Zedek - Connection To Other Middle Eastern Deities

Connection To Other Middle Eastern Deities

A connection between Sydyk and the Assyro-Babylonian deity Kittu has been proposed. The latter was also referred to as Ṣidqu and additionally the West Semitic name Ammi-ṣaduqa is translated into Akkadian as Kimtum-kittum showing an equivalence of meaning between the West Semitic ṣ-d-q and the Akkadian kittu. Kittu was similarly paired with the god Misharu whose name is a cognate of Misor, meaning "justice". In Mari the equivalent deities of Išar and Mešar are found.

An Ugaritic reference to a god named Ṣaduq has also been found, a possible forerunner of Sydyk.

It has also been conjectured that a related deity named or titled "Tzedek" (i.e. "righteousness") was worshipped in pre-Israelite Jerusalem as the names of two kings of the city, Melchizedek and Adonizedek contain the element tzedek. According to one such hypothesis "Tzedek" was an epithet of the god El (אל). However the mainstream understanding of these names (meaning "king of righteousness" and "lord of righteousness" respectively) is that they refer to the concept of righteousness and not to a god.

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