The Religion of Babylonia and Assyria Part 48

[757] Line 15.

[758] So Delitzsch, _Babylonische Weltschopfungsepos_, pp. 19, 20.

[759] Following Delitzsch, _Babylonische Weltschopfungsepos_, pp. 20, 21. I pa.s.s over two fragments which Delitzsch adds to our 'epic.' They are not sufficiently clear to be utilized for our purposes. Delitzsch may be right with regard to no. 20, but if so, it forms part or another version of the Marduk-Tiamat episode. No. 19, treating of the bow of Marduk (?), does not seem to belong to our series.

[760] A standing phrase for "favor" in general.

[761] To prayer.

[762] The G.o.ds or the Igigi.

[763] See p. 486 and Gunkel's note, _Schopfung und Chaos_, p. 26.

[764] See above, p. 434. The play is between Nibir (as though from the stem _eberu_) and _itebbiru_ ("he pierced"), a form of _eberu_, and meaning 'to pa.s.s through.'

[765] This metaphor is carried over into astronomical science. The planets are known as "wandering sheep." See p. 459.

[766] _Bel matate_.

[767] See p. 118.

[768] Similarly in another version of the contest published by Delitzsch, _a.s.syr. Worterbuch_, p. 390.

[769] See p. 54.

[770] Tiele (_Gesch. der Religion im Alterthum_, I. 176) a.s.signs to Marduk a double character, making him both a G.o.d of light and a G.o.d of storms, but I venture to think that the latter attribute represents the transference of En-lil's power to Marduk.

[771] So Bel is called in contrast to Anu. See p. 53.

[772] One is reminded of the Biblical injunction with regard to the Laws of Yahwe, Deut. vi. 7: "Thou shall teach them to thy sons and speak constantly of them."

[773] _I.e._, to the kings who are frequently called 'shepherds' in the historical texts.

[774] Or, according to the earlier view, to an atmospheric G.o.d.

[775] "The Gilgamesh Epic."

[776] First published by Pinches, _Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society_, 1891, pp. 393-408.

[777] Clay, it will be recalled, was the building material in Babylonia.

[778] The word in the text is generally applied to "a ma.s.s" of animals, but also to human productions. See Delitzsch, _a.s.syr. Handworterbuch_, p. 467.

[779] Bel's temple at Nippur.

[780] Temple of Ishtar at Erech or Uruk.

[781] _I.e._, Apsu.

[782] City sacred to Ea at the mouth of the Persian Gulf.

[783] Lit., 'totality of lands.'

[784] Zimmern's rendering (Gunkel, _Schopfung und Chaos_, p. 419) "sacred" (instead of 'bright') misses the point.

[785] _Cf._ S. A. Smith, Miscellaneous, K. 2866, l. 8, "the great G.o.ds dwelling in the heaven of Anu." The reference, therefore, cannot be to "the gathering place of the G.o.ds," where the fates of mankind are decided.

[786] The original has _ratum_. Delitzsch, _a.s.syr. Handworterbuch_, p.

663, compares Hebrew _rahat_, "trough." Zimmern (Gunkel, _Schopfung und Chaos_, p. 419) translates "Bewegung," but on what grounds I do not know. The pa.s.sage is obscure; the text possibly defective.

[787] If the reading E-Sagila is original. It is here used as the name of Ea's temple in Eridu, but it is of course possible that E-Sagila has been deliberately introduced to enhance the glory of Marduk's temple in Babylon.

[788] Ea.

[789] Gen. i. 9.

[790] See Haupt, _Wo lag das Paradies_, p. 7 (_Ueber Land und Meer_, 1894-95, no. 15, Sonderabdruck), who furnishes numerous ill.u.s.trations of the indefinite geographical notions of the ancients.

[791] The group of celestial beings.

[792] _I.e._, Marduk.

[793] Read _a-ma-mi_.

[794] Zimmern purposes to connect this line with the preceding, but the sense in that case is not at all clear.

[795] _I.e._, with Marduk.

[796] Haupt's edition, p. 8, l. 34.

[797] See above, p. 437.

[798] Haupt, _ib._ p. 139, l. 116.

[799] _Ib._ l. 111.

[800] _Kosmologie_, p. 294, note 1.

[801] See p. 82.

[802] _Zerbanitum_, as though compounded of _zer_ (seed), and _bani_ (create). See p. 121.

[803] Gen. i. 1-ii. 4, embodied in the "Priestly Code."

[804] Gen. ii. 4 and extending in reality as far as iv. 25.

[805] Gen. iii. 17.

[806] See Gunkel, _Schopfung und Chaos_, p. 13.