ancient Near East could miss. A religiously aware ancient near eastern reader would have understood that this verse claims suzerainty over the universe for the God it names. That is so because, in the ancient world, the creator god was also suzerain over all that he had created. Consequently, the statement that God created heaven and earth implies that he is in covenant with both and, moreover, that he is the source of all authority for any beings in heaven above or on earth below.