Biblical Hebrew Forum

[barre AT access1.com]

I am convinced that the most probable date for Jacobel is contemporaneous 
with Akhenaten, 
Lab'aya, and Hamor.  Thus I would date him to the mid years of Akhenaten's 
administration 
at c. 1360.

The next linchpin is the building of Pi-Rameses under Rameses II who 
succeeded Seti in 
1301.  How long did they work on it before leaving?  Unknowable.  How long 
would it have 
taken to complete the structure?  Unknown to me.  Have you any resources to 
address that 
question?  My Bible Dictionary implicitly approximates 10 years.

It is entirely reasonable that the reorganization of Canaan began when 
Rameses with drew his 
troops to fight the Hittites at Kadesh, a date of 1283 coming from my 
Macmillan Bible Atlas. 
I am looking for current research on this dating also.

So we have 1360 for Jacobel, c. 1295 for the exodus, encampment at Kadesh 
until 1283.  If 
as is likely the reorganization of Canaan began soon after 1283, this would 
put Hoshea son of 
Nun in his adulthood at this time as a military commander/king of Shechem 
which had been in 
Jacobite possession since Jacob took it from Hamor the Hurrian.

The kings of Shechem can be traced backwards from Abimelech to Jerubbaal and 
to I argue 
Joshua.  Thus from 1283 we have half a generation for Joshua followed by 
Jerubbaal's reign 
to Abimelech.  Estimating 40 year regnal years we get Joshua (20), Jerubbaal 
(40) to 
Abimelech (23).  1283 (Joshua)-40=1243 (Jerubbaal)-23=1220 (Abimelech).

Coincidentally a severe drought plunged the Mediterranean basin into a deep 
decline 
coinciding with the portrayal of decline in the era of the Deliverers 
(Judges) until Deborah's 
victory over Hazor (c. 1125).  It is also here that we find presupposed an 
alliance between 
12 territories that do not include Simeon, Levi and Judah.  Contrast this 
with Merneptah that 
treats "Israel" as a people of limited territory in the central highlands and 
upper Galilee.  
However, I do think that an alliance was formed to bind the various peoples 
together and that 
it was also called "Israel" (The Penuel tradition) but now meaning for them a 
national 
designation, a designation too new to be known to foreigners like Merneptah 
but propagated 
initially only among the allying tribes.  Early sources for this time or 
remembering this time are 
the Blessing of Moses, the Blessing of Jacob,and the Oracles of Balaam.

Note that if we approximate generations ruling in Shechem that the chronology 
fits well, 
showing six rulers over the city with two of the names missing.

1360 (Lab'aya, Hamor, Jacobel)-20=1340 (?)-40=1300 (?)-40=1280[3] 
(Hoshea/Joshua)-
40=1243 (Jerubbaal)-23=1220 (Abimelech).





---------------------------
L.M. Barre
http://www.angelfire.com/ca2/AncientIsrael
Point Loma, California