Flood Stories—the Epic of Gilgamesh, part 3, ”Similarities to the Bible”

It’s the most striking of all flood stories outside of the Bible, and as promised let me list several similarities between this ancient Babylonian account and that found in the book of Genesis. It is perhaps safe to say that there are more differences between the two accounts than similarities, but one should expect at least some similarities between them in order to safely contend that they reflect an independent knowledge of an ancient global flood.

1. The flood is divinely planned—in the Babylonian account the gods decree the flood although Ishtar later lamented the decision after witnessing the terrible destruction that resulted from it. Genesis 6:17 also attributes the flood to divine intervention, reading, “I Myself am bringing floodwaters on the earth,” though, of course, here it is the decision of God alone.

2. The impending flood is revealed to an heroic man—Ea, the Babylonian god of wisdom, informs Utnapishtim of the coming flood in a dream, and God tells the godly Noah directly in Genesis 6:9, 13.

3. The reason for the flood is the moral failure of man—the moral ambiguity of the Babylonian account records Ea as justifying the flood in these words, “On the sinner lay his sin, on the transgressor lay his transgressions” (XI, 180), whereas Enlil, the counselor of the gods, seems otherwise ready to wipe out the entire race without discrimination. In Genesis 6:5, 12 God intends to punish sinful man for his wickedness and violence without consternation.

4. The hero is instructed to build a boat—in the Epic of Gilgamesh it is variously referred to as a ship or boat and even once as a house or palace, suggesting its considerable size. In Genesis 6:14 Noah is instructed to build an ark, which normally refers to a chest, box, or coffin rather than to a ship, thus highlighting its peculiar design unlike that of a typical ship. In fact, it’s the same word commonly used for the Ark of the Covenant. In both accounts the vessels had multiple levels, a door and at least one window, and they were both made watertight with pitch.

5. The physical conditions of the flood are described—the Babylonian account tells of destructive wind and a torrential rainstorm, accompanied by lightning and thunder, as well as the breaking of dikes and reservoirs. The full account in Genesis describes a violent downpour as well as catastrophic changes in the earth’s atmosphere, climate and subterranean geology.

-Daniel McCabe

Trivia (Answer Below)

Who is the President of Israel?

Life in the Land: Iron Dome

I didn’t grow up in constant fear of missile attacks. My scariest childhood memory was perhaps kneeling against a wall in the hall of South Ward Elementary School with my hands over my head waiting for a Texas tornado to pass. My hometown experiences a major tornado once every year or two, but last year alone thousands of rockets were launched into Israel. Imagine growing up with that danger as a normal part of everyday life.

Well, after years of research and development Israel deployed a mobile air defense system in 2011 known as the Iron Dome that’s designed to intercept short-range rockets and artillery shells. Modern radar detects all incoming threats and a control system quickly calculates the projected landing coordinates for each one. If it’s determined that the threat will strike a populated area or any critical infrastructure like Israel’s nuclear research facility in Dimona, Ben-Gurion International Airport near Tel Aviv or the Bazan Group of oil refineries in Haifa, then an interceptor missile is fired. Any threats that are projected to land in unpopulated areas are largely ignored in order to prioritize greater threats and to limit the high cost of operating the system.

According to government assessments, the Iron Dome has roughly an 85-95% success rate at shooting down all incoming threats. Of course its effectiveness depends on the volume and specific type of threats. Residents can also download a phone app from Home Front Command that alerts them to any threats and instructs them to seek shelter.

–Daniel McCabe

Life in the Land: Quips from Israel

1. “Only here in Israel does your mother have your commanding officer’s cell phone number.”

2. “Only here in Israel do taxi drivers give you marital advice along with your change.”

3. “Only here in Israel do you get into a political debate with your barber while getting a shave.”

4. “Only here in Israel can you get hummus with more toppings than a salad.”

5. “If a traffic light stays red for more than thirty seconds, here we assume it’s broken and we just go.”

6. “In Israel we don’t walk into a room. We walk into a debate.”

7. “In Israel we argue about politics as much as we argue about who makes the best shakshuka.”

–Daniel McCabe

History: The City of David

There are only a few places in all of Israel like the City of David which can give you a sense of wonder and awe that you are standing in the middle of biblical history. Luke 2:11 records the familiar angelic announcement to the shepherds, “For unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” The City of David in this context is, of course, the little town of Bethlehem, David’s hometown.

However, there is another place also known as the City of David, namely, Jerusalem itself, particularly the hill of Jerusalem that was occupied during the Old Testament era. What we know today as the Old City of Jerusalem is more or less where the city was in the New Testament era. The old stone walls that still stand were constructed by Suleiman the Magnificent in the 16th century A.D., using many of the stones that were toppled by the Romans during their destruction of the city in the first century. Suleiman’s walls generally match the outline of the eastern and western walls of Jerusalem during Jesus’ time, but not the northern or southern walls.

Immediately south of the Temple Mount, bordered by Suleiman’s wall on the east, there are extensive excavations. Many of the ruins uncovered in this area date back to the First Temple period, the time of Solomon, including remains of storerooms, mikvaot, and other items used in temple service, and just south of these ruins a hill stretches further south to the intersection of the Kidron Valley and Hinnom Valley. Upon this hill is located the city of Jerusalem from the Old Testament period, ranging from the conquest of the city by David to the reign of Hezekiah. At the time of Assyria’s conquest of the northern kingdom of Israel the city of Jerusalem probably expanded to the Western Hill, for King Hezekiah needed to accommodate the many refugees who fled to Jerusalem for protection and a new life. At this time Hezekiah also constructed a tunnel which bears his name and connected the water from the Gihon Spring outside the city to the Pool of Siloam inside the city.

If previously called Jebus during the occupation of the Jebusites, why then did Jerusalem come to be known as the City of David? Well, for that we turn to 2 Samuel 5:1-10. In fact, there is no finer account of those days then that given in the Bible itself.

“Then all the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron and said, ‘Behold, we are your bone and flesh. In times past, when Saul was king over us, it was you who led out and brought in Israel. And the Lord said to you, “You shall be shepherd of My people Israel, and you shall be prince over Israel.”’ So all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, and King David made a covenant with them at Hebron before the Lord, and they anointed David king over Israel. David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years. At Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months, and at Jerusalem he reigned over all Israel and Judah thirty-three years. And the king and his men went to Jerusalem against the Jebusites, the inhabitants of the land, who said to David, ‘You will not come in here, but the blind and the lame will ward you off’—thinking, ‘David cannot come in here.’ Nevertheless, David took the stronghold of Zion, that is, the City of David. And David said on that day, ‘Whoever would strike the Jebusites, let him get up the water shaft to attack the lame and the blind who are hated by David’s soul.’ Therefore it is said, ‘The blind and the lame shall not come into the house.’ And David lived in the stronghold and called it the City of David. And David built the city all around from the Millo inward. And David became greater and greater, for the Lord, the God of hosts, was with him.”

So David and Joab took the fortified hill city from the Jebusites and claimed for themselves a city where God chose to place His name. As Psalm 87:1-2 so beautifully states, “On the holy mount stands the city He founded; the Lord loves the gates of Zion more than all the dwelling places of Jacob.”

I will force myself to stop here because the City of David contains so much historical, archaeological, and geographical interest. I need to cut myself off before I ramble on for the next twenty hours or so.

–Adam Keim

Scripture Study: Psalm 44

By now you probably know that I am on a multi-year journey to learn the personalities of all 150 psalms. I am writing out a one-sentence summary of each psalm, and here is my latest summary. Do you ever have times like these?

“O Lord, our merciful God, my King, we’ve heard from our forefathers how it pleased you so long ago to do for them what they could never do in their own strength and how you planted them in the land after defeating and driving out the nations, and although God knows heart secrets and surely must know ours—particularly that we have not forgotten you or been untrue to you or to your covenant by worshiping a foreign god—still you forget us, abandon us in the fight, and even sleep inexplicably while we are scattered, plundered and humiliated, left to die in the desert, senselessly slaughtered like sheep, and made the laughingstock of neighboring nations; nevertheless, I will not trust in my own bow or sword, for only through you will we overcome our enemies, but rather I will praise you forever, for you’ve always saved us and shamed them, so now arise from your sleep, Lord, show us mercy, and deliver Jacob, your people.”

–Daniel McCabe

Answer to the Trivia

A. Isaac Herzog