Biblical Hebrew Forum

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

Dear Jonathan,

I believe your rebuttals to my last post to you on Madai and the Persians
were all well-taken. Of course, even great scholars can and do make
mistakes. As regards a 7th century BC date for the Table of nations based on
the presence of Lud (if Lydia), and Madai (prominent after 612 BCE), and the
absence of Persia, I see your logic. You are of course correct, the Bible
doesn't claim Madai is a son of the Greeks (Javan), but a brother. I also
understand your logic in making the absence of Persia in the Table of
Nations as a historical marker for the dating of the blessing of Japheth by
Noah.

In a reply you made to this List on 30 March on my thread "Japheth," you
explained your understandings about who Japheth was in Noah's blessing, and
when it was written. You failed to note WHY it was written, however.

You proposed two historical scenarios behind the Japheth blessing, one
occuring in the Late Bronze Age, the peoples being possibly Indo-Iranic, the
other scenario was the 7th century BCE, based upon the Table of Nations,
identifying the Neo-Hittite kingdoms as possibly being Japheth.

I have problems with your prosposals for the following reasons:

In making Japheth a dweller in the tents of Shem, in the Late Bronze Age,
this suggests that when the Exodus occured in this same period (the Humanist
posited 13th century BCE), that the invading Israelites would have been
attacking Japheth, who is enjoying Canaan's servitude as he dwells in the
tents of Shem with God's blessing. Canaan was, after all, to be set aside
for Abraham's children. I don't recall Japheth, or any Japhethic nation
appearing in the list of peoples to be conquered, or enumerated as dwelling
in Canaan at the time of Joshua's invasion. I don't recall Moses or Joshua
telling the people not to harm Japheth when they attack Canaan. Neither do I
recall Japheth being an ally of the Israelites when the Conquest of Canaan
occured. After the initial Conquest, Joshua doesn't enumerate any Japhethic
peoples as dwelling in unconquered lands.

The Philistines were in Canaan in the Late Bronze Age, but Genesis' narrator
claims they are the decendents of Ham via Mizraim (Egypt), so they are not
of Japhethic descent (despite their archaeologically attested origins in the
Greek areas of Cyprus and the Anatolian littoral). The United Monarchy and
still later, the Divided Monarchy accounts make no mention of a Japhethic
nation dwelling in Canaan either.

Your second proposal, that Neo-Hittite kingdoms might be alluded to as being
Japheth in the 7th century BCE also has problems. In the 7th century (your
date for the Table of Nations) the kingdom of Israel is in Exile (ca. 721
BC), this leaves Judah as the probable place for the writing of Noah's
blessing of Japheth. Yet, historically this is a very tumultuous period,
Judah, in the course of the 7th century, is an unwilling vassal of first,
Assyria, then Saitic Egypt, followed by a Chaldean Babylonian empire.  You
noted that the statement "Japheth will dwell in the tents of Shem," seemed
to indicate a peaceful settlement, not one accomplished by military might (I
agree with you on this).

The Neo-Hittite states are under Assyrian control at this time (the 7th
century BCE) and suffering oppression like Judah. True, the bible does say
that Hittites dwelt in Canaan, and they might possibly be seen as Japhethic
by some scholars (Hittites being from Anatolia), but Genesis makes Heth a
descendant of Ham, Egypt and Canaan, so the Hittites are not portrayed as
being Japhethic, but are Hamitic. Yet, Judah as an oppressed vassal state,
is in no position to be inviting anybody to settle peaceably in the tents of
Shem, for this area, Syro-Palestine, is under foreign control (Assyrian,
Egyptian, Babylonian). Sorry, but I just don't see your proposals as making
any historical sense.

I believe that identifying Japheth is related to the correct dating of
Genesis, including its Table of Nations. You already have my Japheth paper,
so you know my arguments for Japheth being an allusion to Cyrus and his
Persians.

I know that you are aware that some scholars believe Ezra may have had a
hand in the final redaction of the Pentateuch, and you may perhaps, be
persuaded yourself, that there is some validity. If so, why couldn't Japheth
be an allusion to Cyrus and his Persian empire, leaving aside the notion
Persia doesn't appear in the Table of Nations ? As you are well aware, other
scholars have posited redactional elements within Genesis dating from the
Persian period. If their hypotheses are of any validity, why wouldn't
Japheth as Cyrus, be a clue to a 5th century BCE Genesis, as we have it ?
Why must the non-appearance of Persia in the Table of Nations be "the sole
clue" to Genesis not being redacted later than the 7th century BCE ?

Following are excerpts from other scholars whose research suggests
redactional elements of the Persian era exist within Genesis:

Ernst Axel Knauf:

"Orthographically, the Hebrew spelling ytwr (instead of *yswr) proves that
this name entered the Hebrew tradition via (Official) Aramaic. The texts
which refer to Jetur cannot, therefore, antedate the 7th century BC." (ABD
3.821-22, Ernst Axel Knauf, "Jetur," 1992)

"The Ituraeans tribe is listed among the sons of Ishmael (7th century BC) in
Genesis 25:15 and 1 Chronicles 1:31 (Hebrew: yetur); in this list, they
form, however, a redactional addition, probably from the 5th century BC."
(ABD 3.583, Ernst Axel Knauf, "Ituraea," 1992)

A recently published Swiss doctoral dissertation (University of Geneva,
1999) argues that Genesis 49, Jacob's blessing, is of the Persian era (cf.
Jean-Daniel Macchi, Israel et ses tribus selon Genese 49, ISBN
3-7278-1259-1).

Hess' research into the historical origins of Genesis' names, concluded that
Cain (Hebrew: qayin), the son of Adam and Eve, has an ambiguous origin.
Although qana (to acquire) and qinah (song) have been proposed, some have
sought the root in the Old South Arabic qyn, where it is a title meaning,
"administrator;" later forms mean a "smith" (as of metals). Hess noted if
the qyn root is the origin, the earliest attested non-biblical evidence for
this name is the 5th century BCE (Qaynu the Kedarite, who's name appears on
a silver offering dish found near Tell el Maskhutah, Egypt, ca. 450 BCE). He
concluded that Genesis would then contain redactional elements as late as
the 5th century BCE, if the qyn element proves acceptable:

"The name of Cain has its etymology in a root, qyn, which does not appear
other than in proper names and gentilics in biblical Hebrew. A similarly
spelled root occurs in South Arabian personal, clan, and tribal names as
early as the 5th century BCE. A qyn root occurs in later Aramaic and Arabic
with the meaning of 'smith'." (ABD 1.806, Richard S. Hess, "Cain," 1992)

Jonathan, you made a good point about Japheth's blessing, that it seemed as
if God was extending his grace to Japheth, inviting him to settle or
enlarge, peacefully, within the tents of Shem, and enjoy Canaan's servitude.
I believe your anaysis is correct. Whoever Japheth is, his expansion and
enlargement into the tents of Shem would not be understood as by force,
against God's will, accompanied by war, killing, destruction and mayhem, for
this would put Shem in the position of "being oppressed."

I note that Olmstead observed that Cyrus' "propaganda" presented himself to
the ANE world, not as another oppressor, but as invited by the great gods,
to bring peace and prosperity to the oppressed:

"...the great gods have delivered all lands into my hand; the land I have
made to dwell in a peaceful habitation...all the kings of the Amorite
country who dwelt in tents brought me their heavy gifts and in Babylon
kissed my feet...Then Cyrus tells how he restored all the captive gods and
ends with the pious hope: 'May all the gods, whom I have brought into their
cities, pray daily before Bel and Nabu for long life for me and may they
speak a gracious word for me to say to Marduk, my lord: 'May Cyrus the king
who worships you, and Cambyses his son, be blessed."
(p.53, Olmstead)

He is portrayed as setting free captive nations, restoring them to their
homelands, restoring their gods to them, personnally financing the
rebuilding of temples and sanctuaries for the gods. He honors all gods, and
solicitiously seeks, prayerfully, their graciousness, in bestowing upon him
and his son, blessings for a long reign. Olmstead was so impressed by
Deutero-Isaiah's mirror-image of Cyrus' "propaganda," that he wondered if
perhaps he hadn't read it and been influenced by it, Deutero-Isaiah 45:1-7,
13, claiming God has taken Cyrus by the hand and given him all the kingdoms
of the world because he is righteous (cf. p.55, A.T. Olmstead, History of
the Persian Empire, University of Chicago, [1948], 1963).

I am of the conviction that Cyrus' "propaganda," portraying himself, not as
an oppressor, but a liberator, who is respectful of all gods, and
solicitious of their grace and blessings to be bestowed upon him and his
son, is the historical background to God extending his grace and blessing to
Japheth, inviting him to dwell peacefully among the tents of Shem.

I won't go over the other arguments here, you already have them in the
Japheth paper I sent you. But, I want to thankyou Jonathan, for the
observation about Japheth's peaceful dwelling in Shem's tents, at God's
invite. I had overlooked that important aspect in my earlier arguments that
Cyrus and his Persians is Japheth (and Madai), making Genesis, as we have it
a Post-exilic composition.

All the best,

Walter

Walter Reinhold Warttig Mattfeld
Walldorf by Heidelberg
Baden-Wurttemburg
Germany