Biblical Hebrew Forum

[jimstinehart AT aol.com]

Dr. Arnaud Fournet:
 
1. You wrote:  “Assuming that Hiti can have a relationship with some kind of 
Hurro-Urartian population, How do you explain that a person of that kind 
could ever be commander of an *Egyptian* garrison?  [NB: as far as I'm 
concerned the idea can be discarded at first glimpse.]”
 
We know from the Amarna Letters that Egypt often used non-Semitic maryannu as 
its military agents.  Not only was Arawa-na the commander of the Egyptian 
garrison at Kumidu, but also Biryawaza was Pharaoh’s military man in the 
Transjordan, per Amarna Letters EA 196 and EA 197.
 
The civil war in Canaan in Year 13, which accounts for the bulk of the Amarna 
Letters from the southern half of Canaan, pitted one coalition, which 
included princeling rulers with non-Semitic names, against another coalition, 
which was made up almost exclusively of princeling rulers with non-Semitic 
names.
 
If people with non-Semitic names like that are the Biblical “Hittites”, then 
in the 14th century BCE, everywhere one looked, the ruling class was 
primarily such people.  No wonder those fully historical non-Semitic people 
made it into the Bible.  


.  You wrote:  “Moreover it seems that Uriyah the Hiti belongs to a period 
*younger* than this time, doesn't he?”
 
Yes, but the phrase H-XT-Y goes back to the first Hebrews.  Who are the 
H-XT-Y?  Is H-XT-Y a nickname for a people who are properly called H-XR-Y, 
and who have a second nickname in this same text:  H-XW-Y?  Many of the 
Syrian “brothers” of the non-Semitic princelings in 14th century BCE Canaan 
had names whose first two consonants were XT, and whose first two letters in 
those same names were XW (if W in that context is viewed as being the vowel 
U).  So all three names may be referring to the same non-Semitic people, who 
were so prominent throughout Canaan in the Amarna Age:  H-XT-Y and H-XR-Y and 
H-XW-Y.  In all 3 cases, there’s only one letter different in the Biblical 
name/nickname.  And in all 3 cases, the name or nickname fits these 
particular non-Semitic people linguistically.  Are they the Biblical 
“Hittites”, being fully historical, and not having west Semitic names?
 
3.  You wrote:  “I cannot see the "similarity" between Aryokh and Arawa[xx].  
Less than 25% match.”
 
The suffix in the first case is –ka, meaning “son” or “Junior”, etc.  The 
suffix in the second case is –na, meaning “the”.  So the suffixes differ.
 
The Akkadian-style spelling of )RYW-K is Arawa-ka [whereas a non-Semitic 
spelling of that same name would be Eriwi-ka].  The other name is Arawa-na 
(per the 
Akkadian-style spelling which seems to be favored for this name).  There’s 
only one letter difference.  The root is identical.  It’s the same root, 
having the identical meaning, but with different suffixes, that’s all.  Don’t 
you see that the critical importance of the name Arawa-na in the Amarna 
Letters, regarding the southern Beqa Valley, is that it means that the 
consonant reversal (metathesis) from the east was known in Canaan?  Erwi, 
eriwi, arawa -- they’re all the same as “Uriah”, once the metathesis from the 
east is recognized.  It’s the same non-Semitic word, being one of the few 
non-Semitic words that the early Hebrews could be expected to know.  Indeed, 
that particular non-Semitic word, in many different forms, seems to be the 
linguistic hallmark of the Biblical “Hittites”, the XT people, H-XT-Y, a 
fully historical people in Canaan who did not have west Semitic names. 
 
Jim Stinehart
Shanghai, China (temporarily)






-----Original Message-----
From: Arnaud Fournet <fournet.arnaud AT wanadoo.fr>
To: K Randolph <kwrandolph AT gmail.com>; JimStinehart AT aol.com
Cc: b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org
Sent: Fri, Jul 30, 2010 7:14 am
Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] H-XT-Y at II Samuel 11: 3


----- Original Message ----- From: jimstinehart AT aol.com 
To: kwrandolph AT gmail.com 
Cc: fournet.arnaud AT wanadoo.fr ; b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org 
Sent: Friday, July 30, 2010 12:51 PM 
Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] H-XT-Y at II Samuel 11: 3 
 
 
9. Kumidu (Egyptian garrison in the southern Beqa Valley, just north of 
Qadesh of eastern Upper Galilee) 
 
(Non-Egyptian) commander of this Egyptian garrison (presumably another 
maryannu/charioteer): Arawa-na 
 
[The name is per Richard Hess. The last part of the name is damaged. Wm. 
Moran does not see the consonant N there.] 
 
*** 
Assuming that Hiti can have a relationship with some kind of Hurro-Urartian 
population, 
How do you explain that a person of that kind could ever be commander of an 
*Egyptian* garrison? 
[NB: as far as I'm concerned the idea can be discarded at first glimpse.] 
 
Moreover it seems that Uriyah the Hiti belongs to a period *younger* than 
this time, doesn't he? 
A. 
*** 
 
 
Other than the suffix, this name is likely identical to )RYW-K at Genesis 
14: 1. Is )RYW-K at Genesis 14: 1 one of the Biblical “Hittites”? Why has 
no university scholar ever mentioned the great similarity of these two names 
in print? Why has no university scholar ever asked in print whether )RYW-K 
at Genesis 14: 1 is one of the Biblical “Hittites”? 
Jim Stinehart 
*** 
I cannot see the "similarity" between Aryokh and Arawa[xx]. 
Less than 25% match. 
 
Arnaud Fournet