Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Chavoux Luyt <chavoux AT gmail.com>]

Hi Jim

---------- Forwarded message ----------

From: JimStinehart AT aol.com
To: b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org
Cc: 
Date: Wed, 16 Jan 2013 11:16:50 -0500 (EST)
Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] Hebrew Grammar and Moses’ Attack on King Og of Bashan

Genesis 25: 2 tells us that two of Keturah’s sons by Abraham were named MDN and MDYN.  Genesis 25: 6 then tells us where those sons were sent:  “But unto the sons of the concubines, which Abraham had, Abraham gave gifts, and sent them away from Isaac his son, while he yet lived, eastward, unto the east country.”

<snip>

But perhaps we should look on the bright side of things.  The scholarly view of Genesis and Exodus works  o-n-l-y  if the _expression_ “eastward, unto the east country” at Genesis 25: 6 means going straight south of inland Canaan to western Arabia, to the Gulf of Aqaba area.  If, on the other hand, “eastward, unto the east country” means that MDN and MDYN are portrayed as going east to eastern Syria, a non-desert locale which only in the Late Bronze Age was called Mitanni/MDYN/MDN, and with such name never being attested after the 12^th century BCE, then that would decimate the scholarly view that Genesis and Exodus are oral folklore that was recorded in writing only long after the end of the Late Bronze Age. 

How do you get Eastern Syria? Should it not be Eastern Jordan? Or maybe you have a map that shows Syria to the East of Canaan?

Regards

Chavoux