RT Article
T1 The Dwelling of ˀIlu in Baˁlu and ˀAqhatu
JF Journal of ancient Near Eastern religions
VO 17
IS 2
SP 149
OP 185
A1 Richey, M.
LA English
PB Brill
YR 2017
UL https://www.ixtheo.de/Record/1566784719
AB In an arrival formula that recurs throughout the Ugaritic epics Baˁlu and ˀAqhatu, the dwelling of the chief god, ˀIlu, is described as encompassing, among other things, a {dd}. Scholars have understood this term in various ways, chiefly as “field,” “mountain,” and “defense.” I argue that the etymological rationales grounding the first two semantic analyses are unsound, and that the case for the third understanding, by far the least commonly adopted, can be strengthened by observing a Sabaic cognate that occurs together with terms for land holdings. On these grounds, I offer the English translation “pasture” as the best approximation of the semantics of Ugaritic {dd}. This situates ˀIlu as a tent-dwelling pastoralist, for which there are suggestive parallels elsewhere in West Semitic texts, including the Hebrew Bible.
K1 Baal Cycle : Ugaritic : Sabaic : Canaanite mythology : tent of meeting : {dd}
DO 10.1163/15692124-12341291