Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Banyai Michael" <banyai AT t-online.de>]

Walter Mattfeld wrote:
>
> Josephus states that the Arphachshadites are "NOW CALLED CHALDEANS,"
> suggesting that he understands Abraham to be descended not from the peoples
> of Northern Mesopotamia and the area of Urfa/Harran, but from Babylonia. It
> is important to remember that Josephus is writing in Greek for an audience
> that understands Chaldea to be Babylonia, not Upper Mesopotamia:
>
> "Arphaxad named the Arphaxadites, who are now called Chaldeans...Sala was
> the son of Arphaxad; and his son was Heber, from whom they originally called
> the Jews Hebrews." (Josephus, Antiquities 1.6.4)
>
> It is also important to point out that Josephus claimed priestly bloodlines,
> and training. His association of Arpachshad with the Chaldeans may not be
> his own imaginative speculation, it may reflect genuine Jewish traditions of
> an earlier period.

This ought be a truism, since there was a need to explain  Abrahams 
Chaldean
ancestry. The name of Arphaxad was to the time of Josephus already 
completely
out of use, it would have caused him as much pain to explain, as to explain 
for
example where Ugarit has been.

> Pinches noted some scholarly attempts at deciphering the name Arpachshad,
> one scholar thinking it meant "the border of the Kasdim or Chesed" in
> Akkadian, while another suggested an Egyptian derivation:

> "The theory that Arpachshad represents a community is rather supported by
> the fact that it is mentioned in Gen 10:22, where it is accompanied by the
> names of Elam, Asshur, Lud and Aram, which were later, as we know, names of
> nationalities...There is a considerable amount of difference of opinion as
> to the correct identification of the Arpachshad of Gen 10:10, though nearly
> every critic places the country it represents in the same tract. It has been
> identified with Arrapkha, or Arrapachitis, in Assyria. Schrader makes it to
> be for Arpa-cheshed, "the coast of the Chaldeans".  Professor Hommel, who is
> always ready with a seductive and probable etymology, suggests that
> Arpachshad is an Egyptianized way of writing Ur of the Chaldees,
> Ar-pa-Cheshed, for Ur-pa-Cheshed."

I find both propositions unconvincing. Why an Akkadian or Egyptian name? 
Kasdu/Kaldu are attested first by the 9-th century. Akkadian or Egyptian 
conversant Hebrews post 9-th century is utmost unprobable. During the 
Persian
empire was but Aramaic the lingua franca. Crasy idea... Of course, I don´t 
mean
you...
Just the link between Arpachshad and Arrapacha seems to make sense and I 
heared
still to be quoted.


> For the language experts who frequent this list, why is Hicks arguing for an
> "Aramaic expansion" rather than a "Hebrew expansion" ? Can a case be made
> for a "Hebrew expansion" ?

What if you consider, both having been the same? But of course, I don´t 
plead
for the late 12-th century date of the Aramaic south-western expansion, on
grounds of the late apparition of the Arameans in Assyrian documents. Both
people had no contact till in the 12-th century exactly because the 
Arameans
were already deeply in the South-West. To far off to be worth to be named 
in
Assyrian inscriptions. As I formulated, the problem is not, that they 
don´t
appear in Egyptian LB sources, but, that that we have no Egyptian name at 
all
for the people dwelling in Damascus and around.

The other side of the medal provide the names of Abrahams ancestors:

Arphachshad -------   corresponding maybe Arrapcha
Serug  ------------   appears in Assyrian documents as Seriga
Nahor  ------------   corresponding the Naharina / Aram Naharaim
Terach ------------   corresponding the Tercha river
Harran ------------   corresponing Harran / Carrhae

This are all names from within the former region of Subartu, following a 
sweep
from its eastern border towards its western border.

Silpa -------------   corresponds Zalpah on the Balih river, by Harran
Bilha -------------   corresponds the name of the Balihu river

Behind the names of Leah and Rahila are to be supposed female divinities, a 
cow
and a sheep godess, both rivalling for mating with Baal. 

As I said Uru Kasdim is but a popular adaptation of a much older Urkish, 
whose
identity was later completely lost. Please don´t confuse Urkish with Urfa.
Urkish was the dominant city of Subartu during Akkadian times and perhaps
even earlier. As I already pointed the name of the Hebrews is to be derived 
from that of Subartu. They are not only related but lexically identical.


Best regards,

Banyai Michael