Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Jonathan D. Safren" <yonsaf AT beitberl.beitberl.ac.il>]

Abraham's dealings with the Philistines are only one bit of an array of
evidence placing the Abraham traditions (or at least their composition,
oral or otherwise) in the 11th century BCE or later. There is also the
matter of Abraham's camels (which first appeared as domesticated in the
11th century), the city name Dan in Gen. 14 (its name was changed from
Layish sometime during the Settlement), Abraham's hometown of Ur of the
Chaldees (who appear starting in the 12th century). Couple this with
mention of Laban the Aramaean and Paddan-Aram in the Jacob narratives
(Aramaeans first appear in the 12th century), and you have a 12th-11th
century BCE fix for the Patriarchal traditions.
Sincerely,
Jonathan D. Safren
Dept. of Biblical Studies
Beit Berl College
Beit Berl Post Office 44905
Israel