An innocent reader of this passage will certainly break out laughing from the comic scene. But there is an additional dimension to this description, which be it primary or secondary is intentional. This dimension is revealed in an ancient Assyrian cultic commentary that reads: “The king who opens the barrel in the race is Marduk who captured Tiamat with his penis” (ša ina ušarı̄šu Tiamat ikmû). It is reasonable to assume that Marduk’s sexual organ is none other than the arrow mentioned in Enūma Eliš as his weapon. The commentator has sensed the obscene nature of the original text and has been drawn to it, and we too should give it proper heed. As is well known, sexual and anal humor go hand in hand, and this applies to Mesopotamian humor as well. It seems, therefore, that the sexual humor of the commentary has been piqued by the anal humor in the text, the specific stimulus being the reference to the evil wind going behind Marduk.