Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Yohanan bin-Dawidh <yohanan.bin.dawidh AT gmail.com>]

Jim,

 

You wrote, "If Keturah were from Arabia, as often supposed, it would not make sense for her children to be sent “eastward, unto the east country”, that is, to eastern Syria, which in the Late Bronze Age was the location of the Hurrian state of Mitanni. In fact, “Keturah”is a Hurrian name, two of her sons have names -- MDN and MDYN -- that recall her Hurrian homeland of Mitanni, and as such it is very fitting that at Genesis 25: 6, sons MDN and MDYN are sent “eastward, unto the east country”, that is, to mi-ta-ni/mi-da-ni/MDN, alternatively spelled mi-ta-an-ni/mi-da-a-ni/MDYN."

 

Why would this not make sense? Depending on where 'Avraham was living at the time these children were sent away would determine what 'eastward, unto the east country" meant, and it is likely this was Arabia. As for K'turah being a Hurrian name, from where do you derive such? Next, the Hurrian language is not a Semitic language, but an Indo-European language, whereas the Semitic languages are classified as Afro-Asiatic languages, and K'turah, MDN and MDYN fit perfectly into the Afro-Asiatic language family, as do most of the names you attempt to pass off as Hurrian. The Hittites themselves, according to common research were not Hurrian, but rather they adopted Hurrian practices and religio-cultural beliefs to a degree. This does not make them Hurrian though.

 

Yohanan bin-Dawidh

Louisville, Kentucky