Mari and the Bible

The town of Mari is situated on the Euphrates near the eastern Syrian border. This study compares the old Babylonian texts from Mari with the Hebrew scriptures, and the early history of Israel. It is organized into three chapters, dealing with Mari and the West, prophecy, and customs and society. In view of the West Semitic or Amorite character of both Mari and the Bible, this comparison could be called imperative. In 22 chapters of essays, this study considers: Mari and the West, dealing with Mari documents pertaining to Syria and Palestine, as well as the Mediterranean region; prophecy, examining Mari prophetical texts, particularly those recently published as compared to Biblical prophecy; and customs and society, also including topics such as female royal correspondence, the royal harem, the epithet Great King , and king-lists involving the cult of the dead.