Biblical Hebrew Forum

[JimStinehart AT aol.com]

Perhaps the greatest Biblical mystery of all time is to know the specific 
date when Abraham first settled at the Patriarchs’ Hebron.  In this post, let’
s ask if Hebrew grammar can solve this great mystery.
 
Four verses after Abraham settles at the Patriarchs’ Hebron, the Bible 
either says “and Year 13 they rebelled”, or it says “and in the 13th year 
they 
rebelled”.  If it’s the former, then Abraham must have settled at the 
Patriarchs’ Hebron in Year 12, shortly before Year 13, so we would then know 
the 
exact date when Abraham first settled at the Patriarchs’ Hebron.  But if it’
s the latter, per the ubiquitous English translations “and in the 13th year 
they rebelled”, then we know nothing about dating.  Can Hebrew grammar 
decide this case?
 
When the Bible wants to say “in the 13th year” or “in the 14th year” or “
And in the 14th year”, the text consistently has B, meaning “in”.  Jeremiah 
1: 2 has B for “in the 13th year”.  Ezekiel 40: 1 has B for “in the 14th 
year”.  And very importantly (because it’s the closest match, grammatically, 
to Genesis 14: 4), II Kings 18: 13 has W-B for “And in the 14th year”.  
Those are the only three examples outside of the Patriarchal narratives for 
13th year or 14th year, and they are very consistent, always having B/“in”.  
[In Hebrew, unlike English, the word “the” does not appear in this Hebrew 
phrase, and there is no difference in numbers higher than 10 for cardinal vs. 
ordinal numbers.  But the presence or absence of the preposition “in”
/bet/B may be decisive here.]
 
By sharp contrast, there is no B at Genesis 14: 4!  There is only W 
(meaning “and”, etc.).  So the traditional translation of Genesis 14: 4 as 
“and in 
the 13th year” would seem to be in error.  A better translation is:  “and 
Year 13 they rebelled”.
 
It’s true that the next verse, Genesis 14: 5, has the preposition “in”/B 
bet.  Thus Genesis 14: 5 could, out of context, be translated either way:  
either “And in Year 14 [they] came and defeated…”, or “And in the 14th year 
[they] came and defeated…”.  Hebrew grammar is ambiguous as to interpreting 
Genesis 14: 5, at least out of context.
 
But not so for Genesis 14: 4.  The word “in” [bet/B] does not appear at 
Genesis 14: 4.  Accordingly, it is more likely than not that the proper 
translation of the second half of Genesis 14: 4 is “and Year 13 they 
rebelled”.
 
If the Bible says what it means and means what it says, then in effect 
Genesis 14: 4 is telling us that Abraham first settled at the Patriarchs’ 
Hebron 
in Year 12.  It’s simply a matter of paying close attention to Hebrew 
grammar.
 
Jim Stinehart
Evanston, Illinois