I. Name
In Ps. 68.5[Ps. 4] Yahweh is referred to as the rōkēb bāʿărābôt. Though often translated as ‘rider through the steppe’ (based on the meaning ‘steppe’ of Hebr ʿărābâ), the expression is thought to reflect the Ugaritic epithet rkb ʿrpt, ‘Rider upon the clouds’, traditionally given to Baal.
II. Identity
In the mythological texts of Ras Shamra the god Baal repeatedly gets the epithet rkb ʿrpt. It is rendered with slight nuances as ‘Rider of the Clouds’, ‘Rider on the Clouds’, ‘Who m…