Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Walter Mattfeld" <mattfeld AT mail.pjsnet.com>]

Dating the Pentateuch: Davidic Anomalies (1 Samuel 30:26-31)

It is my understanding that the Pentateuch is a part of a National History
extending from Genesis to 2 Kings, thus, in order to date this National
History, as well as the Pentateuch, one must look at all texts, not just the
first five books of the Hebrew Bible.

I am attempting to date texts not by comparing word forms and usages
(diachronic studies), but by noting the presence of towns and villages who's
archaelogical existence has been confirmed, establishing their dates of
foundation, occupation and abandonment.

I note that 1 Samuel 30:26-31 mentions several villages whose elders
received spoils taken by a victorious David from the Amalekites. Three of
the cities appearing in this list have been identified and their
archaeological parameters established. They are Jattir, Aroer and Eshtemoa
 1 Sam. 30:27-28).

Jattir is currently identified with Khirbat `Attir, the pottery sequences
suggest the city was not in existence in the days of David, the late
11th/early 10th centuries BCE:

"In 1971 the Levitical City survey found that the earliest occupation at
Khirbet `Attir was Late Iron II...Most of the Iron II pottery comes from the
7th/6th centuries; the 8th century was also represented. The identification
of Khirbet `Attir with biblical Jattir stands. Although the archaeological
evidence does not support an occupation of the site during the conquests of
King David, it was occupied during the writing of the Deuteronomistic
history." (ABD 3.650, John L. Peterson, "Jattir," 1992)

Joshua 21:14 suggests the town existed in the 15th/12th century BCE as he
alotted it to the tribe of Judah, obviously this is an anachronism. The town
didn't exist in David's days either (1 Samuel 30:27).

Eshtemoa is currently identified with es-Samu`, which lies 8 kilometers
northeast of Khirbat `Attir, southwest of Hebron in the hill country of
Judah.

"The first to identify es-Samu` with biblical Eshtemoa was Robinson
(1841:626-627), and his identification has never been contested..." (ABD
2.618, John L. Peterson, "Estemoa," 1992)

Peterson noted that in 1971, Yeiven in the course of repairs to a 4th
century CE Synagogue at es-Samu, found two vessels of the 9th-8th centuries
BCE. This is the only "hard date" appearing in this article. If Eshtemoa is
not any earlier than this period, then it, like Jattir, didn't exist in
Joshua's days as a town to be alotted to Judah (Jos.15:50, 21:14). It didn't
exist in David's days either.

Aroer is currently identified with `Ar`arar. The town doesn't appear in
Joshua, its only appearance is 1 Samuel 30:28.

According to archaeological work done at modern `Ar`arah, believed to be
ancient Aroer, the site was unoccupied before the 7th century BCE:

"Ar`arah was excavated between 1975 and 1981 by A. Biran and R. Cohen. They
concluded that this 5-acre site was first settled in the 7th century BC and
was occupied intermittently, until ca. AD 70. Though it is possible that
further excavations might uncover remains from the 11th or 10th centuries
BC, it does not appear that `Ar`arah was occupied in the time of David."
(ABD 1.400, Gerald L. Mattingly, "Aroer 4," 1992)

Biran suggested that Tel Esdar, 1 1/2 miles away from `Ar`arah, might be
Aroer, as it did possess pottery of the 11-10th centuries BCE, the period of
David. He suggested the name moved from Isdar to `Ar`arah when the latter
was founded in the 7th century BCE (ABD 1.400, Gerald L. Mattingly, "Aroer
4," 1992)

Although site's name do move with later settlements, this is more frequently
attested by the abandonment of Iron Age tells in the Hellenistic and Roman
periods according to Aharoni (Aharoni pointing out that the tell is usually
resettled in the Bronze and Iron periods):

"Circumstances changed completely during the Hellenistic and Roman periods.
The small tell no longer sufficied for meeting the needs of the greatly
expanded town that was laid out according to plan. Therefore, most of the
tells were abandoned and the population usually transferred to a more
spacious area round about. In many cases the ancient name was carried over
to the new settlement." (cf. pp.105-107, "The Study of Toponymy," Yohanan
Aharoni, The Land of the Bible, A Historical Geography, Philadelphia,
Westminster Press, 1979, ISBN 0-664-24266-9)

If `Ar`arah is Aroer, then David cannot be making distributions of spoils to
elders in a non-existent village of the 7th century BCE.

It is unlikely that this Davidic narrative was composed in the 7th century
BCE, the current residents of Aroer/Ar`arah, would have been amused to hear
of David making distributions to a non-existent town. We must posit a period
of 100/200 years after the founding of Aroer, such that the national memory
would have forgotten just when Aroer had been founded, making it possible to
spin a yarn about this town's existence in the late 11/early 10th century
BCE. If my suppositions are correct, then this Davidic narrative was
probably composed in either the 6th or 5th century BCE.

The latest elements date a work, so the book of Samuel, as we currently have
it, was probably composed either in the 6th or 5th century BCE.

All the best,

Walter

Walter Reinhold Warttig Mattfeld
Walldorf by Heidelberg
Baden-Wurttemburg
Germany