Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Dora Smith" <villandra AT austin.rr.com>]

No, it isn't logical proof, but it is statistically highly likely that they
are the same.  Clearly tribes of that nature in that place had all kinds of
names.  Usually not geographical ones.   Usually tribes had quite specific
names.    Not many tribes that were not related to each other were called
"Banu yamin".

Don't anyone try to tell me again that it is the same situation as thinking
two people named Samuel are the same!

Yours,
Dora Smith
Austin, Texas
villandra AT austin.rr.com
----- Original Message -----
From: "Jonathan D. Safren" <yonsaf AT beitberl.ac.il>
To: "Dora Smith" <villandra AT austin.rr.com>; "Yigal Levin"
<leviny1 AT mail.biu.ac.il>; "b-hebrew" <b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: Sunday, July 04, 2004 3:03 PM
Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] Benjamin


> Dora Smith wrote:
> > My understanding is exactly that the Banu-yamin referred to by the Maori
> > were an Amoritic tribe, ie, they were seminomadic.   They were located
at
> > the northern end of the hill country and would have ranged through it
like
> > all other Amoritic tribes in that area.
> >
> > So if Banu-yamin turn up in central Palestine, there is a good chance
they
> > are some of the same people - though it is n't proven.
> >
> Similarity of name is insufficient evidence for identification. You would
> have to demonstrate the historical development of the Amorite tribe
> mentioned in the OB Mari documents until they became the Israelite
> Benjaminites. Otherwise you could claim tha King Jeroboam lived 750 years
> simply because an Israelite king of that name appears in the last wuarter
of
> the 10th century BCE and the first half of the 8th century BCE (ignoring,
of
> course, the fact that one is the son of Nebat and the other the son of
> Jehoash)
> Or that all cities named Ur mentioned in Repertoire Geographique des
Textes
> Cuneiformes are the same city simply because they have the same name. Or
> that all cities in the Bible named Qadesh are the same city and in fact
> identical with Qadesh-on-the-Orontes; or that...
> Jonathan D. Safren
>
>