Abstract
Though the “Fifty Names” of Marduk in Enūma eliš (below called Ee) is famous in Babylonian literature, we have not intensively discussed the significance of “fifty” names. VI 123 to VII 136 of Ee contain in fact fifty-one names. However, the epic insists on “fifty”, the number generally attributed to Enlil, the head of the pantheon before Marduk. Ee mentions the number “fifty” for the first time at the birth of Marduk and uses it repeatedly whenever the story takes a new turn. Analyzing the epic, We suspect that the author(s) made use of this number, in order to emphasize that the kingship of the Babylonian pantheon was transfered from Enlil to Marduk.
We have two related texts with Neo-Assyrian manuscrips. One, CT 25, 50+ Rm 52 contains the mystical numbers of the gods. Here, the fifty is attributed to Enlil and Ninurta, and ten to Marduk. The tablet was copied by the scribe at the reigns of Sargon and Sennacherib.
Another text, CT 13, 32, a commentary on Ee, says on rev.12’ the following “fifty = hansā, fifty is dBE”. dBE generally indicates Enlil, but the texts giving the reading have recently been found. It is thus possible to interprete the rev.12’ as “fifty hansā, fifty is dBE(=Marduk)". This reading seems most probable since the first half of rev.12’ is the same as Ee VII 144.
The use as dBE= dBēl dates the copy to the same period as CT 25, 50+ Rm 52. But at that time dBE may still have indicated Enlil as well. Perhaps, the author of CT 13, 32 made use of this double understanding to emphasize that the kingship of the gods had been transtered from Enlil to Marduk.
