Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Bill Rea <bill.rea AT canterbury.ac.nz>]

Jim wrote:-

> In fact, we know that most of the Jordan River Valley is not well-watered
> pasture.  Yes, the Jordan River supplies a steady source of water, but most 
> of
> the land along the Jordan River is not fertile at all.

I think you're making a simple mistake in looking at current geography and
climate when trying to deduce the meaning of Hebrew words. I get the
impression you believe that Abram lived somewhere around 3500 years ago. In
that case you need to know what the climate was then and what the land use
was then. Climate is not static. There are long droughts sometimes in the
order of several centuries and equally long wet periods. I've not studied
Middle Eastern climate but its not a simple matter of looking at today's
climate and assuming it was the same several millenia ago. Even if you knew
all those things they do not necessarily give you a good guide to the
meaning of KKR.

Bill Rea Ph.D., ICT Services, University of Canterbury \_
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