rappoport, Angelo. Ancient Israel Myths and Legends Vol. I. Gresham publishing Company, London 1995. pg. 130-131.

4. Book of Enoch 22:5-14

5. Ancient Israel Myths and Legends Vol. I 130-131.

6. Kovacs, Maureen Gallery. The Epic of Gilgamesh. Tablet 9.

*This essay was written by the author of religionthink.com

 

Psalm 22: I can count all my bones.

Psalm 22: I can count all my bones.

Do not be far from me, for trouble is near and there is no one to help. Many bulls encircle me, strong bulls of Bashan surround me; they open wide their mouths at me, like a ravening and roaring lion. I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint; my heart is like wax; it is melted within my breast; my mouth is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to my jaws; you lay me in the dust of death. For dogs are all around me; a company of evildoers encircles me. My hands and feet have shriveled; I can count all my bones. They stare and gloat over me; they divide my clothes among themselves, and for my clothing they cast lots. But you, O Lord, do not be far away! O my help, come quickly to my aid! Deliver my soul from the sword, my life from the power of the dog! (Psa 22:11-20)

The text that we are about to discuss in this particular essay has many motifs and images, not only from the ancient Near East, but also from the New and Old Testament. Due to time and space we will only discuss those contributions made possibly from the ancient Near East. However, in passing, one must recognize that the words in this Psalm were said to be spoken by Christ at the crucifixion. In the text Lamentation to Ishtar and in sections taken from the Epic of Gilgamesh, we will see, as in Psalm 22, that the lamenter complains of his sufferings to a great extent, with the intention of the gods or God intervening in their behalf. The last section of the Psalm is an expression of the confidence of that intervention. It is proper to note that the text of Job, and the last part of Jonah, also may be relevant to this particular Psalm.

In Near Eastern literature such laments are common. Not only are their individual laments; but also laments for cities, as in the biblical texts among prophets such as Isaiah and Jeremiah. In the Lamentation to Ishtar, we see the writer complaining of great suffering in order to move the goddess to intervene.

“I have cried to thee, suffering, wearied, and distressed, as thy servant.
See me O my Lady, accept my prayers.
Faithfully look upon me and hear my supplication.
Promise my forgiveness and let thy spirit be appeased.
Pity! For my wretched body which is full of confusion and trouble.
Pity! For my sickened heart which is full of tears and suffering.
Pity! For my wretched intestines (which are full of) confusion and trouble.
Pity! For my afflicted house which mourns bitterly.
Pity! For my feelings which are satiated with tears and suffering.
O exalted Irnini, fierce lion, let thy heart be at rest.
O angry wild ox, let thy spirit be appeased.
Let the favor of thine eyes be upon me”.

When reading both we can feel the anguish, both mentally and physically, of the writers. Such themes of hunger, thirst, bone pain, mental anguish, and enemies plague the writers as they make their pleas to the God and Goddess for help. Here Ishtar, like Yahweh, is a war goddess and was known to perform almost the same acts as Yahweh. Ishtar was known to control weather, wage holy war, was jealous, and like Yahweh, she had terrible temper.

Moving on to the text of Gilgamesh we come to the section in the text where Gilgamesh is searching out Utanapishtim, an Enoch like character, in order to enquire how he was allowed by the council of the gods to have eternal life. When asked why he looks so weary, we find the following reply:

“Enkidu, my friend, whom I love deeply, who went through

every hardship with me,

the fate of mankind has overtaken him.

Six days and seven nights I mourned over him

and would not allow him to be buried

until a maggot fell out of his nose.

I was terrified by his appearance(!),

I began to fear death, and so roam the wilderness.

The issue of my friend oppresses me,

so I have been roaming long trails through the wilderness.

The issue of Enkidu, my friend, oppresses me,

so I have been roaming long roads through the wilderness.

How can I stay silent, how can I be still!

My friend whom I love has turned to clay;

Enkidu, my friend whom I love, has turned to clay!

Am I not like him! Will I lie down never to get up again!“

Gilgamesh here relates his sufferings and the details of his journey in order to persuade Utanapishtim to tell him the secret of eternal life. After being put through a series of tests, which he fails, Utanapishtim tells him of a plant that will grant him immortality like the gods. He retrieves the plant only to have it snatched away by a water serpent. In a beautiful speech, like the speech of Yahweh to Job from the whirlwind, Utanapishtim tells Gilgamesh:

“Why, Gilgamesh, do you … sadness?

You who were created (!) from the flesh of gods and mankind

who made … like your father and mother?

Have you ever… Gilgamesh … to the fool …

They placed a chair in the Assembly, …

But to the fool they gave beer dregs instead of butter,

bran and cheap flour which like …

Clothed with a loincloth (!) like …

And … in place of a sash,

because he does not have …

does not have words of counsel …

Take care about it, Gilgamesh,

… their master…

… Sin…

… eclipse of the moon …

The gods are sleepless …

They are troubled, restless(!) …

Long ago it has been established…

You trouble yourself…

… your help …

If Gilgamesh … the temple of the gods

… the temple of the holy gods,

… the gods …

… mankind,

they took … for his fate.

You have toiled without cease, and what have you got!

Through toil you wear yourself out,

you fill your body with grief,

your long lifetime you are bringing near (to a premature end)!

Mankind, whose offshoot is snapped off like a reed in a

canebreak,

the fine youth and lovely girl

… death.

No one can see death,

no one can see the face of death,

no one can hear the voice of death,

yet there is savage death that snaps off mankind.

For how long do we build a household?

For how long do we seal a document!

For how long do brothers share the inheritance?

For how long is there to be jealousy in the land(!)!

For how long has the river risen and brought the overflowing

waters,

so that dragonflies drift down the river!’

The face that could gaze upon the face of the Sun

has never existed ever.

How alike are the sleeping(!) and the dead.

The image of Death cannot be depicted.

(Yes, you are a) human being, a man (?)!

After Enlil had pronounced the blessing,’”

the Anunnaki, the Great Gods, assembled.

Mammetum, she who forms destiny, determined destiny with them.

They established Death and Life,

but they did not make known ‘the days of death’”.

The texts of the ancient Near East and their themes and motifs help us to better understand the biblical texts. It pulls us from our own, and sometimes narrow theological view, and opens our understanding in a broader sense. It pulls us into the fierce environment of the region and time period where more then one person cried to his or her god or goddess for intervention. Transported forward to our time, their metaphoric value and message can be applied to our fast paced environment. It freezes us in time and place, with our hardship, and allows us to reflect inward while waiting for intervention that is sure to come.

Brown, E. Raymond., Fitzmyer, Joseph. And Murphy, Ronalde. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Prentice-Hall, Inc, New Jersey, 1990

Dahood, Mitchell. The Anchor Bible: Psalms 1-50. Doubleday & Company, Inc. Garden City, New York 1968.

Dally, Stephanie. Myths from Mesopotamia: Creation, the Flood Gilgamesh, and Others. Oxford University Press Inc., Oxford, New York 1989.

Pritchard, James. Ancient Near Eastern Texts Relating to the Old Testament. Princeton University Press, Princeton, New York 1950.

Quoted biblical texts are taken from the New Revised Standard Version.

Psalm 14: There They Shall Be In Great Terror

Fools say in their hearts, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds; there is no one who does good. The Lord looks down from heaven on humankind to see if there are any who are wise, who seek after God. They have all gone astray, they are all alike perverse; there is no one who does good, no, not one. Have they no knowledge, all the evildoers who eat up my people as they eat bread, and do not call upon the Lord? There they shall be in great terror, for God is with the company of the righteous. You would confound the plans of the poor, but the Lord is their refuge. O that deliverance for Israel would come from Zion! When the Lord restores the fortunes of his people, Jacob will rejoice; Israel will be glad. (Psalms 14:1-7 NRSV)


The above Psalm could be possibly classified in two categories, both Lament and Wisdom literature. There are also striking similarities to Psalms 53. Some would like to say that possibly one borrowed from the other but it may be that possibly there are two view points, one (Psalms 53) from Northern Israel, and the other, (above) from the South. The Psalm above is to the person who fails to recognize the sovereignty of Yahweh. The author tells of the moral break down and Yahweh brings the people back. Some scholars believe that this text may refer to the exile and could be a later addition.

Below we will discuss a text in the ancient Near East where the author advises the remembrance of the god. It comes from the Akkadian, The Creation Epic. This particular text comes from Babylon around 1901 B.C. The dates are disputed but the author of this essay would like to give some reference of a possible time period. In this account the god Marduk defeats Tiamat, the large serpent, and throws her to the underworld. In the epilogue of this beautiful creation story we may read this as if it were a piece of wisdom literature:

Let them be kept in mind and let the leader explain them.
Let the wise and the knowing discuss them together.
Let the father recite them and impart to his son.
Let the ears of shepherd and herdsmen be opened.
Let him rejoice in Marduk, the Enlil of the gods,
That his land may be fertile and that he may prosper.
Firm in his order, his command unalterable,
The utterance of his mouth no god shall change.
When he looks he does not turn away his neck;
When he is angry no god can withstand his wrath.
Vast is his mind, broad is his sympathy;
Sinner and transgressor will be confounded before him.
The teaching which the leader has voiced in his presence…( Pritchard p.72)


Just as the Psalm above, this text from Babylon tell that the knowledge of the god should be passed on and his sovereignty and works should not be forgotten. And the themes of the two texts run almost side by side. In the end the works of the evil doers and transgressors and unwise will be foiled and confounded. The god will come as a refuge; and through compassion and wisdom will restore fortune and the land will be glad.


Brown, E. Raymond., Fitzmyer, Joseph. And Murphy, Ronalde. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Prentice-Hall, Inc, New Jersey, 1990.

Dahood, Mitchell. The Anchor Bible: Psalms 1-50. Doubleday & Company, Inc. Garden City, New York 1968.

Dally, Stephanie. Myths from Mesopotamia: Creation, the Flood Gilgamesh, and Others. Oxford University Press Inc., Oxford, New York 1989.

Pritchard, James. Ancient Near Eastern Texts Relating to the Old Testament. Princeton University Press, Princeton, New York 1950.

Quoted biblical texts are taken from the New Revised Standard Version.

Psalm 11: Coals of Fire and Sulfur.

In the Lord I take refuge; how can you say to me, “Flee like a bird to the mountains; for look, the wicked bend the bow, they have fitted their arrow to the string, to shoot in the dark at the upright in heart. If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?” The Lord is in his holy temple; the Lord’s throne is in heaven. His eyes behold, his gaze examines humankind. The Lord tests the righteous and the wicked, and his soul hates the lover of violence. On the wicked he will rain coals of fire and sulfur; a scorching wind shall be the portion of their cup. For the Lord is righteous; he loves righteous deeds; the upright shall behold his face. (Psalms 11:1-7 NRSV)

Psalms eleven could be labeled a psalm of trust. In verses 1-3 there are descriptions of hardship and accounts of the wicked prevailing. The writer uses the divine warrior theme and relates how Yahweh will destroy the wicked using coals of fire and sulfur. The theme of divine kingship of the temple and heavenly throne is also used. Within this particular essay we will discuss two important elements. The first theme is the use of fire and other elements raining on the enemies. One such text that bears this relevance is the Akkadian text which scholars date to 2320 B.C. called the Hymnal Prayer of Enheduanna. Also, Ezekiel 38:17-23 may have some relevance here. Also, one could argue the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis 19 may be also worth noting. Another theme is the turning of the deities face. In Mesopotamia it was thought that if a god looked towards the believer then the god was pleased. If however; the deity turned away, then it would represent displeasure. This theme is found throughout the biblical texts. One example of this is found in Psalms 27:9 “Do not hide your face from me. Do not turn your servant away in anger, you who have been my help. Do not cast me off, do not forsake me, O God of my salvation!” Outside the Biblical texts we find one, of many examples, in the Prayer of Lamentation to Ishtar.

In the Hymnal Prayer of Enheduanna, from Volume II of the book; The Ancient Near East, we find the writer giving adoration to the goddess Inanna. We see written here, in the text to Inanna, the goddess using the elements to take revenge on her enemies. Thunder, fire, drought, floods and winds, according to the writer of this hymn, are at her disposal.

You have filled the land with venom, like a dragon.
Vegetation ceases, when You thunder like Ishkur,
You who bring down the Flood from the mountain,
Supreme One, who are the Inanna of Heaven (and) Earth,
Who rain flaming fire over the land,
Who have been given the me by An,
Queen Who Rides the Beasts,
Who at the holy command of An, utters the (divine) words,
Who can fathom Your great rites!
Destroyer of the Foreign Lands,
You have given wings to the storm,
Beloved of Enlil - You made it (the storm) blow over the land,
You carried out the instructions of An.
My Queen,
the foreign lands cower at Your cry,
In dread (and) fear of the South Wind, mankind
Brought You their anguished clamor,
Took before You their anguished outcry
Opened before You wailing and weeping,
Brought before You the “great” lamentations in the city streets.

In comparison to other places in the biblical texts, we also see the oracle of Yahweh prophesying the harsh vengeance that will be dealt out on the land. Like the above we read almost the same themes used to detail the impending destruction.

“Thus says the Lord God: Are you he of whom I spoke in former days by my servants the prophets of Israel, who in those days prophesied for years that I would bring you against them? On that day, when Gog comes against the land of Israel, says the Lord God, my wrath shall be aroused. For in my jealousy and in my blazing wrath I declare: On that day there shall be a great shaking in the land of Israel; the fish of the sea, and the birds of the air, and the animals of the field, and all creeping things that creep on the ground, and all human beings that are on the face of the earth, shall quake at my presence, and the mountains shall be thrown down, and the cliffs shall fall, and every wall shall tumble to the ground. I will summon the sword against Gog in all my mountains, says the Lord God; the swords of all will be against their comrades. With pestilence and bloodshed I will enter into judgment with him; and I will pour down torrential rains and hailstones, fire and sulfur, upon him and his troops and the many peoples that are with him. So I will display my greatness and my holiness and make myself known in the eyes of many nations. Then they shall know that I am the Lord (Ezekiel 38:17-23 NRSV).

Lastly, we turn to the last topic; of the turning of the deities face. In the Prayer of Lamentation to Ishtar, we come upon a writer in great distress. The prayer is also used in comparison to the Job complex. In the passage the writer begs for repentance and relief from suffering. It is towards the end of the lamentation we read the following:

Accept the abasement of my countenance; hear my prayers.
Faithfully look upon me and accept my supplication.
How long, O my Lady, wilt thou be angered so that thy face is turned away?
How long, O my Lady, wilt thou be infuriated so that thy spirit is enraged?
Turn thy neck which thou hast set against me; set thy face toward good favor.
Like the water of the opening of a canal, let thy emotions be released.
My foes like the ground let me trample;
Subdue my hater and cause them to crouch down under me.
Let my prayers and my supplications come to thee.
Let thy great mercy be upon me (Pritchard p.385)

The writer, in the text above, requests the goddess to turn her face so that he may be looked upon in favor and that the evil and afflictions may pass. In passing, the use of the question “How long?” must be taken note of. This phrase is also used in the following passages of the Old Testament: Psalms 4:2; 13:1; 89:46; Proverbs 1:22; and Isaiah 6:11.

The lamentations written to the gods and goddesses can be compared to those to biblical texts other than the Psalms. Jeremiah, Isaiah, Ezekiel, Hosea, Amos and many others lamented over their land, people, and spiritual conditions. It appears they were not alone, for others, long before the prophets mentioned above, apparently had the same concerns and have written them down to be used in the time of stressful situations.

Brown, E. Raymond., Fitzmyer, Joseph. And Murphy, Ronalde. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Prentice-Hall, Inc, New Jersey, 1990.

Pritchard, James. Ancient Near Eastern Texts Relating to the Old Testament. Princeton University Press, Princeton, New York 1950.

-The Ancient Near East, Volume II, Princeton University Press, Chichester, USA. 1975

Walton, John H, Matthews, Victor H. and Chavalas, Mark W. The IVP Bible Background Commentary: Old Testament. InterVarsity Press. Illinois 2000.