Biblical Hebrew Forum

[JimStinehart AT aol.com]

 

If a place in Canaan is mentioned on several occasions in the Bible, we can often determine its approximate elevation by focusing on the following three Hebrew verbs:  go up/(LH;  go down/YRD;  go/BW).

 

 

In Biblical Hebrew, in order to go from a place of average elevation to a mountain that is at a far higher elevation, normally the Bible says that one “goes up”.  (LH:  “go up”.  Thus II Samuel 2: 1-3 on five separate occasions says that future King David and his men “went up”/(LH to near the top of the highest mountain in Canaan, in order to get to the 1st millennium BCE city of Hebron high in the mountains of southern hill country.  Likewise, Genesis 19: 30 says [as to a different locale]:  “Lot went up/(LH out of Zoar, and dwelt in the mountain/HR….”  Returning now to the locale of mountainous Hebron in southern hill country, Moses’s spies “go up”/(LH to there [Numbers 13: 22], as do Joshua [Joshua 10: 36] and Samson [Judges 16: 3].  Yes, the Bible could sometimes alternatively say “go”, instead of having to say “go up” on each and every occasion.  The only Biblical use of that nomenclature regarding mountainous Hebron in southern hill country is that the elders of Israel “go”/BW) to see King David at Hebron [though in that particular case, BW) effectively means “had an important meeting with”, with no focus whatsoever on whether one must go “up” to get to Hebron].  If people are repeatedly portrayed as going from a place of average elevation to a mountain that is at a far higher elevation, the Bible will at least on occasion say that one “goes up”/(LH to that mountainous locale (per II Samuel 2: 1-3, Genesis 19: 30, etc.).  If a Book of the Bible  n-e-v-e-r  says that anyone “goes up”/(LH to a certain place [such as the Patriarchs’ Hebron in Genesis], and many people over many chapters of text are portrayed as going to such place [which is  n-e-v-e-r  described as being in the “mountains”/HR], then that place cannot be located high up in the mountains!

 

 

Correspondingly, in Biblical Hebrew, in order to go from a place of average elevation to a place located at a far lower elevation, such as the bottom of a valley, normally the Bible says that one “goes down”/YRD to such low-lying place.  YRD:  “go down”.  Thus when Judah leaves the Dothan-Shechem area in hill country and settles in Adullam, which is located at the bottom of the Elah Valley [almost surrounded by foothills], naturally Genesis 38: 1 says that Judah “went down”/YRD.  Yes, the Bible can alternatively say “go”, but if people are repeatedly portrayed as going from a place of average elevation to a place of much lower elevation, such as going to the bottom of a valley, the Bible will at least on occasion say that one “goes down”/YRD to that place at a far lower elevation.  If a Book of the Bible  n-e-v-e-r  says that anyone “goes down”/YRD to a certain place, and many people over many chapters of text are portrayed as going to such place, then that place cannot be located in the  b-o-t-t-o-m  of a valley.  Likewise, if a Book of the Bible  n-e-v-e-r  says that anyone “goes down”/YRD  f-r-o-m  a certain place in leaving that place, and many people over many chapters of text are portrayed as leaving such place, then that place cannot be located near the top of the highest mountain in Canaan!  Note that when Joseph leaves the Patriarchs’ Hebron, he “goes”/BW) to Shechem [Genesis 37: 14];  that is to say, Joseph does not “go down”/YRD from a mountainous Hebron in going to Shechem.

 

 

Finally, in Biblical Hebrew, in order to go from a place of average elevation to another place of average elevation [that is to say, not “up” to a mountain or “down” to the bottom of a valley or “down” from a mountain], the Bible ordinarily says that one “goes”.  BW):  “go”.  So if a person starts at the base of a mountain near Bethel, and goes to the highest altitude part of the Ayalon Valley, namely the hills in the northeast quadrant of the Ayalon Valley [west of Bethel], which are at only a slightly lower elevation, then the Bible will say that one “goes”/BW) there.  Even though the elevation is slightly lower, and it’s in a broad true valley [(MQ, per Genesis 37: 14], the Northern Hills of the northeast Ayalon Valley, being the highest part of the Ayalon Valley, are not enough lower than hill country for the text to say that one “goes down”/YRD.  At Genesis 13: 18, the text says that Abram “goes”/BW) from the base of a mountain near Bethel to the Patriarchs’ Hebron.  Jacob likewise “goes”/BW) to the Patriarchs’ Hebron at Genesis 35: 27.

 

 

In the Patriarchal narratives, no human being is ever said to “go up”/(LH to the Patriarch’s Hebron, or to “go down”/YRD in leaving the Patriarchs’ Hebron.  Rather, in those situations each of Abraham, Jacob and Joseph is said to “go”/BW) to and from the Patriarchs’ Hebron.

 

 

If we pay close attention to what the actual words in the Bible are, instead of blindly accepting the traditional misinterpretation of what the Bible says, we find that the Patriarchs’ Hebron cannot possibly be located at or near the site of King David’s city of Hebron, high “up” in the “mountains” of southern hill country.  Not only is the word “mountains”/HR never used in the Patriarchal narratives to describe the Patriarchs’ Hebron or the area nearby, nor does King David ever claim that the Patriarchs had formerly sojourned at the site of the Hebrews’ first capital city, but also, as is the focus of this post, no one is ever said in the Patriarchal narratives to “go up”/(LH to the Patriarchs’ Hebron.  Lot “goes up”/(LH from Zoar to the mountains;  David “goes up”/(LH to the high altitude capital city of Hebron, as do the spies and Joshua and Samson.  But the two great Patriarchs, Abraham and Jacob/“Israel”, by contrast “go”/BW) to the Patriarchs’ Hebron.  In the Patriarchal narratives, no one ever “goes up”/(LH to the Patriarchs’ Hebron.  If we pay close attention to what the text says and does not say, we see that the Patriarchs’ Hebron is not portrayed in Genesis as being located near the top of Canaan’s tallest mountain in southern hill country.  Not.

 

 

Jim Stinehart

Evanston, Illinois