Biblical Hebrew Forum

[JimStinehart AT aol.com]

Professor Yigal Levin:
 
You wrote:  “In theory, you could be right. However:
1.  At least a hundred years separate the Amarna references to Busruna
 and the biblical references to Bezer (assuming that the latter are
 historically reliable and not anachronistic - which I would not take for
 granted).
 2.  Most of the inter-city conflicts that are recorded in the Amarna
 letters are between towns that are closer than that. 
 3.  There are several other places in Transjordan that have names
 derived from the root BCR, which means "to harvest grapes". Most famous is
 Bazrah, chief city of Edom, but there are others. So why focus on this
 otherwise unknown Bezer?
 4.  Even if so, so what?”
 
If Biblical Bezer is the Busruna at Amarna Letter EA 197: 13, then 
virtually everything that is said at Genesis 14: 5-6 is historically verified!
 
(1)  Genesis 14: 5 refers to Year 14.  It is likely that Amarna Letter EA 
197 dates to Year 14 (of Akhenaten’s 17-year reign).  That’s an exact match 
as to dating.
 
(2)  The first place mentioned at Genesis 14: 5-7 is Ashteroth.  Amarna 
Letter EA 197 likewise focuses first and foremost on Ashteroth.  (I believe 
everyone agrees that in both cases, this is historical Ashteroth east of the 
Sea of Galilee.)
 
(3)  Genesis 14: 5 refers (along with Genesis 14: 1, 9 as well) to a 
coalition of four attacking rulers.  Three of those four attacking rulers are 
specifically referred to in Amarna Letter EA 197.  (i)  In chapter 14 of 
Genesis, the mighty Hittite king in this coalition of four attacking rulers 
has 
been given the very nasty Biblical Hebrew nickname “Tidal”, effectively 
meaning “Murderer”, since the Hittite king in question here is Suppiluliuma 
I, 
who famously murdered his own older brother named Tidal/Tudhaliya to seize 
the 
Hittite throne.  Amarna Letter EA 197 likewise does not refer to this 
mighty Hittite king by his formal historical name (nor does any other Amarna 
Letter written by a princeling), but rather at EA 197: 23-31 we see a 
reference 
to “the king of Hatti”.  (ii) At Genesis 14: 1, 9, the Hurrian princeling 
member of this coalition of four attacking rulers is “Arioch”, being a 
Hurrian princeling name which nicely functions as an apt Hebrew nickname for 
this 
princeling.  The actual Hurrian name of this Hurrian princeling is at EA 
197: 31-42:  Etakkama (or ‘Itatkama’).  (iii) The Amorite member of the four 
attacking rulers has the appropriate Hebrew nickname of Amrapel at Genesis 
14: 1, 9, with the first three Hebrew letters of that name, )MR, meaning “
Amorite” and/or “Amurru”.  The historical name of this Amorite ruler is at EA 
197: 23-31:  Aziru.  Aziru was the Amorite ruler of Amurru in northern 
coastal Lebanon.  (iv)  Finally, wealthy Ugarit effectively financed the 
Great 
Syrian War, which began in Year 14 after, as accurately referenced at Genesis 
14: 4, a league of five rebellious anti-Hittite princelings formed in Year 
13.  The original, defective spelling of Chedorlaomer’s kingly title very 
likely was MLK (LM, being a title unattested at Elam east of Babylon, but a 
kingly title uniquely attested at Ugarit (meaning “King Eternity”).  Ugarit 
King Niqmaddu II is the only member of the coalition of four attacking rulers 
who is not specifically mentioned in Amarna Letter EA 197.
 
(4)  Genesis 14: 5-6 presents a small military force, authorized by the 
coalition of four attacking rulers, as proceeding south of Ashteroth after 
commencing this “minor” phase of military operations at Ashteroth.  If 
“Busruna”
 at Amarna Letter EA 197: 13 is Biblical Bezer east of the northern end of 
the Dead Sea, as discussed in my prior post on this thread, then we have 
historical confirmation that this small Hittite force not only pressured 
Ashteroth, but also pressured princelings south of Ashteroth as well. 
 
(5)  Finally, Genesis 14: 6 specifically mentions “Horites”.  Though 
commonly said to be the Hurrians, perhaps more accurately the “Horites” in 
Genesis are people whose rulers had Hurrian-type names (so easily 
distinguishable 
at a glance from Semitic names, but with pure Hurrian names not being 
easily distinguishable from Indo-European names).  All three princelings in 
Amarna Letter EA 197 have vintage Hurrian-type names:  Biryawaza, Biridaswa, 
and 
Arsawuya.  Those are classic Biblical “Horites”.
 
When you say, “Even if so, so what?”, the answer is:  “Everything is 
riding on this!”  On the foregoing analysis that I have set forth, one key to 
which is viewing Biblical Bezer as being the Busruna referenced at Amarna 
Letter EA 197: 13, we have virtually every aspect of Genesis 14: 5-6 
historically 
verified by Amarna Letter EA 197!  How close a match could there possibly 
be?  We’ve got (1) the specific date, namely Year 14, (2) we’ve got the key 
starting point, namely Ashteroth, (3) we’ve got a coalition of four 
attacking rulers, one with a Hittite name, one with a Hurrian name, one with 
an 
Amorite name, and one with a Ugaritic kingly title (with all such names being 
nastly Hebrew nicknames in chapter 14 of Genesis), (4) we’ve got a solid 
reference to a cite well south of Astheroth (Bezer/Busruna in Amarna Letter 
EA 
197, and a series of cites south of Ashteroth at Genesis 14: 5-6), and (5) we’
ve got Hurrian-type princeling names out the wazoo for the Biblical “Horites”
.
 
What more could one ask for?
 
Professor, I assume (without knowing, of course) that most every year you 
teach your students that Genesis 14: 5-6 is entirely fictional, having been 
composed centuries after the event, which in any case is fictional anyway, 
and having no relationship to any actual military operation verifiable in 
secular history.  But next year, why not ask your students to compare Amarna 
Letter EA 197 straight up to Genesis 14: 5-6?  I myself see Genesis 14: 5-6 
as 
being a classic example of the  p-i-n-p-o-i-n-t  historical accuracy of the 
Patriarchal narratives, in the context of Year 14 of Akhenaten’s reign.  
 
The first Hebrew (the author of the Patriarchal narratives) was terrified 
that after pressuring the Transjordan, the mighty Hittites might soon invade 
beloved Canaan itself.  The first Hebrews’ prayers to YHWH not to let that 
happen, being prayers that appeared to be fully answered, along with the 
first Hebrew’s composition of the Patriarchal narratives, which are based 
first 
and foremost on the fear that shortly after Year 14 the dreaded Hittites 
might overrun beloved Canaan (an eventuality that thankfully never happened), 
constitute the historical foundation of Judaism, with Judaism effectively 
being born in Year 15.  The Hebrews cared little or nothing about pharaoh 
Akhenaten’s peculiar, unattractive form of monotheism.  But the first Hebrews 
cared greatly whether that strange, troubled pharaoh would or would not stand 
tall in the saddle and resolutely oppose the seemingly unstoppable advances 
of the mighty Hittite war machine, as the victorious Hittites ominously 
loomed just north and northeast of beloved Canaan.
 
In my considered opinion, one key to understanding and appreciating the  
p-i-n-p-o-i-n-t  historical accuracy of the Patriarchal narratives is to 
compare Amarna Letter EA 197 straight up with Genesis 14: 5-6.
 
Jim Stinehart
Evanston, Illinois