Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Bryant J. Williams III" <bjwvmw AT com-pair.net>]

Dear Jim,

First, I sent the article on so that the list could read what Dr. Mariottini 
has written.

Second, when I read an article I am not going to agree with everything said.

Third, I truly believe in intellectual honesty.

Fourth, the calendars of Israel were of two types: sacred and secular. There 
is a six month difference between them since Passover, followed by Feast of 
Unleavened Bread, begins the sacred calendar in March-April; while the 
secular calendar begins with Hashanah, followed by the Feast of Tabernacles 
(Booth), in September-October. Your calendrical half-years is speculative.

Rev. Bryant J. Williams III
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: JimStinehart AT aol.com 
  To: bjwvmw AT com-pair.net ; yishalom AT sbcglobal.net ; 
b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org 
  Cc: George.Athas AT moore.edu.au 
  Sent: Thursday, September 29, 2011 1:50 PM
  Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] Fw: Re: Names of Rachel's Second-Born Son


Rev. Bryant J. Williams III: Thank you for posting those very interesting 
comments by Dr. Claude Mariottini regarding the left-handedness of Benjamin.  
It is fascinating that YMYN at one point may have signified “west”, not 
“south” as usually supposed:  “The inhabitants of the Holy Land had the sea 
(yam) on the right, hence called
that side jamin, literally, “sea-side”; and the highlands of Aram on the left,
hence semol, “the left.”  Different nations derived their expressions for 
right
and left from conceptions peculiar to themselves.”  If BN-YMYN on one level 
means “Son of the West”, that would actually make geographical sense, as 
Jacob’s other 11 sons are definitely born in the “east”. But I must disagree 
with the following assertion that you quoted from that article:  “It was by a 
euphemism that the name of Jacob’s son was Ben-jamin. Among the Greeks also 
the “left” was euphemistically called εὐὠνυμος, good-omened, because it was 
wished to avoid the ominous ὰριστερός [“left”].  A similar custom must have 
obtained in Israel, since just in the tribe of Benjamin there were, as we are 
informed (Judg. 20:16), large numbers of men who,like Ehud, were  i. e. 
left-handed….” The Patriarchal narratives are older than the rest of the 
Bible.  The early Hebrew author of the truly ancient Patriarchal narratives 
had no idea what characteristics a future tribe of Benjamin might have.  He 
had no idea that such tribe might end up having more lefthanders than other 
tribes. BN-YMYN is  n-o-t  a “euphemism”!  No way.  In looking at Rachel’s 
newborn son, Jacob knew that (i) Joseph, who was Rachel’s firstborn son and 
had been heavily favored by Jacob with a ‘coat of many colors’, had vanished 
a month or so ago, and was presumed by Jacob to be dead, and (ii) Rachel 
herself had just now died in childbirth.  Jacob’s plan at that point was to 
honor both Joseph and Rachel by choosing Joseph’s only full-brother, being 
Rachel’s apparently only living son, to be Jacob’s heir-apparent, the “Son of 
my Right Hand”:  BN-YMYN.  Genesis 48: 14, 17, 18 makes clear that if Jacob 
puts his “right hand”/YMYN on the head of one “son”/BN of Joseph, then that 
son [Ephraim] will have a finer inheritance than Joseph’s firstborn son.  
Similarly, at the time of Benjamin’s birth, and for the next 15 years [until 
all the Hebrews moved to Egypt], Jacob heavily favored Benjamin, just as 
Jacob for the preceding 10 years had heavily favored Joseph.  Thus we see 
Jacob holding back Benjamin, his favored son, in sending all 10 of his oldest 
sons to Egypt to buy food for the starving Hebrews in Canaan. For 15 long 
years Rachel’s second-born son was Jacob’s heir-apparent, being Jacob’s 
favorite son [in Joseph’s absence], and as far as Jacob knew being the only 
living son of Jacob’s favorite wife Rachel.  As such, from the moment of 
Benjamin’s birth [about a month after Joseph’s disappearance], and for 15 
years thereafter, Jacob was planning to name Benjamin as Jacob’s successor, 
to be the leader of the next generation of Hebrews.  So for 15 years Benjamin 
was Jacob’s heir-apparent and was indeed BN-YMYN, “Son of my Right Hand”.  
That name is not a euphemism. E-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g  about this sequence makes 
perfect sense if and only if chapter 37 of Genesis is a flashback, which 
takes us back to the time period shortly before the bloody Shechem incident 
and Benjamin’s birth.  All of the “contradictions” that Prof. Yigal Levin’s 
article deftly identifies in chapter 37 of Genesis disappear entirely, once 
it is realized that chapter 37 of Genesis has been deliberately told out of 
normal chronological order.   You comment:  “Your calendrical analysis was 
years (?) ago shown to be very faulty.”  Au contraire.  Once we realize that 
Joseph is a “boy”/nar per Genesis 37: 2, who has witnessed 17 fall and spring 
New Years, being age 8½ in 12-month years, we can see that chapter 37 of 
Genesis is a flashback.  Benjamin is born in Year 13 tenfold, 130 years [in 
12-month years] after Abraham’s birth, with Benjamin’s birth being reported 
in chapter 35 of Genesis.  Joseph was born in Year 120, so Genesis 37: 2 is 
referring to Year 128.5 [120 + 8½ = 128.5], being a flashback.  Periods of 
years out east in Naharim/Mitanni/Harran, where there was only one major New 
Year [the spring New Year] every 12 months, are set forth in terms of 
12-month years [for example the period of 7 years in which Leah gives birth 
to 7 children with no twins].  So we know that Jacob’s family returns to 
Canaan in the 7th year after Joseph’s birth, which is Year 127.  Jacob 
initially settles at Succoth, so the bloody Shechem incident cannot occur 
until several years [3 years] after Jacob gets back to Canaan.  [Benjamin is 
born in Year 130.]    Mathematical proof that Joseph was born in Year 120 is 
that Joseph is twice said to die at stated age 110, which is age 55 in 
12-month years, meaning that Joseph dies in Year 175.  [120 + 55 =175.]  That 
means that Abraham dies at exactly the half-way point of the Patriarchal 
narratives, dying at stated age 17½ tenfold, at stated age 175, which is age 
87½ in 12-month years, being Year 87.5.  Judah is born 2½ years in [12-month 
years] before Joseph is born in Year 120, which is Year 117.5, with the 
accent on 17½.  And Terakh dies 17½ years [in 12-month years] after the 
fulfillment of the Covenant with Isaac’s birth, with Isaac being born when 
Abraham is stated age 100, Abraham being age 50 in 12-month years at Isaac’s 
birth, in Year 50.  [Terakh was stated age 70, being age 35 in 12-month 
years, at Abram’s birth.  So when Terakh dies at stated age 205, being age 
102½ in 12-month years, that is Year 67.5:  102½ - 35 = 67½.  67.5 – 50 = 
17½.]   See how every age in the Patriarchal narratives makes perfect sense 
on all levels, once we recognize that (i) Joseph was born in Year 120, (ii) 
Benjamin was born in Year 130 [in chapter 35 of Genesis, being Year 13 
tenfold;  historically the ruler of Shechem was assassinated in Year 13], and 
(iii) chapter 37 of Genesis is a flashback, initially to Year 128.5 when 
Joseph is stated age 17, being age 8½ in 12-month years [which is 1½ 12-month 
years after Jacob returned to Canaan in Year 127].  Then Joseph has that 
later dream of 11 stars bowing down to him at age 9½ in 12-month years [which 
is the equivalent of being stated age 19], in Year 129.5, on the eve of the 
bloody Shechem incident [and shortly before Benjamin’s birth], which occurs 
in Year 130 [Year 13 tenfold].     I respectfully disagree with the assertion 
that Benjamin’s name is a “euphemism”.  Not.  And there are no 
“contradictions” in chapters 37 and 35 of Genesis.  None. Jim 
StinehartEvanston, Illinois

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