THE EXPLOITS OF DIBBARA.  
Dibbara.—God of Pestilence.—Itak.—The Plague.—Seven warrior gods.—Destruction of people.—Anu.—Goddess of Karrak.—Speech of Bel.—Sin and destruction of Babylonians.—Samas.—Sin and destruction of Erech.—Istar.—The great god and Duran.—Cutha.—Internal wars.—Itak goes to Syria.—Power and glory of Dibbara.—Song of Dibbara.—Blessings on his worship.—God Ner.—Prayer to arrest the Plague.—Antiquity of the legend.—Itak.
 
 
HE tablets recording this story are five in number, but a few fragments only of them have as yet been found. From the indications presented by these fragments the first four tablets seem each to have had four columns of writing, while the fifth tablet was a smaller one of two columns containing the remainder of the story.
 
The god whose exploits are principally recorded was the leader of the plague-demons, and bears the name of Dibbara. He has the title of “the darkening one,” which recalls the passage in Psalm xci. 6, “the pestilence that walketh in darkness.”
 
He has a companion deity named Itak who marches126 before him, and seven gods who follow him in his destructive course. The latter are the seven evil spirits in a new form.
 
The point of the story in these tablets appears to be, that the people of the world had offended Anu the god of heaven, and accordingly that deity ordered Dibbara to go forth and strike the people with the pest. It is evident here that exactly the same views prevailed in Babylonia as among the Jews, visitations from pestilence or famine being always supposed to be sent by the deity in punishment for some sin. In fact, the account of the pestilence inflicted upon the Israelites on account of David’s sin in numbering the people is a striking parallel to the Accadian legend which follows. The angel of the pestilence seen by David, with his sword drawn, may be compared with Dibbara, the Accadian personification of the pest.
 
The whole of this series of tablets may be described as a poetical picture of the destruction caused by a plague, sweeping over district after district, and destroying everything before it.
 
The fragment which appears to come first in the series is a very mutilated portion of a tablet, containing parts of three columns of writing. Only a fragment of the first column is perfect enough to translate, and the characters on this are so worn that the translation cannot be other than doubtful. It seems to read
 
1. Against the paling he struck and ....
127
2. the fifth time he smote (?) above and below seeking .....
3. seven ......
4. The words of the account of the seven gods all of them Anu had heard.
5. He .... them also to Dibbara the warrior of the gods: May thy hands go
5(sic.). whenever the people of the nations their shame [or alliance] have destroyed.
7. I have set thy heart also to make darkness.
8. The people of the black heads to ruin thou shalt strike with the desolation of the god Ner;
9. may thy weapons (overthrow) them, and may thy hands go.
10. As for them ..... their weapons.
11. He said to Dibbara: ......
The speech of Anu which follows is written in characters so broken and indistinct as to make any attempt at translation impossible.
 
The next fragment is of a different character, but appears from its style to belong to the same series.
 
1. .... he ....
2. .. spake to him and he explained (?) ....
3. .. spake to him and he learned (?) ....
4. Anu at the doing of Hea shouted for joy and ....
5. the gods of heaven and earth as many as exist whosoever thus answered;
6. his command which was like the command of Anu whosoever appointed
128
7. .... extending from the horizon of heaven to the top of heaven
8. .... he looked and his fear he saw
9. .... Anu who .... over him .... made
10. .... of Hea his calamity (?) made
11. .... a fierce lord to later days to ....
12. .... seed of mankind
13. .... triumphantly the net (?) .. he broke
14. .... to heaven he had ascended, she thus
15. .... 4,021 people he had placed
16. .... the illness which was on the body of the people he had placed
17. .... the illness the goddess of Karrak made to cease.
The next portion of the legend is a considerable part of one of the tablets, probably the fourth, all four columns of writing being represented. There are many curious points in this tablet, beside the special purpose of the legend, such as the peoples enumerated in the fourth column, the action of the gods of the various cities, &c.
 
Column I.
 
1. Bel .... his yokes and
2. (in his) heart he says:
3. Dibbara is crouching at his gate, among the corpses of chiefs and slaves;
4. Dibbara is crouching at his gate; thou knowest his seat.
5. Babylon their foes besieged, and
129
6. their curse art thou.
7. To the floor thou didst trample them and thou didst make a passage,
8. O warrior Dibbara.
9. Thou didst leave the land, thou didst go forth against others;
10. the destruction of the nobles wast thou made, and thou didst descend into the palace.
11. The people also saw thee; their weapons were shattered.
12. The high priest the avenger of Babylon sets his heart,
13. when the ranks of the enemies to spoil he urges on his soldiers.
14. Before the face of the people they did evil.
15. To that city whither I shall send thee, thou a man
16. shalt not fear, shalt not respect a man.
17. Small and great as one man cast down and
18. of that evil race thou shalt not save any one.
19. The collection of the goods of Babylon thou spoilest;
20. the people of the king (which) is gathered together, and entered into the city,
21. shaking the bow, planting the sword (?)
22. of the soldiers the help, the transgression (transgressors) against Anu and Dagon,
23. their weapons thou plantest,
24. their corpses like the pouring down of rain thou dost cast down in the streets of the city,
130
25. and their treasures (?) thou openest, and dost sweep into the river.
26. The spell Merodach saw and angrily (?) spoke,
27. his heart was taken,
28. an unsparing curse in his mouth was formed,
29. .... the river he did not ....
Column II.
 
Many lines lost.
 
1. .... that city which the lord of the earth ...
2. a whirlwind he did not (make) ....
3. without Samas his tower thou crossest, the land thou givest (?)
4. of Erech the seat of Anu and Istar,
5. the city of (the handmaids) Samkhati and Kharimati, the choirs of
6. Istar. Death they fear (and) they are delivered into thy hands (?).
7. The Suti (Arab nomads) with the Suti are placed in ....
8. they are slain; the temple of Anu the priests, the festival makers,
9. who, to make the people of Istar worship, their manhood devoted,
10. carrying swords, carrying razors, dupe, and knives,
11. who to rejoice the glory of Istar trusted,
12. O fierce high priest, the bowing-down of the face over them thou hast made.
131
13. Their foundations also, their shrines ....
14. Istar cried out and was troubled over the city of Erech,
15. the enemy she strikes and like corn on the face of the waters she scatters.
16. Dwelling in his .... Bit-Parra ....
17. ... she rests not from the war.
18. The enemy whom thou hast stricken obeys not ....
19. The great god answered the speech:
20. The city of Duran to streams of blood ....
21. the people who dwell in the midst of it like reeds (are trembling);
22. .... before the waters their alliance ....
23. and ... thou dost not ....
24. to the Suti ........
25. I in my city Duran judge uprightly
26. I do not ........
27. evil (?) I do not give and ....
28. the upright people I leave ....
Five other broken lines.
Column III.
 
Many lines lost.
 
1. .... the house he had built ....
2. this he did, and I ....
3. the day he brought me my fate I ....
4. him, his camp (?) also he caused to destroy ..
5. Afterwards may they destroy, and to another
132
6. O warrior Dibbara, the established also in Gutium,
7. the unestablished also in Gutium,
8. who sin against thee also in Gutium,
9. who do not sin against thee also in Gutium,
10. .... the destroyer (?) of the clothes of the god of Gutium,
11. .... the mover of the............