Aqahat, Paghat, El, Anath, Daniel, Danel
The word of the Lord came again to me, saying, Ezekiel 14:12
Son of man, when the land sinneth against me by trespassing grievously, then will I stretch out mine hand upon it, and will break the staff of the bread thereof, and will send famine upon it, and will cut off man and beast from it: Ezekiel 14:13
Though these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they should deliver but their own souls by their righteousness, saith the Lord God. Ezekiel 14:14
- The text begins:
- Concerning Aqahat
- Sacrifice 0,..... to the midst of the waters!
- Thou shalt calll...thou shalt break (his ) bow;
- ....thou shalt break eight
- .....to the virgin Anath.
- She shall turn...she shall raise up a tender youth,
- .....let us take him as a prince, as a lamp
- And his finger (shall be) as the Desire of the poor.
- From him thou shalt take his sandals
And he shall eat in the heavens.- Thou shalt drink with eagerness like that of thirst oaks
- The best wines of his wine-vat, O prince.
The opening lines may be a propheciy of Danel (Daniel) who is the son of the god El. Anath is apparently Daniel's mother. Danel is to be the priest of the people as a lamp (See Isaiah 42:6).
Aqahat is next introduced as one of the two opponenst of Daniel:
- Aqahat answered,
- O tender one, tender one, Like the serpent of El in might,
- Like the heart of his sceptre,
- I will smash it--the ornament of his bow,
- I will smash it on his shield
- They are to me as brothers.
- His bow thou shalt also give to me,
- And the high place beloved of Anath.
- The fruit a basket shall bring,
- The ears of grain in his jar.
"Tender one" is Daniel. Aqahat threatenes to overpower him and get the fruit and grain. The word for ears of grain is shibboleth, the word the pronunciation of which was employed in Judges 12:6 as a test of membership in the tribe of Ephraim. Aniel then answered:
Then Daniel, who cures Death,
- Who makes the Prince of Death to wail,
- Raised himself up;
- He sat before the gate among the great
- Who in the threshing-floor
- Judge the cause of widows
- And secure justice for orphans
The text is broken here. Daniel has a daughter, Paghat, who is opposed to her father and in agreement with her opponents. The power of Daniel is described and then Paghat spoke:
- "In the threshing floor Daniel shall cause desolation,
- (Of corn?) he shall raise the price,
- He shall diminish the poor."
- Against the house of her father she directed the eagles.
- He (Daniel) trapped the troop of vultures.
- Paghat wept over them,
- Her heart cried over them heavily.
- The cunning of Daniel, who cures Death,
- Who make sthe Prince of Death to wail, pondered.
- Then Daniel, who cures death,
- Roasted the clouds with heat,
- Lightning darted; the clouds rained;
- In that year dew distilled on the grapes.
- For seven years Baal had been impotent;
- The eighth, ORider of the Clouds,
- Was without dew, without showers,
- Without the opening of the two deeps,
- Withoug abundance.
- "Hasten, O Ball for (Paghat) has hastened.
- She has outwitted Daniel, who cures Death,
- Weakened is he who makes the Prince of Death to Wail.
- Then to the daughter of Daniel he cries:
- "Hear, O Paghat, who has stopped the water,
- Thou hast held it back.
- To make the dew thou knowest,
- The courses of the stars,
- The covering of the wild ass,
- The saddling of the stalion!
- How did she lift up her father!
- She placed him on the back of the ass,
- That he might sit on the back of the stallion.
- El executed judgment; he turned his augury.
- Quickly he spoke,
- By omens quickly he spoke,
- With eager desire quickly he embraced, he hkissed,
- (Saying) "I will perform my duty quickly;
- It shall be effective by omens,
- Quickly in carnal desire there shall be a change.
- The hand of Aqahat shall harvest thee, O Ghezer
- It shall put thee in the midst in the granary.
- He shall execute judgment,
- He shall restore what thou hast eaten,
- He shall say,
- "The ears (diminished) by eating,
- The ears changed by drought,
- The ears he shall embrace, he shall kiss,
- (Saying), 'I will perform my duty.'
- The ears thou hast taken by eating,
- The ears thou hast taken by carnal appetite.
- The hand of Aqahat shall harvest thee, O Ghezer,
- It shall put thee with them in the granary.'"