Biblical Hebrew Forum

[George Athas <George.Athas AT moore.edu.au>]

Scholars have for a long time wondered about the meaning of the name 
'Beersheba'. It has traditionally been thought to mean 'Well of Seven' or 
'Well of the Oath'. However, as we shall see, there are serious problems with 
these hypotheses. There is, however, a better explanation. Let me explain.

We know that Beersheba was settled originally because it provided a watering 
source for a small population. However, what was that water source? It has 
been thought that it was simply a natural water spring. However, if we think 
about the term באר, which is often translated 'well', we start to see a link 
with another type of 'water', namely 'beer'. In fact, the modern term 'beer' 
is probably a derivation from the Hebrew term באר. The vocalisation into two 
syllables in Hebrew may have been the result of Hurrian influence in the area 
(see below). It is just possible, therefore, that Beersheba was the site of 
an ancient pub or tavern that served beer, rather than simply the site of a 
well.

But this then raises the question of the 'sheba' element in 'BeerSHEBA'. 
Scholars have noted that the ayin (ע) at the end of the word suggests the 
root שׁבע, which can mean to take on oath, or the number seven. However, 
there are not seven wells here, so that theory should be discounted. But 
what, then, is the reference to an oath? Scholars often point to the 
narrative in Gen 21.31, which sees an oath being sworn at 'Beersheba'. 
However, given that this occurs in the vicinity of the Wilderness of Paran, 
which clearly means 'dense forest', that incident must have happened in 
Lebanon somewhere, where more trees do grow. Therefore, it inconceivable that 
any oath was made at Beersheba. So, what, then does the element שׁבע refer to?

The site of Beersheba lies sort of on the trade route to southern Arabia 
where the kingdom of Sheba was located. Sheba is usually spelled שׁבא with an 
aleph. However, if the element שׁבע in the name באר שׁבע is a reference to 
the kingdom of Sheba, then the shift from aleph (א) to the more deeply 
guttural ayin (ע) can be explained. If Beersheba was the site of a pub or 
tavern, and we know that Beersheba had a road leading to it from the south, 
then it's possible that beer brewed in Sheba was brought to the pub. Beer 
brought from such an exotic location would no doubt have made Beersheba 
famous, attracting even Hurrians, who were known for drinking themselves 
silly with fermented drinks. After all, Sheba was too far for them to travel 
to drink the beer in Sheba itself. Beersheba would have been a far more 
attractive location because of its geographical proximity (relatively 
speaking) to the Hurrian heartland. It is, therefore, plausible to suggest 
that many of the patrons of the pub in Beersheba were Hurrians who frequently 
became drunk. And in a drunken state, perhaps even with incipient vomiting 
occurring, a shift from a passive glottal stop aleph (א) to the more deep 
uvular guttural ayin (ע) occurred as Hurrians praised the 'Beer of Sheba'. 
This pronunciation evidently crystallised and remained permanent. This would 
explain the shift from באר שׁבא to באר שׁבע.

This also means that trade contact between Palestine and southern Arabia was 
occurring at a very early stage, at least before the patriarchal era.

I know this sounds a little far fetched, but it sounded really good to me 
when I thought of it. I'm going to let it ferment a little and see what 
happens.



GEORGE ATHAS
Moore Theological College (Sydney, Australia)
www.moore.edu.au