Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Niels Peter Lemche <npl AT teol.ku.dk>]

> > Whether it's
> > actually Shechem is also another question, though I don't see
> > the problem with proposing a city state of Shechem with its
> > "land" (KUR).
> 
> Have you got one other example of a city in the Amarna letters prefixed
> with KUR.?
> 
        Actually ÌR-Cheba prefers, when it has to do with a city to write,
e.g. URU ú-ru.sa-lim KI (sometimes only URU & name of city). KUR he seems to
use about territorries only. Thus he mentions the KUR ka-si in EA 287:72
(LÚ.MESH KUR ka-si: the people from Kasi]). KUR sha-ak-mi therefore should
mean 'the territory of Shakmu', although we can never be a 100% certain.

        NPL