Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Jim West <jwest AT Highland.Net>]

Colleagues,

In comments re: Job 1:8 Carol Newsome says that hasatan is "One who defends
a king's honor by zealously ferreting out hidden disloyalty".  My question-
is there any near eastern text which describes the activities of 'hasatan'
in any court?  Is the word used outside the HB to describe a loyalist spy
who went about the kingdom to uncover plots and the like?  Is there another
word in the literature which would denote this kind of activity?  Is there
some Babylonian text or Sumerian or Akkadian or Ugaritic which uses the
equivalent of 'hasatan' in this sort of way?

In sum, is there any evidence that Newsome is correct here?

Thanks,

Jim

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Jim West, ThD
email- jwest AT highland.net
web page-  http://web.infoave.net/~jwest