Birth Bricks, Potter’s Wheels, and Exodus 1,16 311 relevant section of Westcar, the deities Isis, Nephtys, Heket, and Meshkenet are present while Reddedet gives birth. Khnum is the male deity present and the one responsible for bringing in the birthing stool. It is interesting that this deity is connected with ceramic production and the birth of humans, and that his toolkit includes equipment for both birthing and pottery production. This is reminiscent of the Mesopotamian story known to modern audiences as: “Enki and the World Order” (12). There, the goddess Nintu, acting as a midwife, is said to be equipped with a brick for use in assisting the birth activities. Matthew Rutz has noted the various puns on the name of Nintu, which is understood to mean “Lady Birth” (13) She is described there as Nintu, the Lady of giving birth, and the Sumerian reads: dingir NIN-TUD, NIN-TUD-TUD-DA. This same cognitive connection between pottery production and human reproduction may also be apparent in the Hebrew Bible. In Gen 27,7 God is said to create man out of the hmdah-ˆm rp[ (“dust of the ground”), and the subsequent animals that he creates are all made from the ground. Likewise, the use of the verb rxy to describe God’s activity further points to the analogy of pottery production since this verb is used to describe ceramic production activities in other parts of the Hebrew Bible (such as Isa 29, 16; 1 Chr 4,23, and most noteworthy for us — Jer 18,4). Clearly there was a conceptual connection between at least the initial creation of humanity and the earth, manifest semiotically in Biblical Hebrew. Ceramic production begins with gathering clay and mud from the earth. Likewise, the creation of humans is described as originating in the clay of the earth. What this evidence suggests is not a specific answer to the question of what ’obnayim means in both the Exodus and the Jeremiah context. Rather, it demonstrates that there was some conceptual connection between the two types of activity in the ancient Near East. The language of ceramic production was used in discussions of childbirth and conception. One does not need to posit, then, that there is a direct link between the ’obnayim equipment used in ceramic production and the ’obnayim equipment used in childbirth. BDB’s attempts to draw a material parallel between these two objects is not necessary, although it is possible that the use of the same word in both (12) For translation, commentary, and composite text edition, see C. BENITO, “Enki and Ninmah” and “Enki and the World Order” (University of Pennsylvania, Ph.D Dissertation, 1969). (13) M. RUTZ, Personal Communication.