Skip to Content.
Sympa Menu

b-hebrew - Re: II Sam. 12:31 - brickmaking

b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org

Subject: Biblical Hebrew Forum

List archive

Chronological Thread  
  • From: peter_kirk AT sil.org
  • To: <b-hebrew AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
  • Subject: Re: II Sam. 12:31 - brickmaking
  • Date: Fri, 24 Dec 1999 23:48:33 -0500


It occurs to me to ask for more detail than Solomon has given on the
question: were bricks made in kilns in 10th century BCE Canaan and
trans-Jordan (or whenever else one might set this story), or were they
made in moulds? This is, I guess, a question which archaeologists can
answer. And what about in post-exilic Canaan - did the method change
at some time? The source of confusion could be a change of method, so
that the same word MALBEN which later meant brick-kiln had earlier
meant, not so much a single brick-mould as a place for moulding
bricks, where there would have been many moulds and space for large
stones. (The "maqtel" form regularly means a place.) Note also that
the Jeremiah 43:9 reference is to Egypt, where methods may have been
different - were sun-dried bricks still used there in the early 6th
century BCE?.

After writing these questions, I went back to look for some answers in
the literature. In "The New Bible Dictionary" (IVP Leicester 1962)
s.v. brick-kiln Kenneth A. Kitchen wrote: "Burnt bricks... were used
in Mesopotamia for facings, pavements, etc., in important buildings
from very early times, but are hardly known in Palestine or Egypt
before Roman times".

To return to 2 Samuel: is it possible that the author of Samuel wrote
MALBEN = mould, but Josephus read MALBEN = brick-kiln, and so
misunderstood the original intention and pictured all kinds of
horrors? This is a hypothesis which could in principle be falsified by
archaeology. Ian, are you there? Here is a chance for you to prove
something!

Peter Kirk


______________________________ Reply Separator
_________________________________
Subject: II Sam. 12:31
Author: <rvining AT log.on.ca> at Internet
Date: 24/12/1999 10:47


On Dec. 16/99, Solomon Landers wrote:

Anything is possible, but I wonder if many modern scholars are not
correct in trying
to pin down the real meaning of "malben." Does it mean a place where
bricks were
burned, or does it mean the small, rectangular mold used to shape
bricks? Many
buildings in ancient Israel used bricks that were sun-dried, not
tempered in a kiln.
And from Egypt on, brick making was often delegated to slaves and
captives...

<snip>

*******
Re: Pinning down the meaning of "melban". Also found in Jer. 43:9. A
brick structure of sufficient size to accommodate large stones. Nahum
3:14, who knows? 6 translations have it congruent with the preceding
phrases of preparing for the siege by working the clay, treading the
mortar, making strong the brickwork; 3 retain brickkiln. 4 others,
including JPS favor the brickmold idea.

Re: Sticking to early sources. I can do no better than the already
referred to "Chronicler" who in looking at his text saw "cut with" or
?hacked with" the iron instruments. If he saw the more benign
"brickmaking" he more likely would have retained it. The omission
suggests he saw "brickkiln"..Also, Josephus, 1 st century, whatever text
he was looking at prompted him to write of David's tormenting and
destroying...

<snip>




  • Re: II Sam. 12:31 - brickmaking, peter_kirk, 12/24/1999

Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.

Top of Page