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  • From: Peter Kirk <peter AT qaya.org>
  • To: b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] UK Report: Archaeological Find Confirms Hebrew Text of Jeremiah
  • Date: Sat, 14 Jul 2007 11:53:18 +0100

On 12/07/2007 13:15, Peter Kirk wrote:
On 12/07/2007 06:37, Gary Hedrick wrote:
Listers, here’s an interesting story from today’s issue of the
Daily Telegraph in the UK. It suggests that a recent archaeological
discovery from 2,500 years ago may substantiate the existence of a minor
character mentioned in the Hebrew text of Jeremiah 39. But the spelling of
the name in the recently-discovered inscription is slightly different from
the name as it appears in the MT. Interesting report, nonetheless. Regards
to all.

Thanks for this, Gary. I had already written about this at http://tnivtruth.blogspot.com/2007/07/clay-tablet-proves-tniv-correct.html, and have now updated that blog post with the new information from the Telegraph. The verse in question is of course Jeremiah 39:3.

To me there are two interesting points here which you have not brought out:

1) The tablet confirms the word division given in some modern Bible translations (NIV, TNIV, NLT) over that of the Hebrew Masoretic Text, KJV and NRSV, in that it is now clear that "Nebo" should go with the following "Sarsekim" and not with the preceding "Samgar". But it discredits the BHS margin which suggests an emendation to "Nebushazban" as in verse 13.

2) In the tablet Nebo-Sarsekim is called "the chief eunuch". This title ties up well with his Hebrew title RAB-SARIYS, "chief officer" in some translations but SARIYS generally if not always means "eunuch". This detail seems to me to confirm that this really is the same person with the same title. This is significant lexical support for the meaning of RAB-SARIYS - that is, if the translation of the tablet is secure.

Over the last couple of days there have been several interesting developments on this topic. I recommend especially to Hebraists the discussions by Christopher Heard at http://www.heardworld.com/higgaion/?p=680 and http://www.heardworld.com/higgaion/?p=681, John Hobbins at http://ancienthebrewpoetry.typepad.com/ancient_hebrew_poetry/2007/07/jeremiah-393-an.html, and Claude Mariottini at http://www.claudemariottini.com/blog/2007/07/nebo-sarsekim-tablet.html and http://www.claudemariottini.com/blog/2007/07/jeremiah-393-and-nebo-sarsekim-tablet.html. They seem to be moving towards a consensus that most probably there are three people mentioned in the text of Jeremiah 39:3:

Nergal-Sharezer the Simmagar
Nebo-Sarsekim the chief eunuch
Nergal-Sharezer the chief /mag/

Each person has an attested Babylonian name and an attested Babylonian title.

--
Peter Kirk
E-mail: peter AT qaya.org
Blog: http://www.qaya.org/blog/
Website: http://www.qaya.org/





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