The Babylonians, Egyptians, and ancient Hebrews made sense of the moral aspect of the mythopoeic worldview by following a higher power for the beneficial outcome of those who were involved in the situation. Particularly, the Babylonians and the Egyptians had their similarities and differences when it came to this topic in their respective societies. In The Epic of Gilgamesh, Gilgamesh traveled to Uta-napishti, son of Ubar-tutu, after learning he can live an eternal life. Because Enkidu has just died, Gilgamesh is now afraid of death (The Epic of Gilgamesh, 70). When Gilgamesh reached Uta-napishti, he asked how he was able to gain immortality. Uta-napishti replied saying he survived the Deluge and was given immortality by the Gods as a result (The Epic of Gilgamesh, 88). As a result of this, Uta-napishti asked Gilgamesh to go without sleep for a week, but when he failed, Gilgamesh become more afraid of the idea of death because he learned that sleep could not conquer death. This shows us that Gilgamesh is willing to do anything he can to make sure that he does not die and that he can live an immortal life, like Uta-napishti, as well. Gilgamesh sees Uta-napishti to be like God, or a powerful force, so he is obliging to every and any suggestion that is being given to him. Alas, Uta-napishti told Gilgamesh about a plant that has the property of rejuvenation (The Epic of Gilgamesh, 88) and that it can be found deep in the sea. Because of how desperate Gi
lgamesh is for having an immortal life, he went to retrieve the plant, but when he stopped to wash, a snake stole it. After this, he realized that all of his hard work had gone to waste and that death would be inevitable for him.
On the other hand, in the Book of Exodus, it is clear that God wanted all humans to fear Him and obey everything He would say. If someone wants to be considered a good person, they must only pray to The Lord, they shall have no other Gods (Exodus 20:3), they cannot commit any sins, and they must follow the Ten Commandments. Essentially, The Lord wanted everyone to follow the Ten Commandments, so there would be more order. Because of this, Moses had to follow any order that The Lord would tell him. If The Lords orders were not followed, the Egyptians would have to face His wrath. However, the Ten Commandments were quite contradictory. According to the text, Moses told the sons of Levi Thus says the Lord& Put your sword on your side, each of you! Go back and forth from gate to gate throughout the camp, and each of you kills your brother, your friend, and your neighbor (Exodus 32:27). This is showing us that The Lord wanted the sons of Levi to kill all of the people in their camp and make them think that they would not face any consequences. However, the next day, Moses said to the sons that they have sinned a great sin (Exodus 32:30) and punished all of them for following The Lords words, which Moses was ordered to tell them.