Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Ian Hutchesson <mc2499 AT mclink.it>]

> Could it be that Amarna does not mention Israelites because the Amarna 
> Akkadian/Canaanite word for "Israelite" is "Hebrew"/"Habiru"?

It would be good if anyone wanting to say this sort of stuff would take
note of the literature on the matter. I have attempted to provide a little
background material on the significance of Habiru. Niels Peter has also
done so. Philology indicates that "habiru" was used as a generic term of
disparagement throughout the near east -- outlaws, exiles, refugees, one's
enemy. Any equivalence between "Hebrew" and "Habiru" is in the eye of the
manipulator.

Linguistically, anyone positing an equivalence will have to explain the
long vowel in Habiru. (We can overlook the initial /h/ ['ibri] and the
medial /p/ [which can change to /b/].) I can see no way for one to be
derived from the other.

Logistically, the Habiru in the Amarna letters are found not only in
central Palestine, but also in areas such as Damascus, the Beqa'a, Byblos
and even the Orontes valley. Anyone wishing to forego any validation of the
OT/HB as historical data for our period of interest will need to explain
what these "Hebrew"/"Habiru" were doing well outside the indications
supplied by their proposed witness's testimony.


Ian