Biblical Hebrew Forum

[JimStinehart AT aol.com]

Isaac Fried:

 

You wrote:  “The name [‘Chedorlaomer’] is possible the combination KDAR-LA-OMER, with KDR being a variant of GDR, XDR, X$R, KDR, KTR, QDR, Q$R גדר חדר חשר כדר כתר קדר קשר of the common meaning of 'wrap around, enclose, encircle'.  …Omer עומר (such as AMIYR) or אומר such as (AMIYR) is 'lofty'.  Hence KDARLAOMER is the crown prince, or crown emir, כתר-ל-אמיר.”

 

1.  You are viewing the name “Chedorlaomer” as being a west Semitic name.  I actually agree with that.  But then how would you analyze his title?

 

2.  I myself see the name and title of this disliked ruler as having originally been composed of the following 13 letters:  KDRL(MR MLK (LM.  [The phrase MLK (LM was viewed by an editor centuries later as bordering on blasphemy, as MLK (LM would seem to be a wondrously positive title worthy of YHWH Himself, and as such not being appropriate for this disliked ruler.  That apparent potential blasphemy was negated by that later editor by adding a yod/Y to produce (YLM, under the pretense of “clarifying” this title by using plene spelling.]

 

Those 13 Hebrew letters constitute a nasty curse in Ugaritic.  KDRL(MR MLK (LM = kdr l ‘mr mlk ‘lm.  In Ugaritic:  (i) kdr = “to fall”;  (ii) l = “into”;  (iii) ‘mr = “excrement”;  and (iv) although mlk ‘lm literally means “king eternal”, it was a stock phrase in Ugaritic that was used [exclusively in Ugarit] to reference “all the kings of Ugarit -- past, present and future”.  If “Year 13” at Genesis 14: 4 is the real Year 13, then historically that was when the king of Ugarit invited the dreaded Hittites into central-west Syria, thereby precipitating the disastrous Second Syrian War the following year:  Year 14.  Although that succeeded in stopping immediately the raids on Ugarit by 5 rebellious Hurrian princelings in central Syria, it [that is, the historical “four kings against five”] also meant that Ugarit would never again be independent, but rather forevermore would be reduced to being a docile Hittite vassal state.  The actions of Ugarit King Niqmaddu II thus permanently ended the prior independence of all kings of Ugarit.  Accordingly, the following nasty Ugaritic curse makes perfect sense in the historical context of Year 14 [with such timing being referenced at Genesis 14: 5 by “in the 14^th year”]:

 

“fall into excrement all the kings of Ugarit -- past, present and future”

 

3.  All would be sweetness and light if the Biblical author had come up with a charming phrase that innocuously means “crown emir”.  But in fact, Chedorlaomer’s group of 4 victorious rulers took Abram’s nephew Lot as a prisoner, and Abram then had to risk everything to save Lot.  So Chedorlaomer is portrayed in the Bible in a very negative light.

 

It is my opinion that the names and titles of all four [hated] attacking rulers at Genesis 14: 1 are  v-e-r-y  nasty Patriarchal nicknames.  For example, the Hittite king [Suppiluliuma I] is given as his nickname the historical name of his older brother, “Tidal”, whom he had murdered to seize the Hittite throne.  Nasty!  And the king of Ugarit, who by calling the Hittites into Syria forfeited forever the independence of Ugarit, and who [much more importantly to the early Hebrews] also thereby ominously brought the dreaded Hittites into southern Syria and northern Lebanon where they were practically knocking on the door of the Hebrews’ beloved Canaan, as it were, got a nasty Patriarchal nickname as well.  Just look at the letters in the received text and think Ugaritic:  KDRL(MR MLK (LM = kdr l ‘mr mlk ‘lm, which in Ugaritic means:  “fall into excrement all the kings of Ugarit -- past, present and future”.  Nasty!

 

Jim Stinehart

Evanston, Illinois