Abstract
In scholarship on Levantine religion the divine names Eshem and Ashima are generally regarded as closely connected, but the question of their etymology and meaning continues to prompt debate. The present study offers a critical review of the etymologies that have been put forward since the beginning of the 20th century, focusing particularly on recent proposals by Karel van der Toorn and Edward Lipiński. The analysis concludes that both names are related to the Semitic concept of šm “name,” widely attested as a divine epithet in the ancient Near East. Pointing to their status as offspring gods, this interpretation throws new light on the mythological profiles of Eshem and Ashima as well as their relationship to one another in the West Semitic pantheon.
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