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.
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137𒄴𒉿𒅆𒈠𒆠𒈠𒉡𒉡𒈦𒁲𒂊𒀀𒈾𒈫𒋗
138𒈪𒅖𒇻𒍑𒊭𒅖𒆪𒉆𒈠𒊭𒈠𒈠𒌋𒍝𒀠𒇸
the lines as the scribe pressed them into the clay, read left to right
iḫ-pi-ši-ma1
iḫpīšima
He split herhe broke her
a-na2
ana
into
šina-šu3
šinā-šu
twoits two
ki-ma4
kīma
like
nu-nu5
nūnu
a fish
maš-di-e6
mašdê
for dryingoyster
; mi-iš-lu-uš-ša7
mišlušša
Half of her
iš-ku-nam-ma8
iškunamma
he set uphe placed
u-ṣa-al-lil9
uṣallil
he roofedhe covered over
ša-ma-ma10
šamāma
the skyheaven
. He split her into two like a fish for drying; half of her he set up [and] roofed [with it] the sky.
He split her into two like a fish for drying; half of her he set up [and] roofed [with it] the sky.
4.139-140
Enūma eliš 4.139-140 · Guards on the waters above
The sky is a barrier with water behind it, and it needs a bolt and guards.
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139𒅖𒁺𒌓𒌓𒆪𒈠𒊍𒍝𒊒𒌋𒊭𒊍𒁉𒀉
140𒈨𒂊𒊭𒆷𒋗𒍝𒀀𒋗𒉡𒋾𒌝𒋫𒀪𒅕
the lines as the scribe pressed them into the clay, read left to right
He drew the bolt, he posted guards, [and] ordered them not to let out her waters.
Here is the parallel readers of Genesis come for. Genesis 1:6-7 (King James Version): “Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament.” In both stories a solid sky is set up in the middle of the waters, with water above it and water below.
The differences are as plain as the likeness. In Genesis God speaks and it is done; here a god splits a body like a fish. The Hebrew Bible keeps echoes of the battle elsewhere, Psalm 74:13 (KJV): “Thou didst divide the sea by thy strength: thou brakest the heads of the dragons in the waters.” Langdon reads mašdê as a “closed fish”, a mussel that opens into two shells; most later editors read “a fish for drying”.