Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Peter Kirk"<peter_kirk AT sil.org>]

Dear Ian,

Thank you for these translated texts about Lab'aya. You may remember 
that David Rohl identifies Lab'aya with Saul, first king of Israel. 
These texts give me the chance to test out that identification - at 
least the possibility of falsifying it, though it probably cannot be 
verified.

I wonder, on what authority do you write "Lab'aya is the troublesome 
king of Shechem"? This is not stated in any of the letters which you 
translate. (He would hardly have given away his capital as mentioned 
in EA289.) Are there other letters making this identification? I ask 
because Rohl quotes de Vaux in claiming that it is nowhere stated that 
Lab'aya's capital was Shechem, but only that Shechem was within his 
extensive territory - which, according to a map which Rohl attributes 
to John Hayes and Maxwell Miller, covered roughly today's "occupied 
West Bank" (but excluding Jerusalem, which was surrounded) plus 
Gilead.

Here are some comparisons between Labayu and Saul and tentative 
identifications:

EA253, EA254: No mention in HB of Saul conquering Gezer, but this is 
not surprising if the Egyptians quickly pressured him to return it to 
the "Philistines" (i.e. the inhabitants at that time of the region 
later known as Philistia).

EA254: "I didn't know that my son had gone with the enemy {habiru}." - 
Either a reference to Saul's son-in-law David, or to his son Jonathan 
as being in league with David's band of "habiru" or "Hebrew" outlaws 
in the Cave of Adullam.

EA255: Mutba`lu ("man of Baal") is perhaps Saul's son Ishbosheth or 
Ishbaal ("man of Baal"), who reigned in Gilead after Saul's death (2 
Samuel 2:8,9, suggesting that Mahanaim was his capital). Which Amarna 
letter or other evidence shows that Mutba`lu's capital was Pella?

EA287: The sons of Lab'ayu may have been Ishbaal and David. They are 
clearly threatening Jerusalem, from the north and the south (Hebron) 
respectively.

EA289: The same situation is becoming desparate. Could "the sons of 
Arzaya" be Joab, Abishai and Asahel sons of Zeruiah (2 Sam 2:18)?

EA237, EA244: From an earlier time (?), expansionist campaigns by 
Lab'ayu which fit with the picture of Saul trying to push back the 
"Philistines".

EA245: The Megiddo campaign has failed (so no mention in the Bible) 
but Lab'ayu has escaped.

EA246: Attempts to take Megiddo continue. Perhaps this one is before 
Lab'ayu's death, the sons may include Jonathan.

EA250: This one must be after Lab'ayu's death, so his sons could be 
Ishbaal and David. Gitti-rimunima is presumably Gath-Rimmon in the 
coastal plain (Jos. 19:45, 21:24). "Qina" is elsewhere written "Gina" 
(incuding by Lloyd Barre) and identified with modern Jenin, is the Q 
an artifice of Italian?

EA280: So is Abdi-Heba also a traitor to Pharaoh? All this sounds very 
modern, lots of small states protesting their allegiance to their 
large (but in fact fairly powerless) neighbour while quarrelling among 
themselves. The name Shuwardata could be Indo-European meaning "the 
sun has given" and Rohl identifies him with Akish of Gath, whose name 
could be short for Aki-Shimige, "the sun has given" in Hurrian.

Conclusion: There is nothing here to falsify David Rohl's theory, but 
also no decisive confirmation.

Peter Kirk


______________________________ Reply Separator 
_________________________________
Subject: Re: Lab'aya
Author:  <mc2499 AT mclink.it> at Internet 
Date:    05/02/2000 18:39


At 23.59 05/02/00 +0100, Ian Hutchesson wrote:
>If anyone is interested, I have put up the Lab'aya letters from Amarna on 
>my website. The texts are the work of Mario Liverani. I have just 
>translated them from Italian to English for personal interest.

To be a bit more helpful I should supply my website when posting this sort 
of message. (-:

(Thanks, Lee.)


Cheers,


Ian

http://www.geocities.com/Paris/LeftBank/5210/histreli.htm


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