Biblical Hebrew Forum

[JimStinehart AT aol.com]

Jerry Shepherd:

 

You wrote:  “I think you forgot to change the subject line to Gen 14:3.”

 

But the key to my analysis of this critically important issue is  y-o-u-r  interpretation of YM at Zechariah 9: 10.

 

The Jewish Encyclopedia tells us that apart from Genesis 14: 3, the Bible  n-e-v-e-r  refers to the Dead Sea as YM H-MLX/“sea the salt”:

 

“The Dead Sea, known at present as "Baḥr Luṭ" (Lot's Sea), is called in the Old Testament "Sea of Arabah" (R. V. Deut. iii. 17; Josh. xii. 8), "East" or "Eastern Sea" (Ezek. xlvii. 18; Joel ii. 20; Zech. xiv. 8). and "Salt Sea" (Gen. xiv. 3).”  http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/5015-dead-sea

 

The only semi-exception to that rule is that on one occasion, the Dead Sea is referred to as being the Sea of Arabah that is a salt sea;  Joshua 3: 16 ultra-literally says:  “sea the-Arabah sea the-salt”.

 

To the best of my knowledge, the Dead Sea is  n-e-v-e-r  referred to as YM H-MLX/“sea the salt” outside of the Bible in the ancient world: 

 

“Non-biblical sources refer to the sea as the Dead Sea, because the water cannot sustain marine life, though it is host to several types of algae and bacteria.” http://www.dead-sea-wonder-of-nature.com/news_articles/dead_sea_in_the_bible 

 

Moreover, as to whether the Mediterranean Sea, which is a salt sea, might be referred to as YM H-MLX/“sea the salt”, consider now that in Biblical Hebrew, a person who sails the Mediterranean Sea is called a “salt”!  MLX, at Jonah 1: 5.  Thus we know for certain that the Hebrews considered the Mediterranean Sea to be a salt sea, a “sea the-salt”, YM H-MLX.

 

If the “four kings against five” at Genesis 14: 1-11 is the historical Second Syrian War in Year 14, which occurred one year after the “Year 13” that is expressly referenced at Genesis 14: 4, and which was accurately recorded in cuneiform by a contemporary, then we know that the instigator was Ugarit’s King Niqmaddu II, whose kingdom of Ugarit was on the Mediterranean Sea.  The nasty Patriarchal nickname for the king of Ugarit who, most unfortunately, invited the dreaded Hittites into Syria, causing Ugarit never again to be independent thereafter, is KDRL(MR MLK (LM.  Can it be a “coincidence” that this is a perfect Ugaritic curse in Ugaritic, for this Ugaritic king’s actions that permanently forfeited the independence of all the kings of Ugarit?  KDRL(MR MLK (LM [deleting the later-added yod/Y in the last word] in Ugaritic is:  kdr l ‘mr mlk ‘lm, where in Ugaritic kdr means “to fall”, l means “into”, ‘mr means “excrement”, and mlk ‘lm is the world-famous title applicable only to kings of Ugarit, meaning “all the kings of Ugarit -- past, present and future”.  Thus this nasty Patriarchal nickname means, in Ugaritic:  “fall into excrement all the kings of Ugarit, past, present and future”.  Only in Ugaritic, and only in Year 14, does that make sense.  And Ugarit was on the Mediterranean Sea, which was known by the Hebrews to be a “salt sea”.

 

Whether the “four kings against five” at Genesis 14: 1-11 is fully attested historically, or rather has no historical support whatsoever, depends first and foremost on  y-o-u-r  understanding of the Biblical Hebrew word YM at Zechariah 9: 10.  You think that the Mediterranean Sea can be referenced in the Bible by YM, without necessarily having to use the specific name “Great Sea”.  If your understanding of the Biblical Hebrew word YM at Zechariah 9: 10 is correct [and I think it clearly is], then the door is wide open for us to  a-s-k  if YM H-MLX/“sea the salt” at Genesis 14: 3 may be referring to the biggest and most important “salt sea” in or near Canaan and Syria:  the Mediterranean Sea. 

 

Aren’t you excited by the prospect of solving this 3,500-year-old Biblical mystery?  If this isn’t exciting, then what in life is exciting?  It’s  y-o-u-r  view of the meaning of the Biblical Hebrew word YM at Zechariah 9: 10 that is the key here.

 

Jim Stinehart

Evanston, Illinois