Translated by Stephanie Dalley
A Summary of the Story.
The god Ea gave Adapa, the son of Eridu, wisdom to guide the people, but did not give him immortality. Adapa was also responsible for providing food for the gods. One day he is out fishing when the South Wind seeks to sink his boat, and in retaliation he breaks the wing of the South Wind. When the god Anu realises the South Wind is missing he is informed that Adapa is responsible and demands that he is brought to account. Guided by Ea, who shows him how to gain acceptance, but warns him against eating and drinking (because he thinks he will be given the Bread and Water of Death), although allowing him to accept clothing. He approaches Anu and with the help of two gods finds favour. Anu then wonders how he can help this man who has been favoured with the wisdom of the gods and yet is but a mere mortal and offers him the Bread of life and the Water of Life. Remembering Ea’s words Adapa refuses them, but does accept the garment and the anointing with oil (general courtesies offered to guests) that is offered. Anu then asks him why he has refused, and when he finds out, laughs, and sends him back to earth. Thus Adapa loses the possibility of immortality.
The Myth of Adapa
He (Ea) made broad understanding perfect in him (Adapa),
To disclose the design of the land.
To him he gave wisdom, but did not give eternal life.
At that time, in those years, he was a sage, son of Eridu.
Ea created him as a protecting spirit (?) among mankind.
A sage - nobody rejects his word -
Clever, extra-wise, he was one of the Anunnaki,
Holy, pure of hands, the pasisu-priest who always tends the rites.
He does baking with the bakers of Eridu,
He does the food and water of Eridu every day,
Sets up the offerings table with his pure hands,
Without him no offerings table is cleared away.
He takes the boat out and does the fishing for Eridu.
At that time Adapa, the son of Eridu,
When he had got the [leader (?)] Ea out of bed,
Used to `feed' the bolt of Eridu every day.
At the holy Kar-usakar he embarked in a sailing-boat
And without a rudder his boat would drift,
Without a steering-pole he would take his boat out into the broad sea.
South Wind
Send him? to live in the fishes' home.
"South Wind, though you send your brothers against me,
However many there are, I shall break your wing!"
No sooner had he uttered these words
than South Wind's wing was broken;
For seven days South Wind did not blow towards the land.
Anu called out to his vizier Ilabrat,
"Why hasn't the south wind blown towards the land for seven days?"
His vizier Ilabrat answered him,
"My lord, Adapa, the son of Ea has broken South Wind's wing."
When Anu heard this word,
He cried "Heaven help him!", rose up from his throne.
"Send for him to be brought here!"
Ea, aware of Heaven's ways, touched him
And made him wear his hair unkempt,
Clothed him in mourning garb,
Gave him instructions,
"Adapa, you are to go before king Anu.
You will go up to Heaven,
And when you go up to Heaven,
When you approach the gate of Anu,
Dumuzi and Gizzida will be standing in the Gate of Anu,
Will see you, will keep asking you questions,
"Young man, on whose behalf do you wear mourning garb?"
You must answer:
"Two gods have vanished from our country,
And that is why I am behaving like this."
They will ask:
"Who are the two gods that have vanished from the countryside?"
You will answer:
"They are Dumuzi and Gizzida."
"They will look at each other and laugh a lot,
Will speak a word in your favor to Anu,
Will present you to Anu in a good mood.
When you stand before Anu
They will hold out for you bread of death, so you must not eat.
They will hold out for you water of death, so you must not drink.
They will hold out a garment for you; so put it on.
They will hold out oil for you; so anoint yourself.
You must not neglect the instructions I have given you;
Keep to the words that I have told you."
The envoy of Anu arrived.
"Send to me Adapa,
Who broke the South Wind's wing."
He made him take the way of heaven.
When he came up to heaven,
When he approached the Gate of Anu,
Dumuzi and Gizzida were standing in the Gate of Anu.
They saw Adapa and cried, "Heaven help him!
Young man, on whose behalf do you look like this?
Adapa, on whose behalf do you wear mourning clothes?
"Two gods have vanished from the country,
and that is why I am wearing mourning clothes."
"Who are the two gods who have vanished from the country?"
"Dumuzi and Gizzida," Adapa answered.
They looked at each other and laughed a lot.
When Adapa drew near to the presence of King Anu,
Anu saw him and shouted,
"Come here, Adapa! Why did you break South Wind's wind?"
Adapa answered Anu,
"My lord, I was catching fish in the middle of the sea,
For the house of my lord Ea.
But he inflated the sea into a storm
And south wind blew and sank me!
I was forced to take up residence in the fishes' home.
In my fury, I cursed South Wind."
Dumuzi and Gizzida responded from beside him,
Spoke a word in his favor to Anu.
His heart was appeased, he grew quiet.
"Why did Ea disclose to wretched mankind
The ways of heaven and earth,
Give them a heavy heart?
It was he who did it!
What can we do for him?
Fetch him the bread of eternal life and let him eat!"
They fetched him the bread of eternal life, but he would not eat.
They fetched him the water of eternal life, but he would not drink.
They fetched him a garment, and he put it on himself.
They fetched him oil, and he anointed himself.
Anu watched him and laughed at him.
"Come Adapa, why didn't you eat? Why didn't you drink?"
Didn't you want to be immortal? Alas for downtrodden people!"
"But Ea my lord told me: "You mustn't eat! You mustn't drink!"
“Take him and send him back to his earth”.
Possible Similarities with Genesis 2 & 3?
- 1). Adapa is given wisdom. But this is very different from the knowing of good and evil, and Adapa was given it from the beginning by Ea.
- 2). Adapa is is either misled or deceived by Ea and thus loses immortality. But Ea was friendly towards him and not his enemy, even though he did not give him immortality. Thus it is very questionable whether Adapa was deliberately deceived or merely misled. It is very conceivable that Ea really thought they would give him the bread and water of death. There is no emphasis in the story at all about the idea of deception.
- 3). He refuses the bread and water of life and is returned to earth. But he returns to the same state he has left and there is no suggestion of punishment.
- 4). He is clothed by the gods and anointed with oil. However this is more an act of courtesy and goodwill. It bears no resemblance whatsoever, either to the attempts by Adam and Eve to cover themselves with fig-leaves, nor with God’s action in covering them with skins.
It is quite clear that the parallels are minor and relate to what appears in many myths, the giving of wisdom by the gods, the desire for immortality, and the failure to achieve it. There are really no grounds for considering that there is any borrowing between the two stories, except in the sense of a general background of such ideas.
Some have sought to link the name Adam with Adapa, but these attempts have not generally been recognised as successful.
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Scholarly verse by verse commentaries on the Bible.
GENESIS ---EXODUS--- LEVITICUS 1.1-7.38 --- 8.1-11.47 --- 12.1-16.34--- 17.1-27.34--- NUMBERS 1-10--- 11-19--- 20-36--- DEUTERONOMY 1.1-4.44 --- 4.45-11.32 --- 12.1-29.1--- 29.2-34.12 --- THE BOOK OF JOSHUA --- THE BOOK OF JUDGES --- PSALMS 1-17--- ECCLESIASTES --- ISAIAH 1-5 --- 6-12 --- 13-23 --- 24-27 --- 28-35 --- 36-39 --- 40-48 --- 49-55--- 56-66--- EZEKIEL --- DANIEL 1-7 ---DANIEL 8-12 ---
NAHUM--- HABAKKUK---ZEPHANIAH ---ZECHARIAH --- THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW ---THE GOSPEL OF MARK--- THE GOSPEL OF LUKE --- THE GOSPEL OF JOHN --- THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES --- 1 CORINTHIANS 1-7 --- 8-16 --- 2 CORINTHIANS 1-7 --- 8-13 -- -GALATIANS --- EPHESIANS --- COLOSSIANS --- 1 THESSALONIANS --- 2 THESSALONIANS --- 1 TIMOTHY --- 2 TIMOTHY --- TITUS --- HEBREWS 1-6 --- 7-10 --- 11-13 --- JAMES --- JOHN'S LETTERS --- REVELATION
--- THE GOSPELS
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