In Isa. 14:9-11 and Ezek. 32:21-31 we find descriptions of Sheol or the under-world. These descriptions are closely parallel to the following Babylonian poem.
Ishtar’s Descent to the Under-world[601]
Unto the land of No-return, the land of darkness,
Ishtar, the daughter of Sin, determined to go,
The daughter of Sin determined to go,
Unto the house of darkness, the dwelling of Irkalla,
5. Unto the house whose enterer never comes out,
Along the way whose going has no return,
Unto the house whose enterer is deprived of light,
Where dust is their food, their sustenance, clay,
Light they do not see, in darkness they dwell;
10. They are clothed, like birds, with a covering of wings.
Over door and bolt the dust is spread.
Ishtar, when she arrived at the gate of the land of No-return
To the keeper of the gate addressed a word:
“Keeper of the waters, open thy gate!
15. Open thy gate! Let me enter!
If thou dost not open thy gate, that I may enter,
I will shatter the door, I will break the bolt,
I will shiver the threshold, break down the doors;
I will bring up the dead to devour the living!”
20. The keeper opened his mouth and spake,
He said to Ishtar, the great:
“Stay, my lady, do not destroy it,
Let me go, let me announce thy name to Queen Allat.”
The keeper went in, he spake [to Allat]:
25. “This water thy sister, Ishtar, [has crossed]
As a servant of great powers [she comes].”
When Allat heard this,
Like the cutting of the tamarisk [was her laugh],
30. Like the crackling of reeds. [She cried]:
“What has turned her mind to me? ..........
These waters I with ..........
For food I will eat clay, for drink I will drink ..........
I will weep for men who have abandoned their wives,
35. I will weep for maidens torn from their husbands’ bosoms,
I will weep for children snatched away before their time.
Go, keeper, open thy gate to her;
Do to her according to the ancient custom.”
The keeper went and opened to her his gate:
40. “Enter, my lady; the under-world is glad,
The palace of the land of No-return rejoices at thy coming.”
He brought her through the first gate, made it wide, he took the great crown from her head.
“Why, O keeper, hast thou taken the great crown from my head?”
“Enter, my lady, such are the commands of Allat.”
45. He brought her through the second gate, he made it wide, he took the ornaments from her ears.
“Why, O keeper, hast thou taken the ornaments from my ears?”
“Enter, my lady, for such are the commands of Allat.”
He brought her through the third gate, he made it wide, he took the necklace from her neck.
“Why, O keeper, hast thou taken the necklace from my neck?”
50. “Enter, O lady, for such are the commands of Allat.”
He brought her through the fourth gate, he made it wide, he took the ornaments from her breasts.
“Why, O keeper, hast thou taken the ornaments from my breast?”
“Enter, my lady, for such are the commands of Allat.”
He brought her through the fifth gate, he made it wide, he took the girdle with birth-stones from her waist.
55. “Why, O keeper, hast thou taken the girdle with birth-stones from my waist?”
“Enter, my lady, for such are the commands of Allat.”
He brought her through the sixth gate, he made it wide, he took the bracelets from her hands and feet.
“Why, O keeper, hast thou taken the bracelets from my hands and feet?”
“Enter, my lady, for such are the commands of Allat.”
60. He brought her through the seventh gate, he made it wide, he took the breech-cloth from her body.
“Why, O keeper, hast thou taken the breech-cloth from my body?”
“Enter, my lady, for such are the commands of Allat.”
When Ishtar had gone down to the land of No-return,
Allat saw her and became enraged at her.
65. Ishtar took no heed; she sat down above her.
Allat opened her mouth and spake,
To Namtar, her messenger, she addressed a word:
“Go, Namtar, lock [her in my palace],
Bring out against her sixty diseases .......... Ishtar,
70. Disease of the eyes against her [eyes],
Disease of the side against her [sides],
Disease of the feet against her [feet],
Disease of the heart against [her heart],
Disease of the head against [her head],
75. Against her altogether ..........”
After Ishtar, the lady, [went down to the land of No-return]
The bull with the cow did not unite, nor the ass approach the she-ass;
The man in the street no more approached the maid;
The man slept in his chamber,
80. The maid slept by her oven.
Papsukal, messenger of the great gods, was sad of countenance before [Shamash],
Clad in mourning, wearing foul garments.
Then went Shamash into the presence of Sin, his father; he wept,
Before Ea, the king, his tears flowed:
85. “Ishtar has gone down into the earth; she has not come up.
Since Ishtar went down to the land of No-return,
The bull with the cow does not unite, nor the ass approach the she-ass;
The man no more approaches the maid in the street;
The man sleeps in his chamber,
90. The maid sleeps by her oven.
Then Ea in the wisdom of his heart created a man,
He created Asushunamir, the priest.
“Go, Asushunamir, to the gate of the land without return set thy face,
The seven gates of the land without return shall be opened before thee,
95. Allat shall behold thee, and shall rejoice in thy presence.
When her heart has been appeased, and her soul revived,
Conjure her also by the name of the great gods.
Turn thy thoughts to the skin which pours forth life:
‘O lady, give me the skin which pours forth life, that I may drink water from it.’”
100. When Allat heard this,
She beat upon her thigh, she bit her finger:
“Thou hast uttered a wish not to be wished.
Go, Asushunamir; I curse thee with a great curse.
The sewage of the gutters of the city shall be thy food,
105. The cesspools of the city shall be thy drink,
The shadow of the walls shall be thy dwelling,
The thresholds shall be thy habitation,
Confinement and privation shall shatter thy strength.”
Allat opened her mouth and spoke,
110. To Namtar, her messenger, she addressed the word:
“Go, Namtar, knock at the palace of justice,
Tap at the thresholds of gleaming (?) stones,
Bring out the Annunaki,[602] seat them on golden thrones,
Sprinkle Ishtar with the water of life and bring her before me.”
115. Namtar went, he knocked at the palace of justice,
He tapped at the thresholds of gleaming (?) stones,
He brought forth the Annunaki, he seated them on golden thrones,
He sprinkled Ishtar with the water of life, he brought her forth.
He brought her out of the first gate, he restored to her the breech-cloth of her body;
120. He brought her through the second gate, he restored to her the bracelets of her hands and feet;
He brought her through the third gate, he restored to her the girdle with birth-stones for her waist;
He brought her through the fourth gate, he restored to her the ornaments of her breasts;
He brought her through the fifth gate, he restored to her the necklace of her neck;
He brought her through the sixth gate, he restored to her the ornaments of her ears;
125. He brought her through the seventh gate, he restored to her the crown of her head.
(End of legend. The priest begins:)
“If she does not grant to thee her release, turn to her again;
To Tammuz, the beloved of her youth,
Pour out water, offer good oil,
With red clothing clothe him, let him play a flute of lapis lazuli.
130. Let the joyful maidens turn, .....................
When Belili has established her ritual,
With precious stones her bosom is filled.”
The wailing for her brother she heard; Belili interrupted the ritual of ....
With precious stones she filled the front of ..........
(Voice from the dead.)
135. “My only brother, harm me not;
On the day of Tammuz, play for me the lapis lazuli flute, play the Santu-flute with it,
When the wailing men and women play with it,
Let the dead return, let them smell incense.”
The description of the darkness of the under-world and the sad conditions of life with which this poem begins, shows that the Babylonians shared the gloomy views of Sheol which Isa. 14:9-11 and Ezek. 32:21-31 express.
The middle of the poem expresses the view of the ancient Semites, that the goddess of love once went down to the under-world, and that as a result all propagation of life ceased on the earth. The end of it alludes to the later belief that the goddess went down every year for her beloved Tammuz who had died, and the wailing alluded to is that spoken of by Ezekiel in Ezek. 8:14, where the prophet says he saw women wailing for Tammuz. The kind of sentiment uttered in this wailing the next extract will illustrate.
5. A Lamentation for Tammuz.[603]
The lord of destiny (?) lives no more, the lord of destiny (?) lives no more.
[Tammuz the ...... ] lives no more, ...... lives no more.
The bewailed one (?) lives no more, the lord of destiny (?) lives no more.
I am queen, my husband lives no more.
5. My son lives no more.
Dagalushumgalanna lives no more.
The lord of Arallu lives no more.
The lord of Durgurgurru lives no more.
The shepherd, the lord Tammuz lives no more.
10. The lord, the shepherd of the folds lives no more.
The consort of the queen of heaven lives no more.
The lord of the folds lives no more.
The brother of the mother of wine lives no more.
[He who creates] the fruit of the land lives no more.
15. The powerful lord of the land lives no more.
When he slumbers the sheep and lambs slumber also.
When he slumbers the goats and kids slumber also.
As for me, to the abode of the deep will I turn my thoughts,
To the abode of the great ones I turn my thoughts.
20. “O hero, my lord, ah me,” I will say,
“Food I eat not,” I will say,
“Water I drink not,” I will say,
“My good maiden,” I will say,
“My good husbandman,” I will say,
25. “Thy lord, the exalted one, to the nether world has taken his way,
Thy lord, the exalted one, to the nether world has taken his way.”
On account of the exalted one of the nether world, him of the radiant face, yea, radiant,
On account of the exalted one of the nether world, him of the dovelike voice, yea, dovelike,
On account of the exalted one, the lord, on account of the lord,
30. Food I eat not on account of the lord,
Water I drink not, on account of the lord.
“My good maiden, because of the lord,
My good husbandman, on account of the lord,
The hero, your lord has been destroyed,
35. The god of grain, the child, your lord, has been destroyed.”
His kindly look gives peace no more,
His kindly voice imparts cheer (?) no more;
.......... in his place, like a dog he sleeps;
My lord in his .......... slumbers like a raven
40. Alone is he, himself,
My lord, for whom the wail is raised.
(Forty-one lines—a psalm on the flute to Tammuz.)
This poem illustrates what Ezekiel may have heard in vision, when in spirit he was brought to the northern gate of the temple, and heard women wailing for Tammuz (Ezek. 8:14).