Biblical Hebrew Forum

[JimStinehart AT aol.com]

Prof. Yigal Levin:

 

Your “harmonizing” story would make more historical sense if you would take into account the actual ethnicities involved here.  Here is Judges 1: 4-10, to which I have added in brackets each case where a name is Hurrian:

 

“⁴ And Judah went up; and the Lord delivered the Canaanites and the Perizzites [a Hurrian name used in the Bible to reference the Hurrians] into their hand: and they slew of them in Bezek [the Hurrian name Bi-zi-qa] ten thousand men.

⁵ And they found Adonibezek [the last part of that princeling’s name is Hurrian, Bi-zi-qa] in Bezek [a Hurrian name]: and they fought against him, and they slew the Canaanites and the Perizzites [i.e., Hurrians].

⁶ But Adonibezek [a Hurrian-based name] fled; and they pursued after him, and caught him, and cut off his thumbs and his great toes.

⁷ And Adonibezek [a Hurrian-based name] said, Threescore and ten kings, having their thumbs and their great toes cut off, gathered their meat under my table: as I have done, so God hath requited me. And they brought him to Jerusalem, and there he died.

⁸ Now the children of Judah had fought against Jerusalem, and had taken it, and smitten it with the edge of the sword, and set the city on fire.

⁹ And afterward the children of Judah went down to fight against the Canaanites, that dwelt in the mountain, and in the south, and in the valley.

¹⁰ And Judah went against the Canaanites that dwelt in Hebron [a Hurrian-based name, xa-bu-ru-u-ne]: (now the name of Hebron [a Hurrian name] before was Kirjatharba [the –arba portion of this name is Hurrian]:) and they slew Sheshai [a Hurrian name], and Ahiman [a Hurrian name], and Talmai [a Hurrian name].”

 

I cannot vouch for the historical accuracy of Judges, but I can say that Judges is remembering back to the old days when there still was a substantial remnant of the Hurrians, in the form of Hurrian charioteer princelings, scattered throughout Canaan.

 

Now we can understand the ending of your harmonizing story, when you write:  “However, they did not settle in the city, so at some point the Jebusites came and settled there….”  Jerusalem historically was dominated by a few ruling class Hurrian families, referenced by the Hurrian personal name “Jebusites”.  King David later convinced the leading Hurrian families of Jerusalem, especially Araunah, to transfer the sovereignty of Jerusalem over to King David.  The name “Araunah” is recognized by most scholars as being a Hurrian name.  A little later we hear of Uriah the XTY in Jerusalem, with “Uriah” also being recognized by almost all scholars as being a Hurrian name;  moreover, Edward Lipinski rightly sees XTY as being the frequently-attested Hurrian personal name Xuti-ya.  In my opinion, XTY : Xuti-ya : [“Hurrians”], like “Perizzites” and “Jebusites”, is used in the Bible as a colorful Hurrian-based Patriarchal nickname for the Hurrians.

 

If one ignores the Hurrian etymology of the many names above, one thereby misses what Judges is actually focusing on.  The Hebrews were immensely proud, and rightly so, that the Hebrews had gradually become the predominant power in central Canaan, displacing the formerly awesome and mighty and highly-cultured Hurrian charioteers, who for a brief time in the Late Bronze Age had dominated the ruling class of Canaan.  Yes, I realize that most of the people of Canaan were native west Semitic-speaking Canaanites.  But note that the Hebrews are prouder of having displaced the world-class Hurrians in Canaan than they are of having militarily defeated the lowly Canaanites.

 

Jim Stinehart

Evanston, Illinois