Biblical Hebrew Forum

[JimStinehart AT aol.com]

Yahale  Yadede: 
You  wrote:  “I'm sorry if this  question is repetitious, I missed some  
earlier comments, but I'd like to ask what is the "Decapitation of the 
Shechem  
Offensive" discussed by Mr. Stinehart?” 
In  The Bible 
That’s  chapter 34 of Genesis.  The forces  of the first historical 
monotheistic leader of a people (in the Bible that’s  Jacob), not at his 
direct command 
and using morally questionable tactics, kill  the leader of Shechem and the 
men who are with him. 
In  The Mid-14th Century BCE 
The  forces of the first historical monotheistic leader of a people (in 
secular  history that’s Akhenaten), not at his direct command and using 
morally  
questionable tactics, kill the leader of Shechem and the men who are with  
him. 
Comparison 
In  both cases, the men of Shechem were trying to use tent-dwellers (habiru 
or  Hebrews) to be their troops to take over all of central  Canaan. 
In  both cases, this morally questionable action was a grand success.  The 
Shechem threat was over and done  with.  That’s the Decapitation of  the 
Shechem 
Offensive. 
One  of the Amarna Letters has this great quote by the leader of Shechem 
(shortly  before he was killed), which sounds like it is coming straight out 
of 
chapter 34  of Genesis: 
“I  did not know that my son was consorting with the habiru [Hebrews].”

Every  single major foreign policy event in Akhenaten’s reign like this is 
directly  reflected in the Patriarchal narratives. 
Jim  Stinehart 
Evanston,  Illinois    



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