What does this research mean for the field?

The Hittite Elkunirša and Egyptian pLeiden I 343 + 345 texts preserve characteristic features of Canaanite poetic parallelism, demonstrating the transmission and adaptation of these early poetic forms outside the Levant during the Late Bronze Age. Novelty: ClaimNovelty.INCREMENTAL. Consensus alignment: ConsensusAlignment.NEUTRAL.

What question did this study set out to answer?

This article aims to explore instances of Canaanite poetic parallelism found in Hittite and Egyptian texts.

June 6, 2026Open Access

Canaanite Parallelism in Hittite and Egyptian Texts: Transmission and Adaptation

Key Points

This article aims to explore instances of Canaanite poetic parallelism found in Hittite and Egyptian texts.
Examined Late Bronze Age texts: Hittite Elkunirša and Egyptian pLeiden I 343 + 345.
Conducted comparative analysis to identify features of Canaanite poetic tradition.
Analyzed philological passages to recover early poetic forms.
Identified Canaanite poetic conventions in both Hittite and Egyptian texts.
Clarified complex philological sections through the analysis of poetic structures.
Expanded understanding of pre-biblical literary corpus by recovering early poetic forms.

Abstract

This article examines selected instances of Canaanite poetic parallelism preserved in two Late Bronze Age texts outside the Levant: the Hittite Elkunirša and the Egyptian pLeiden I 343 + 345. Through comparative analysis, it traces within these parallel structures features characteristic of Canaanite poetic convention, including distinctive epic formulae, fixed word pairs, graded numerical patterns, and expanded construct expressions. Their analysis not only clarifies difficult philological passages but also recovers early poetic forms, thereby expanding the limited pre-biblical corpus.

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