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Israel Bible Center | Discover the Hebrew roots of the Bible with some of the world’s best scholars

Israel Bible Center | Discover the Hebrew roots of the Bible with some of the world’s best scholars Skip to content Courses All Courses The World of the Bible Creation and Torah Stories Prophecy and Poetry Jews and Jesus Visions of the Divine Jewish Beliefs and History Hebrew Language and Prayer Roundtables All Roundtables The World of the Bible Creation and Torah Stories Prophecy and Poetry Jews and Jesus Visions of the Divine Jewish Beliefs and History Perspectives on the Bible Hebrew Language and Prayer Explore Magazine Podcasts Reviews About Us About Us Faculty Frequently Asked Questions Contact Us Login Enroll Now Search for Courses, Roundtables, Podcasts, Articles, Faculty Login Enroll Now Home Hebrew Bible Israel's God vs. Babylon's Tiamat Israel's God vs. Babylon's Tiamat By Dr. Nicholas J. Schaser February 08, 2022 22.5K 80 The Hebrew Bible begins, “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God hovered over the face of the waters” (Gen 1:1-2). Genesis presents a placid picture of God surveying the soon-to-be organized creation. Yet, as the biblical authors detailed God’s calm creative process, they had another (alternative) story in mind called the Enuma Elish: the creation according to Babylonian cosmology. Addressing people who were familiar with that story, the Biblical account of creation challenged the Babylonian account at its core. The Babylonian creation story begins with a goddess of the watery depths named Tiamat. Eventually, the god Marduk kills Tiamat by splitting her in half and using one of her halves to create the expanse of the heavens. With the Babylonian creation story in mind, let’s revisit the biblical account which states, “darkness was over the face of the deep” and God hovered over the deep waters.... The word for “deep” in Hebrew is תהום (tehom), which is linguistically related to the Babylonian word for “Tiamat." When the Israelites asserted that their God had control over the tehom (the deep), they declared that Israel's God was stronger than Babylon’s goddess. While the Babylonians envisioned Tiamat as a ferocious water deity, the Israelites presented a creation story in which the fearsome Tiamat was simply the tehom -- the deep waters which are nothing more than a part of a God-ordained created order. In other words, Babylon’s goddess is nothing more than a mundane force of nature in the hands of Israel’s God. Unlike Marduk, the God of Israel does not need half of the water-god Tiamat to create the expanse of the heavens. Rather, the God of the Bible creates by the power of his word: “Let there be an expanse (רקיע; raqia) in the midst of the waters (מים; mayim)… and God called the expanse the heavens” (Gen 1:6a, 1:8a). An essential point of the biblical creation story is to demonstrate the decisive supremacy of Israel's God over all other deities, including those of Babylon. For more - Click here now Categories Hebrew Bible Jewish Gospels Extra-Biblical Texts Hebrew Prayer Jewish Apostle Paul Hebrew Revelation Jewish History Jewish Apostles Authors Dr. Eliyahu Lizorkin-Eyzenberg Dr. Nicholas J. Schaser Dr. Yeshaya Gruber Dr. Carlos Santos Carretero Pinchas Shir Share or copy link copy Leave a comment *Please remember to keep all comments and questions respectful and appropriate based on the conversation The name field is required. The email field is required. The comment field is required. Characters left: 340 Post comment Loading comments 60+ courses Join for access to: Over 60 online biblical courses, more than 70 exclusive Roundtable Talks with top scholars, Israel Bible Weekly Magazine, Israel Bible Podcast episodes, and more! Dive into the world of Hebrew Culture and Context of the Bible with UNLIMITED access! Start FREE Trial Access to 60+ courses A variety of engaging online courses in Jewish and Biblical studies from Genesis to Revelation and beyond! 70+ Roundtables Face-to-face conversations with a broad array of experts and scholars from the world’s leading universities Hebraic Insights Over 1,000 easy-to-read educational articles and inspirational insights from the Bible‘s original languages Courses All Courses Jewish Beliefs and History Jews and Jesus The World of the Bible Roundtables All Roundtables Perspectives on the Bible Creation and Torah Stories The World of the Bible Explore Magazine Podcasts Reviews About Us About Faculty Frequently Asked Questions Contact Us Ahaliav St 8, Ramat Gan5252261, [email protected] Terms of Use Privacy Policy Return Policy Israel Bible Institute | Copyright © 2017-2024