Water Beneath Straw. Adventures of a Prophetic Phrase in the Mari Archives

Abstract

The god of Dagan of Terqa sends Zimri-Lim of Mari a message through a prophetess. Three different officials--the majordomo Sammetar, the priestess Inibshina, and the future Terqa governor Kibri-Dagan (via his son Kanisan)--convey this message to the king. Except for the statement "beneath straw runs water," however, each message reads differently from the other, and in this study Sasson explains why. He also suggests a reason for the fact that Zimri-Lim did not follow Dagan's admonition.