Another deity whose name is also mentioned
in discussions of the pre-Israelite Jerusalem is ṣedeq. The argument is based on the following evidence: the
divine name Sydyk, ‘The Just’, is found in the writings of Philo of Byblos and
also appears as a theophoric element in personal names outside the Bible, for
example at Tell el-Amarna and Ugarit, and corresponds to the Accadian Kittu, ‘Justice’;
the name of some of the pre-Israelite kings in Jerusalem, such as Melchiṣedeq
which means ‘My King is ṣedeq’
(Gen. 14.18ff) and Adoniṣedeq (Josh. 10,1, 3), can be taken as theophoric names
connected with the deity worshipped in the city; the name of Zadok, who became
chief priest in the time of Solomon, was also theophoric, having the meaning ‘dedicated
to ṣedeq’ and denoting that he
belonged to the pre-Davidic shrine in Jerusalem. Thus, it is claimed that Jerusalem,
where Melchiṣedeq had been priest-king, and whose priesthood had eternal
validity (according to Ps. 110.4), was a cultic centre for the local deity ṣedeq. (Gwilym H. Jones, The Nathan Narratives
[Journal for the Study of the Old Testament Supplement Series 80;
Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 1990], 127-28)
