The creative exegetical methods of reading texts both literally and non-literally are not limited to the interpretation of the Bible. Commentaries on ancient cuneiform literature from Mesopotamia have been found dating all the way back to the end of the 8th century B.C.E.The abstract doesn't specify this, but the essay has many comparisons of the Akkadian commentaries to Rabbinic exegesis of the Bible.
For many PaleoJudaica posts on Akkadian and why it is important, see the links collected here.
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