4.135-136
Enūma eliš 4.135-136 · He looked at the body
The battle is over. The other gods have brought gifts. Marduk stands over the body and thinks.
· · ·
135𒄿𒉡𒌔𒈠𒁁𒈝𒊭𒇴𒌅𒍑𒄿𒁇𒊑
136𒋓𒆪𒁍𒌋𒍝𒀀𒍪𒄿𒉼𒈾𒀀𒊩𒌨𒆷𒀀𒋾
the lines as the scribe pressed them into the clay, read left to right
be-lum1
bēlum
The lord
i-nu-úḫ-ma2
inūḫma
restedhe was still
, i-bar-ri3
ibarri
gazing athe inspects
ša-lam-tu-uš4
šalamtuš
her dead bodyat the corpse
. u-za-a-zu5
uzâzu
To divideto share out
ku-pu6
kūbu
the monstrousthe monster
šir7
šīr
fleshthe flesh of
i-ban-na-a8
ibannâ
he devisedhe builds
nik-la-a-ti9
niklāti
clever plansartful things
. The lord rested, gazing at her dead body. To divide the monstrous flesh he devised clever plans.
The lord rested, gazing at her dead body. To divide the monstrous flesh he devised clever plans.
4.137-138
Enūma eliš 4.137-138 · Half of her he made the sky
The heart of the story: the sky is made from half of the sea.
· · ·
137𒄴𒉿𒅆𒈠𒆠𒈠𒉡𒉡𒈦𒁲𒂊𒀀𒈾𒈫𒋗
138𒈪𒅖𒇻𒍑𒊭𒅖𒆪𒉆𒈠𒊭𒈠𒈠𒌋𒍝𒀠𒇸
the lines as the scribe pressed them into the clay, read left to right
He split her into two like a fish for drying; half of her he set up [and] roofed [with it] the sky.
A pause before the making of the world. Marduk does not make the world from nothing; he makes it from her. The verb for his looking, barû, is the verb of the Babylonian diviner who inspected the organs of a sacrifice to read what the gods intended.
Kūbu, the word for the body, is rare. Langdon translates “the monster”. It is a lump of matter now, and the next lines turn it into a world.