Habiru. Was: Meaning of term Hebrew

uri hurwitz uhurwitz at yahoo.com
Fri Aug 9 15:46:01 EDT 2002


  Ian wrote:
> 
>" How does Meeks explain the long medial vowel in Akkadian and 
> Western Peripheral Akkadian, but not in the Hebrew? If the 
> word is actually Akkadian how does one explain the initial /x/ 
> and an ayn in Hebrew (given that numerous cognates between the 
> two languages starting with chet exist)? If it isn't, how can 
> one hope to explain any connection??"
> 
> Ian,if this Habiru-'Ibri matter is of  real interest to you, may I suggest that we let Th. Meek in Hebrew Origin  speak for himself; he is the translator of the Hammurabi Code in ANET, so he knows a little Akkadian. Obviously the medial long vowel does not concern him in this case.The book is worth reading for the lucidity of the discussion and the elegance of the style, not to mention its view and approach. But thats  another matter.
  Also ,Ian, we seem to have factual differences: the Akkadian sign stands
for both h(-) and 'Ayin , thus the possible conncection to'Ibry.   .
> 
"We know, however, 
> that during the reign of Merneptah there was a tribal entity 
> called Israel which seems geographically already around the 
> area later to become the realm of Israel, ie the north, which 
> suggests that this Israel is not even derived from those habiru 
> mentioned in the Amarna letters, the most famous of whom had 
> hold of Gezer (also mentioned by Merneptah)." 

>   If you check your Amarna letters you'll find quite a few habiru in the  north, by that I mean in the area that is now Lebanon and elsewhere.Furthermore,one cannot postulate that the sitatution between the Amarna age, and one hundred fifty years later in Merneptah's time remained frozen, especially with non sedentary people.
   But all this is outside the range of this list. >                      
                                   Uri




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