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  • From: "Banyai Michael" <banyai AT t-online.de>
  • To: b-hebrew
  • Subject: Hebrew/Habiru
  • Date: Thu, 10 Feb 2000 5:51:26


There could be of course linguistic problems equivalating Hebrew with
Habiru/apiru. Of course also, as mentioned graciously by NLP, may this term
be equivalated with hebr. refugee.

But not to forget all forms may too have been made to fit some popular
etimology, refugee being only one of them, for some particular word. We see
the patriarchs, according of course to the patriarchal narrati´ves leaving
a region best called, Chabur/Chabor region. Its most antique name was
Subartu, also called Chubur. One has linked this name (as well
independently the name of eber) with a word meaning grave. Perhaps is this
right, perhaps this came later to Chubur as a secondary meaning from it
being identified as the "underworld" region.

You can not expect from such a term to preserve its original meaning over
millenia. May be is Subartu preserved by the Greek in the later name they
gave to the region Armenia pro te hesperon. Subartu represented for the
Babylonian the name of geographic north. Hesperon for the Greek meant also
a cardinal direction.

So it is little to expect from the interpretation of the word Habiru. The
meaning doesn´t necessarilly provide an answer about the status of the
Amarnan Habiru. It just translates a popular etimology.

That it is rather improbable to think of Habiru as being just refugees, or
a special social group may be infirmed by two documents: one speaking of
Aleppo of the Habiru, and the other referring to two campaigns of Amenophis
II in Retenu.

The later enlists 3600 habiru prisoners on the side of 15200 shosu beduins
(maybe the biblical Susites), and 36300 Charru (not sure the equation with
the Hurrites, but probably being the biblical Horites mentioned like the
Susites by the Bible in the Negev). There are no Hurrian names of Charru
people still known to posit the Charru of Palestine being hurritic.

The traditional geographical closeness of the Horites and Susites, as well
as their greater numbers sat against the number of the Habiru and the
shortness of the campaign might leave place to the interpretation this was
a raid meaning in first line the Negev, thus touching only peripherical
Retenu. Amenophis seems to have afterwards lost the dominion over Retenu,
which ran over to Mitanni, whence the Mitannian names in Retenu in the
Amarna correspondence.

We have also Habiru gods (or God of the Habiru, having a pluralis
majestatis), thus speaking on the old terms about the Habiru is but utter
nonsense.

One might propose therefore alternatively a perspective of the Habiru being
the main ethnical group in Retenu. We see in the biblical texts too, Hebrew
is simply as a name out. The people are called according to the clan to
which pertains their temenos. Should they however exceptionally (the Bible
deals in first line with upper class people) have no temenos, and be people
worth being accounted like Abraham, they are called simply Hebrews so long
there is no state like Israel or Juda to which they may be better
attributed.
Unaware of this such people, fittingly called Habiru, ought have been the
demographically most relevant element in old Palestine.

What we read in the Amarna correspondence is about a Palestine in the state
of turmoil: some teritorial state, Retenu was in dissolution (there is no
mention of a ruler of Retenu in the correspondence, however just about 15
years later king Tut-ankh-amon sends funeral gifts for the burial of the
king of Upper Retenu), the Habiru are apparently involved into a national
reunification movement with religious undertone. Has the royal familly beeb
murdered?

Most small regents in Retenu are well with the present situation, probably
owed to the return of Egypt as protector into the region. They are thus
mostly against the Habiru and think to represent Pharaohs standpoint.

Is this the case? Perhaps not. He is doing nothing against the Habiru but
awaits patiently that they overcome his former allies.
Is the religious reform in Egypt to correlate with this foreign office
politics?
The Aton religion stands in Egypt closest to the Heliopolitan ideology,
exactly as the Jahweh religion too.
We see tradited familiar relationships between the house of Joseph and the
Heliopolitan clerus. In Ramesside times is Re equated with El. There are
Iron age Judean beetle (Heliopolitan triad chepre) standards. So on, so
on.

The famous Jachin and Boas Jerusalem columns have but a single parallel in
the ANE, namely in Akhet-Aton in the main Aton temple. Their pomegranates
chain decoration appears identically on its inner court columns.

Could have Amenophis IV pacificated Palestine by his religious reform and
won the Habiru on his side? There are no more Retenu campaigns or
interventions during this period.

Best regards,

Banyai Michael



  • Hebrew/Habiru, Banyai Michael, 02/10/2000

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