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  • From: JimStinehart AT aol.com
  • To: b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: [b-hebrew] Genesis 20: 1
  • Date: Mon, 15 Oct 2007 12:45:48 EDT


James Christian Read:
You wrote: "What is of greatest interest to this discussion is evidence you
have offered from the Armana letters regarding the situation with Abimelech.
Could you provide specific quotes from these letters regarding the hebrews
and the philistines and Abimelech? It would enrich the discussion no end to
have something concrete to look at. The reason I ask is that I am wondering
if
there was any confusion between the Hebrews and the Philistines from
Abimelech's point of view. When the same story is told from different
viewpoints
there are generally typical differences between the two accounts as any
experienced policeman will be glad to relate to you."
In the Patriarchal narratives, ruler Abimelech is closely associated with
constant jousting over valuable water wells. The only ruler in the entirety
of
the Amarna Letters who complains about his inability to maintain access to
valuable water wells is Amorite princeling ruler Abimilki (or Abi-Milku) of
Sur
("Tyre"), in southern Lebanon.
1. "Daily he does not permit me to fetch water: mima. I cry out. …There
is no water: mima for them to drink. …'Apiru [habiru]." Amarna Letter EA
146 from Abimilki of Sur
2. "I am indeed guarding Surru, the principal city, for the king [Egyptian
pharaoh Akhenaten], my lord, until the powerful arm of the king comes forth
over me, to give me water…." Amarna Letter EA 147 from Abimilki of Sur
3. "May the king [pharaoh Akhenaten], my lord, give his attention to his
servant and give Usu [a nearby city on the mainland which, unlike the island
city-state of Sur, has water and wood] to his servant [Abimilki] so he can
drink a jug: akuna of: mima (water). …May the king give attention to his
servant, and may he charge his commissioner to give Usu to his servant for
water….
The king of Hasura [Hazor, located fairly nearby near the northern end of
the Jordan River Valley] has abandoned his house and has aligned himself
with
the 'Apiru [habiru]. …He has taken over the land of the king for the
'Apiru." Amarna Letter EA 148 from Abimilki of Sur
4. "Zimredda [of Sidon, Lebanon] seized Usu from his servant. I abandoned
it, and so we have neither water nor wood. …Since last year there has been
war against me. There is no water…." Amarna Letter EA 149 from Abimilki
of
Sur
5. "May the king [pharaoh Akhenaten] give his attention to his servant and
give him Usu that he may live and drink water." Amarna Letter EA 150 from
Abimilki of Sur
6. "May the king [pharaoh Akhenaten], my lord, give his attention and give
water for our drink and wood to his servant. The king, my lord, knows that
we are situated on the sea; we have neither water nor wood. …Etakkama [whom
I view as being the Hurrian princeling nicknamed (with a Hurrian princeling
name) "Arioch" from "Elassar" at Genesis 14: 1, who was re-educated by the
Hittites in the Hittite heartland at Alisar/"Elassar"], the prince of Qidsu
[Qadesh], and Aziru [whom I view as being the west Semitic-speaking Amorite
princeling nicknamed "Amraphel" of "Shinar", with the first three letters
"Amr"
referencing Amurru, and "Shinar" being a reference to the Amorite word
"Shenir"
for Mt. Lebanon per Deuteronomy 3: 8-9] are at war; the war is with
Biryawaza [who at one point is said to be at Adura per Amarna Letter EA 197,
which
is one of the cities of historical Garu per Amarna Letter EA 256]." [Note
how
closely aligned Arioch/Etakkama and Amraphel/Aziru are, just as accurately
reported in the first 12 verses of chapter 14 of Genesis.] Amarna Letter EA
151 from Abimilki of Sur
7. "[S]ince the departure of the troops of the king [pharaoh Akhenaten], my
lord, from me, the ruler of Sidon does not allow me or my people to go to
land to fetch wood or to fetch water for drinking." Amarna Letter EA 154
from
Abimilki of Sur
8. "The king [pharaoh Akhenaten] ordered that the breath (of life) be given
to his servant and to the servant of Mayati [almost certainly Queen
Meritaten, Akhenaten's oldest daughter, who displaced Nefertiti after
Nefertiti
failed to bear Akhenaten a son; note that Akhenaten, Abimelech and Abraham
all
have monumental fertility problems], and water: mima be (given) for his
drink…
.[T]here is no…water…. Should the king, my lord, give water to drink to
the servant of Mayati, then I will devote myself to his service and that of
Mayati, my mistress, night and day. …But the commissioner has not done what
the
king commanded. He does not give water, as the king commanded. …May the
king give attention to his servant and to Surru, the city of Mayati, so wood
and water are given that he might live." Amarna Letter EA 155 from Abimilki
of
Sur
You can see that the habiru are an ambiguous factor in the volatile mix of
whether princeling ruler Abimilki of Sur will gain and maintain access to the

invaluable water wells on the mainland on which his island city of Sur is
dependent. The Hebrew author of the Patriarchal narratives first reflects
that
tension between the habiru/Hebrews and Abimilki/Abimelech, but then tells
the
story in a way that shows that the habiru/Hebrews in fact could potentially
be allies of Abimilki. Accordingly, the Hebrews are also presented as
indirectly being a possible de facto ally of temporarily monotheistic Egypt
as
well, after a fashion, since Abimilki was a pro-Egypt Canaanite princeling.
Note that both Abimilki and Abimelech are desperate to get access to water,
that both Sur and Qadesh are mentioned, and that the tent-dwelling habiru
and
the Hebrews are somewhat ambiguous factors as to whether Abimilki and
Abimelech will be able to have access to those invaluable water wells on the
mainland. Thus these Amarna Letters and chapters 20, 21 and 26 of Genesis
are
nicely in sync. As you rightly point out, however, Abimilki's point of view
(in
these Amarna Letters) is quite different from the early Hebrew point of view
(in the Patriarchal narratives) as to these various matters.
Although foreign mercenaries are not referred to directly in the above
correspondence, many other Amarna Letters do refer to the foreign mercenaries
who
were common in Lebanon in this time period (but who were not in the Negev
Desert or the Sinai Desert). The Hebrew author of the Patriarchal
narratives
may have created the nickname "Philistines"/"Invaders" to refer to these
foreign mercenaries, the most prominent of which were the Sherden. The
author of
the Patriarchal narratives knows nothing of the classic Philistines, who did
not appear on the scene until about 150 years later, and who were always
concentrated in their five great cities on or near the southwest coast of
Canaan,
never in the Negev Desert or the Sinai Desert.
Jim Stinehart
Evanston, Illinois



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