Nabonidus and the Curse of the Moon-God

On the Relationship between Daniel 4 and the Prayer of Nabonidus

Abstract

The “Prayer of Nabonidus” (4Q242) from Qumran relates that the Babylonian king Nabonidus was smitten by God with a grievous skin disease for seven years while in Teima. This story recalls the account of Nebuchadnezzar’s bestialization for seven years, as well as the historical incident of Nabonidus’ sojourn in Teima. Consequently, scholars have generally viewed the Prayer of Nabonidus as reflecting an intermediate stage in a nearly unilinear evolution of the tale that eventually found a place in Daniel 4. However, though there are a number of obvious parallels between Daniel 4 and the Prayer, there are also noteworthy differences, the most noticeable one being the difference in the nature of the affliction suffered by the monarch.

Both motifs, Nebuchadnezzar’s bestial behavior and Nabonidus’ skin disease, can be traced back to a Babylonian curse formula which calls upon the moon-god Sîn to inflict a skin disease on the transgressor and make him roam the steppe like a wild ass. The “Uruk Chronicle concerning the Kings of Ur” (SpTU 1, 2), dated to the mid-third century B.C., relates that Šulgi was afflicted with a skin disease in punishment for his sin. A. Cavigneaux considers the passage concerning Šulgi to be a covert allusion to Nabonidus. In this light, it is likely that an account of Nabonidus’ suffering from the curse of the moon-god circulated in Babylonia and was adopted by Jewish authors. This paper proposes that this tradition about Nabonidus’ affliction divided at some point into two branches: one retaining the theme of a skin disease, from which the Prayer of Nabonidus stemmed, and the other concerned with the king’s bestial behavior, which was the origin of the account of Nebuchadnezzar’s madness in Daniel 4.