Biblical Hebrew Forum

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

Alternatively, Midyan may be a reference to either Medan (Sumatra, 
Indonesia), or Medellin, Colombia, or perhaps even Detroit, which is also 
famously known Motown.


GEORGE ATHAS
Dean of Research,
Moore Theological College (Sydney, Australia)


On 14/04/2012, at 12:42 AM, "JimStinehart AT aol.com" <JimStinehart AT aol.com> 
wrote:

> 
> Gaddi Zack:
> 
> You wrote:  “Indeed, the connection makes some sense as there are clearly 
> North Arabian / South Sinaite input into the early Israelite culture, 
> religion and possibly very ethnicity. The Midianites dwelt in this region.”
> 
> 1.  To the best of my knowledge, no word or name similar to “Midianite” is 
> attested in the ancient world for a people or region in Arabia (or east 
> Africa).
> 
> 2.  A different explanation, then, should be explored in explaining four 
> names similar to this that appear in the Patriarchal narratives.  At 
> Genesis 
> 25: 2, two of Abraham’s sons by a minor wife who are sent out east 
> [presumably to Naharim] are called MDN and MDYN.  At Genesis 37: 28, 
> certain people 
> who are apparently on their way to Egypt, and who accordingly presumably 
> have 
> come from the east [perhaps Naharim], and who are alternatively referred to 
> as Ishmaelites [some of whom we know from Genesis 25: 18 settled far to the 
> east, as far east as Assyria], are called MDYNYM.  At Genesis 37: 36 these 
> same people are called H-MDNYM.  Now consider that in Amarna Letter EA 116: 
> 70, Naharim in eastern Syria is called mi-ta-na, and at EA 75: 38 it is 
> referred to as mi-it-ta-ni-ma.  Where T and D are often interchangeable 
> within 
> Hurrian, and where it would be no surprise for Hebrew dalet/D to be used to 
> render Hurrian T, these Biblical Hebrew names look like they may be 
> referencing historical Mitanni in eastern Syria.  In particular, MDN looks 
> like 
> Mi-ta-na and, where a doubled consonant in Hurrian is never doubled in the 
> Hebrew 
> rendering, MDNYM looks like mi-it-ta-ni-ma.  At least in the Patriarchal 
> narratives, the “Midianites” are people from Mitanni in eastern Syria, not 
> from Arabia.  Consider what the text of Genesis says:
> 
> “Abraham took a wife, and her name [was] Keturah.  And she bare him…Medan 
> [MDN], and Midian [MDYN]….  [U]nto the sons of the concubines, which 
> Abraham 
> had, Abraham gave gifts, and sent them away…eastward, unto the east country.
> ”  Genesis 25: 1, 2, 6
> 
> We see that in the Patriarchal narratives, MDN and MDYN are not associated 
> with Arabia, but rather are associated with the Amarna Age Hurrian state of 
> Mitanni/Mi-ta-na/MDN in eastern Syria.
> 
> Jim Stinehart
> Evanston, Illinois
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