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  • From: JimStinehart AT aol.com
  • To: b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: [b-hebrew] B vs. P
  • Date: Thu, 20 Nov 2008 16:50:25 EST


Kevin Riley:

Another key instance of B/bet substituting for P/peh in the Patriarchal
narratives is at Genesis 14: 2, in the phrase: bet-lamed-ayin he-yod-aleph
ssade-ayin-resh/BL( HY) C(R.

The B/bet in “Bela” substitutes for P. Now we see that BL(, or PL(, is a
virtual anagram of historical “Afula”, which is spelled
ayin-peh-vav-lamed-he.
Leaving off the vowel-type indicators, the three key consonants in “Afula”
are ayin-peh-lamed/(PL. Put the ayin at the end, and [as an anagram] you
have
peh-lamed-ayin, which [with B substituting for P] is then bet-lamed-ayin at
Genesis 14: 2.

The only rich city in a valley in Canaan that historically had “Zoar” or “
small” in its name is item #54 on the mid-15th century BCE Thutmosis III
list: “
Afula the Small”. Although this rich city in this wealthy valley was by no
means tiny, this city nevertheless was often apparently called “Small” by the
locals for short. The other four cities in this incredibly rich valley are
Afula the Great, Jezreel, Megiddo and Beth Shan. As previously mentioned on
an
earlier thread, the eastern half of the Jezreel Valley, which includes Afula
the Small (apparently often simply called “Small”), is the northwest corner
of
the Jordan River Valley, because the rain that falls there runs into the
Jordan River to the east. So Afula the Small, referred to as “Small” for
short,
was located both in the Jezreel Valley (a word not used in the Patriarchal
narratives) and in the Jordan River Valley -- the KKR of the Jordan that is
referred to in chapter 13 of the Patriarchal narratives.

Scholars see both “Bela” and “Zoar” at Genesis 14: 2 as being entirely
fictional. (Scholars also don’t realize why this one of five cities, which
is
portrayed in the text as being defeated by the historical four attacking
rulers
referenced in the prior post, is portrayed, historically accurately, as not
having a ruler, but that’s another story.) But once one recognizes that the
early Hebrew author of the Patriarchal narratives sometimes deliberately
interchanges B and P in order to slightly disguise a name (with every one of
these five
cities’ names being disguised here), one can see that “Bela, that is Zoar”
means “Afula, that is Small”. Historical “Afula the Small” was, apparently,
often simply called “Small” for short. Rather than being pure fiction, as
scholars would have it, this is a slightly disguised historical Late Bronze
Age
name of a fully historical Late Bronze Age wealthy city in a wealthy valley:
Afula the Small. Both historically and in the Patriarchal narratives, Afula
the Small was one of the five “cities of the Plain”, that is, one of five
wealthy cities in a wealthy river valley. Four of those five cities,
including
Afula the Small and “Sodom”, were located in the KKR of the Jordan, the
Jordan
River Valley, where the eastern half of the Jezreel Valley is viewed as being
the northwest corner of the Jordan River Valley.

Unless one realizes that the early Hebrew author of the Patriarchal
narratives sometimes deliberately substitutes B for P and vice versa, one
will not
appreciate the stunning historical accuracy of the Patriarchal narratives.
These
city names at Genesis 14: 2 are not fictional, as scholars would have it.
No,
they are disguised versions of historical Late Bronze Age names of historical
Late Bronze Age cities located in a wealthy river valley in the heart of
Canaan.

(P.S. Note that in chapter 19 of Genesis, Sodom and Gomorrah, but not the
other three cities of the river valley, are portrayed as being destroyed by
divine fire. Gomorrah is on the western end of the Jezreel Valley, whereas
Sodom
is on the eastern end of the Jezreel Valley. The crops throughout the entire
river valley are destroyed, but the three middle cities in the center of the
Jezreel Valley, including Afula the Small, are not themselves destroyed. It
is
only after Sodom’s destruction that Lot leaves Afula the Small/Zoar. Genesis
19: 30 Finally following the angels’ original advice, Lot at last heads for
the hills on the eastern bank of the Upper Jordan River. If we don’t
understand the local geography of the Patriarchal narratives, we cannot
follow the
storyline. Historically, it was Qatna, north of Canaan, not Sodom and
Gomorrah
in Canaan, that in the Patriarchal Age was burned to the ground and never
reinhabited, after being one of five cities in a league that was historically
demolished by the four attacking rulers referred to in the prior post: “four
rulers against the five”. The early Hebrew author of the Patriarchal
narratives
well knew that, of course. In chapters 14 and 19 of Genesis, the author of
the
Patriarchal narratives is warning that what historically happened last year
north of Canaan might be the dire fate of Canaan proper itself next year,
unless
everyone pulled together to resist the dreaded Hittites.)

Jim Stinehart
Evanston, Illinois

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  • [b-hebrew] B vs. P, JimStinehart, 11/20/2008

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