Geographical places and Wind-directions connected in the extra-biblical prophecy genre

 

by koot van wyk (DLitt et Phil; ThD) Visiting Professor, Kyungpook National University,  Sangju Campus, South Korea; Conjoint lecturer Avondale College, Australia; 27 April 2009

 

In the book of Daniel chapter 11 one runs into expressions by Daniel of wind-directions like north, south, west, east and these are sometimes more specific to be connected to the "king of the north" or "king of the south" which means, north is supposed to be connected to a country where the king is reigning and secondly, the country is north of the point where the author, Daniel finds himself at that particular time.

 

Realistic vantage point of description

When we read in Daniel that he uses the expression, "king of the north" one has to ask yourself: where is Daniel at that point and anything north of him will be the "king of the north" and anything south of that point where Daniel is will be "king of the south". This is a simple principle of interpretation.

 

Virtual vantage point of description

Another point that is related to the one above, is the case of a virtual position. The one above is the realistic position. A virtual position in contradistinction to the above, is the one where the prophet is actually in Shushan in Elam but he was taken in vision to Palestine and from Jerusalem as vantage-point he described the various aspects.

 

Mobile vantage point versus stationary vantage point

One of the greatest issues in interpreting Daniel 11 is whether we are dealing with a mobile vantage point, namely, that Daniel was in Shushan describing there but take in vision to Jerusalem and then describing from there and then taken back to Shushan where he was in body actually and thus describing again from that vantage point., From a realistic position he shifted to a virtual position in Jerusalem and then back to a realistic position in Shushan. The stationary theory of his vantage point will claim that it was all done from Jerusalem, Palestine or the like and nowhere else. Or that it was done from Shushan and nowhere else. Without going into the detail about Daniel 11, we will look at the extra-biblical prophetic genre in the days of Daniel and before regarding the same issue.

 

Extra-biblical omen prophecies about wind-directions and countries connected to them

Some extra-biblical texts from Assyria and Babylon are worth looking at. An article written by F. Rochberg-Halton, "New Evidence for the History of Astrology," JNES 43/2 (1984): 115-129 actually provides all the sources we will be referring to in this short writing.

 

Formula of the extra-biblical prophecy

Conventionally the formula read something like:

"If an eclipse occurs in the evening watch and it finishes the watch and the south wind blows; downfall of the king of Elam and Guti and their country"

 

Analysis

Protasis

"If an eclipse occurs in the evening watch and it finishes the watch and the south wind blows"

 

Apodosis

[THEN THERE WILL BE A] downfall of the king of Elam and Guti and their country"

 

Enūma Anu Enlil (eighth century BCE)

The EAE series date to the time of the Sargonid kings and a number of scholars are listed by Rochberg-Halton 1984: 116 footnote 6 dealing with this text: C. Virolleaud 1908-1912; E. Weidner 1942; E. Reiner and D. Pingree 1975 and 1981; R. Campbell Thompson 1900; S. Parpola 1970. EAE 19, sec. 2 reads:

 

line 9  ]DIŠ AN.MI EN.NUN AN.USAN2 GAR-ma EN.NUN ig-mur u IM.I DU ŠUB-ti MAN NIM.MA.K[I] u Gu-ti.KI u KUR-šu-n[u...]

 

If an eclipse occurs in the evening watch and it finishes the watch and the south wind blows: downfall of the king of Elam and Guti and their country ...[...]

 

line 10  DIŠ AN.MI KI.MIN.ma EN.NUN ig-mur u IM.I DU ŠUB MAN URI.KI u KUR-šú

 

If an eclipse ditto, and it finishes the watch and the north wind blows: downfall of the king of Akkad and his country

 

 

 

 

BM 36746

This text was presented by Rochberg Halton and a summary of the content can be seen in Rochberg Halton (1984): 121. It consists of a collection of twelve lunar eclipse omens [extra-biblical prophecies]. Only seven are well preserved and the text read as follows:

 

 p r o t a s i s "If . . . "                                          apodosis

Sign of the moon

   Wind

   Good planet

 Bad planets

 Country

[Aries]

[north]

[...]

[Saturn:Leo/Mars:Sagittarius]

[Akkad]

[Taurus]

[south]

[...]

[Saturn:Virgo/Mars:Capricorn]

[Elam]

[Gemini]

[west]

[...]

[Saturn:Libra/Mars:Aquarius]

[Amurru]

[Cancer]

[east]

[...]

[Saturn:Scorpius/Mars:Pisces]

Subartu

Leo

north

Jupiter not present

Saturn:Aries/Mars:Sagittarius

Akkad

Virgo

south+east

Venus not present

[Saturn]:Taurus/[Mars]:Capricorn

Elam

Libra

south+west

Jupiter not present

Saturn:Aquarius/Mars:Gemini

Amurru

Scorpius

east

Jupiter[...]

Saturn:[Pisces]/Mars:Cancer

Subartu

Sagitarius

[north]

Jupiter[...]

Jupiter [sic]:Leo; "The Field"; Aries

Akkad

Capricorn

south

Venus not present

[Saturn:Taurus]/[Mars]:Virgo

Elam

[Aquarius]

[west]

[...]

[Saturn:Gemini/Mars:Libra]

[Amurru]

[Pisces]

[east]

[...]

[Saturn:Cancer/Mars:Scorpius]

[Subartu]

 

 

 

 

BM 121034 (Middle Assyrian text)

Parallels: EAE 15 (Bab. 3 280 + K. 3770; VAT 9803 (Weidner AfO 17(1954): 71 iii 18'; BM 32513 rev. 6-9.

The text is mentioned by Rochberg Halton (1984): 127 at footnote 43 and read as follows:

 

line 10 [DIŠ AN.MI ina IM.I SAR-ma IM.U18].LU DU šal-pu-ut-ti Šu-bar -ri-i[. . . ]

[If an eclipse begins in the north and the so]uth wind blows destruction to Šubarû [. . . ]

 

line 11 [DIŠ AN.MI ina IM.I SAR-ma IM.SI].SÁ DU LUGAL Ak-ka-di-i BA.BE

[If an eclipse begins in the north and the no]rth wind blows: the king of Akkad will die.

 

line 12 [DIŠ AN.MI ina IM.I SAR-ma IM.KUR.R]A DU dIM GÌR.BAL BE.MEŠ GÁL.MEŠ X [. . .]

[If an eclipse begins in the north and the ea]st wind blows: Adad will inundate; there will be plague [...]

 

line 13 [DIŠ AN.MI ina IM.I SAR-ma IM.MAR.TU DU ZI(?)]-[ut] Gu-ti-um LUGAL Ak-ka-di-[i x]

[If an eclipse begins in the north and the west wind blows: at]tack(?) of the Guti; the king of Akkad [...]

 

ACh Supp. 2 118 r. 2-3; 6-7

This is an excerpt tablet from EAE which not only provide the winds and directions but also the months which are assigned to each country listed.

 

line 6          IM.U18.LU KUR.NIM.MA.KI

              IM.            U18.LU            KUR.       NIM.MA.KI

             wind           South             country      Elam

 

                IM.SI.SÁ KUR.URI.KI

              IM.             SI.SÁ            KUR.       URI.KI

             wind            North            country      Akkad

                 

                IM.KUR.RA KUR.SU.BIR4 u Gu-ti-i

              IM.             KUR.RA          KUR.      SU.BIR4   u      Gu-ti-i

             wind             East             country     Subartu  and    Gutium

 

line 7           IM.MAR.TU KUR.MAR.TU

              IM.             MAR.TU          KUR.      MAR.TU

             wind             West             country    Amurru

 

Multiple applications of wind-directions

If one only look at Ach Supp. 2 118 r. 6-7 then one may think that the "east" is only in the country of Subartu and Gutium. Not so. The text of EAE 19, sec. 2 reads the south wind [normally allocated to Elam] will affect both Elam and the Gutium [normally in the east]. The territorial application is maximal to include a wider area than in other texts. Why is that? A possible explanation is that the time of the texts differ and at the time this particular text was written, the power range of the Gutium has moved far to the south as well. Shifting powers bring with it different allocations. This principle of interpretation is very important since in Daniel 11 we also have to do with territorial shifting and moving of powers through the corridors of history.  There are many factors at play that will link two countries in two different wind-directions to one and the same wind-direction. If they are allies and common enemies, one would expect that, to mention one factor.

 

 

 

Diagram illustrating the wind-directions and countries

involved                       

 

                              NORTH (SI.SÁ)

 

                               WIND (IM)

                               AKKAD (KUR.URI.KI)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

WEST (MARTU)                                              EAST (KUR.RA)

 

WIND (IM)                                                    WIND (IM)

AMURRU (KUR.MAR.TU)                                 SUBARTU (KUR. SU.BIR4)

                                                         u      Gu-ti-i (GUTIUM)

 

 

 

 

 

                                       SOUTH (SU18.LU)

                                  

                                       WIND (IM)

                                      ELAM (KUR.NIM.MA.KI)