Outline of "The Poem of the Righteous Sufferer"

Tablet 1: Praise to Marduk for deliverance from suffering

Praise for Marduk generally (1-36)

Opening statement of praise (1)

Descriptions (2-36)

Marduk! (3ff)

Anger juxtaposed w/ mercy (2, 4-8)

Wisdom (1, 3)

Power juxtaposed w/ gentleness (9-10)

Marduk! (11ff)

Repeat of power juxtaposed w/ gentleness (11-12)

Various metaphors for same juxtaposition given (13-22)

Judgment of Marduk (23-30)

Particularly here w/ relationship to gods he reconciles them (28), knows their thoughts (29), but is unknown by them (they cannot read his thoughts (30)

31 repeats 29. Seems common literary feature to repeat line w/ intervening line. Like a sandwich.

No one can withstand Marduk (builds on 31 w/ no one understanding him) (31-36)

Worshipper praises in light of deliverance (37-120)

General introduction of worship on basis of deliverance (37-40)

Distressful situation recounted (41-120)

Divine help vanished (various gods, Marduk’s favor, etc.) (41-46)

Resulting terror: vigor, strength, dignity gone, terror, etc. (47-50)

No help from fortune-telling (51-54)

No help from royal government (55-70)

King against him (55-56)

Courtiers against him (57-70)

General statement of opposition (57-58)

Description of seven courtiers plotting against him (59-70)

Resulting despondence for author (71-78)

Opposed by all kinds of people (79-98)

Specific actions taken against him by community (mostly removal of privileges, work, etc) (99-104)

Lamentation at all times (105-107)

Lamentation affected his bodily appearance (108-114)

His speech turned back (115-118)

Statement that things must get better at some point (119-120)

Tablet 2: Continuation of misfortune

Summary of how things progressed (1-3)

One year had passed (1)

Things had only gotten worse (2-3)

No divine answer was obtainable (gods, goddesses, diviner, dream interpreter, etc) (4-9)

Suffering and piety (10-49)

Author suffers like ungodly (10-23)

Author affirms piety (24-33)

Author wishes he knew his acts of piety were acceptable to the gods (34-39)

Author wishes he knew what was acceptable (34)

Some things that seem good may not be (35-36)

Unknowability of gods affirmed (37-39)

Examples of those whose fortunes changed in a moment (40-49). Last line: these things don’t make sense.

Author recounts own suffering (50-120)

General statement of misfortune (50)

Bodily pain (51-53)

Spiritual forces against him (54-60)

Resulting symptoms in various parts of his body (61-107)

Exorcists, diviners, gods cannot help (108-113)

Author on edge of death w/ people lamenting (114-120)

In Tablet 2 line numbering different starting at 100. This outline reflects numbering found in work (ii 100 = line 100 one line below note saying “100”).

Seems like 4-9 and 108-113 form inclusio. Perhaps something of a chiastic structure.

Tablet 3: Marduk heals sufferer

Continuation of suffering at hands of gods (1-8)

Dream of magnificient man (see footnote 6) (9-20)

Description of the man in magnificence (9-14)

Dialogue (badly preserved) (15-18)

Silence follows (19-20)

Dream of purifier (21-26)

Identification of man as purifier in dream (21-24)

Speech: Sent Laluralimma sent purifier to cleanse him (25-26)

Water poured on author, incantation, and massage (27-28)

Dream of woman (goddess?) and exorcist (29-45)

Woman (29-39)

Described/introduced in dream (29-34)

Woman orders his deliverance (35-39)

Exorcist (40-45)

Ur-Nindinugga, an exorcist, introduced in the dream (40-42)

Exorcist brings a swathe (43-45)

Marduk heals the author (46-120)

Marduk sends signs of healing (including serpent) and healed him (46-50)

Explanation for healing: Marduk was appeased and accepted prayer (51-55)

Worship of Marduk (56-61)

Description of Marduk healing each symptom (in language of defeating an enemy) (62-95 and a-k[=120])

Lines 62ff unknown exact location.

Tablet 4: Rejoicing after deliverance and restoration

Episode A: Further description of healing and deliverance

General description of deliverance (1-10)

Marduk defeated sufferer’s enemy (11-14)

Interesting juxtaposition here. In 9 Marduk appears to be smiter but in 11ff Marduk smites the smiter.

Statement about river ordeal (place where fate is decided). Sufferer struck on head (l-m).

Fragment B: Sufferer recounts being brought back from death

Prayers recounted (1-2)

Recounting life being given at various gates (3-16)

Offerings made at various gates (related to Esagila also in line 2) (17-27)

Sufferer goes through streets in joy and tells others to learn from him. Marduk delivered. (o-r)

Fragment C

Recounting of change of fortunes for better (1-4)

Particularly: tomb he made was set up for a feast (4)

Babylonians as whole now see that Marduk and Sarpanitum (consort, cf. footnote 11) (5-12)

Call to worship Marduk (13-18)

Last part unclear but may be another call to worship (19-26)