Genesis creation narrative. The Epic of Gilgamesh is also said to have influenced the Genesis flood narrative. The Sumerian myth of Enmerkar and the Lord of Aratta also had influence on the Tower of Babel myth in Genesis. Some writers trace the story of Esther to Babylonian roots. El Elyon also appears in Balaam's story in Numbers and in Moses song in Deuteronomy 32.8. The Masoretic Texts suggest: When the Most High ('Elyōn) divided to the nations their inheritance, he separated the sons of man (Ādām); he set the bounds of the people according to the number of the sons of Israel. Rather than "sons of Israel", the Septuagint, the Greek Old Testament, suggests the "angelōn theou," or "angels of God", and a few versions even have huiōn theou (sons of God). The Dead Sea Scrolls version of this suggests that there were in fact 70 sons of the Most High God sent to rule over the 70 nations of the Earth. This idea of the 70 nations of Earth, each ruled over by one of the Elohim (sons of God), is also found in Ugaritic texts. The Arslan Tash inscription suggests that each of the 70 sons of El Elyon was bound to their people by a covenant. Thus, Crossan translates: The Eternal One ('Olam) has made a covenant oath with us, Asherah has made (a pact) with us. And all the sons of El, And the great council of all the Holy Ones (Qedesh). With oaths of Heaven and Ancient Earth. See also Ancient Egyptian religion Arabian mythology History of Judaism Mandaeism Moses and Monotheism Names of God in Judaism Origins of Judaism Prehistoric religion Religions of the ancient Near East Semitic Neopaganism References Further reading Donald A. Mackenzie, Myths of Babylonia and Assyria (1915). Moscati, Sabatino (1968), The World of the Phoenicians (Phoenix Giant) Ribichini, Sergio "Beliefs and Religious Life" in Moscati Sabatino (1988), The Phoenicians (by L.B. Tauris in 2001) Thophilus G. Pinches, The Religion of Babylonia and Assyria, The World Wide School, Seattle (2000) External links Phoenician religion