Horn-Motifs in the Hebrew Bible and Related Ancient Near Eastern Literature and Iconography
type: CreativeWork
description: This investigation studies the presence of the horn-motifs on a philological, literary, and iconographical basis in both the ancient Near Eastern context and the Hebrew Bible. The first chapter is devoted to a review of prior studies, particularly in the twentieth century. Throughout almost all this century, the "history-of-religion" school and the "form-critical" school have taken the lead in archaeological and biblical interpretations. New trends of interpretation developed in the late 1960s on some aspects due to the scientifically and systematically improved archaeological approach. Prior individual studies focusing on fragmentary aspects did not sufficiently elucidate the horn-motif. A comprehensive study of the horn-motifs in ancient Near Eastern context and/or in biblical context has never been attempted. A new assessment is therefore necessary. In the second chapter we followed a philological approach with the aim of discovering the meaning of the word "horn" in such ancient Near Eastern languages as Sumerian, Akkadian, Ugaritic, Aramaic, Sout-Arabic, and Hebrew. A complexity of meanings emerged as early as the ancient Sumerian compounds of signs. Many different meanings were reflected, in the respective language investigated, though new shades of meanings developed in the course of time, especially in Aramaic and South-Arabic. The morphological structures of the Hebrew word קרן are especially scrutinized. The results are summarized in charts. We attempted a close investigation in the third chapter of related ancient Near Eastern literature and iconographic materials relating to the horn-motif. Horn-motifs are present in both literature and iconography records. Ancient Near Eastern literature substantiated several iconographic presentations. Horned headdresses on gods and goddesses appear in most of the ancient Near Eastern cultures. The moon-god (sin) became the symbol of power and fertility in astral worship. His two emblems were the "horns" of the moon an…
abstract: This investigation studies the presence of the horn-motifs on a philological, literary, and iconographical basis in both the ancient Near Eastern context and the Hebrew Bible. The first chapter is devoted to a review of prior studies, particularly in the twentieth century. Throughout almost all this century, the "history-of-religion" school and the "form-critical" school have taken the lead in archaeological and biblical interpretations. New trends of interpretation developed in the late 1960s on some aspects due to the scientifically and systematically improved archaeological approach. Prior individual studies focusing on fragmentary aspects did not sufficiently elucidate the horn-motif. A comprehensive study of the horn-motifs in ancient Near Eastern context and/or in biblical context has never been attempted. A new assessment is therefore necessary. In the second chapter we followed a philological approach with the aim of discovering the meaning of the word "horn" in such ancient Near Eastern languages as Sumerian, Akkadian, Ugaritic, Aramaic, Sout-Arabic, and Hebrew. A complexity of meanings emerged as early as the ancient Sumerian compounds of signs. Many different meanings were reflected, in the respective language investigated, though new shades of meanings developed in the course of time, especially in Aramaic and South-Arabic. The morphological structures of the Hebrew word קרן are especially scrutinized. The results are summarized in charts. We attempted a close investigation in the third chapter of related ancient Near Eastern literature and iconographic materials relating to the horn-motif. Horn-motifs are present in both literature and iconography records. Ancient Near Eastern literature substantiated several iconographic presentations. Horned headdresses on gods and goddesses appear in most of the ancient Near Eastern cultures. The moon-god (sin) became the symbol of power and fertility in astral worship. His two emblems were the "horns" of the moon an…
author: Süring, Margit Linnéa
keywords: Biblical Studies, Near Eastern Languages and Societies, Religion
date published: 1980-01-01T08:00:00Z
date modified: 2026-07-24T00:54:11Z
provider: Andrews University
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: Andrews University