Biblical Hebrew Forum

[a.c.smith AT juno.com (Andrew C Smith)]

On Sat, 2 Jan 1999 Henry Churchyard <churchyh AT ccwf.cc.utexas.edu> writes:

>Uh, guy, just because the central government of the Hittite empire had
>a sporadic and tenuous grip, at best, on southern Canaan, doesn't mean
>that there couldn't have been Hittite individuals and family groups
>living there (among the "Girgashites, Amorites, Canaanites,
>Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites") - if you look at the Bible, it
>says that Abraham bought the burial cave from Ephron son of S.oh.ar,
>not Hattusilas the umpth.

I don't quite understand all of Henry's post, but I do know a little
about Hittites. In Hittite texts found as far north-west as modern-day
Turkey, there are large quantities of loan words from Sumerian, Akkadian,
Luwian, Hattian, Palaic, Hurrian, and Mitanni. These languages reflect
the geographical contact of the Hittites. Further, extensive
correspondence has been found, letters sent back and forth to Egypt. The
large volume of Hittite documents left to us indicates a high degree of
literacy. All of this points to a far-flung presence in the area.

- A.C. Smith

a.c.smith AT juno.com
http://www.lcms.org
http://www.lcms.com
http://www.geocities.com/athens/acropolis/5680

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