James Christian:
1. You wrote: “The first concrete clue we get [regarding Abraham’s
native land] is Shem's territory as outlined in Genesis 10:30.”
The Table of Nations is not historically reliable, and it long postdates
the Patriarchal narratives.
2. You wrote: “Whoever made this Greek translation [of Genesis 11: 28]
seemed to think that translating as 'his land of birth' was an accurate
reflection of the meaning.”
That Greek translation was done after Ezra’s day. Ezra radically
reinterpreted the geography of the Patriarchal narratives (without changing a single
letter in the text of the Patriarchal narratives itself).
When we get to chapter 24 of Genesis, which you yourself cite below, we
will see that in the Patriarchal narratives, MWLDT means “kindred”/“
descendants of a common ancestor”, and does not mean “birth” or “birth place”.
3. “The next, and possible most important, clue we are given is in Genesis
12:1 where Abram is told to 'go out of his land'. Subsequently, Abram goes
out of 'his land' and to Canaan (not his land).”
Abraham owns no land in Harran.
Rather, the facts are clear: (i) Terakh’s
family has very recently been in Ur, (ii) then Terakh’s family headed out
for Canaan (not for Harran), and (iii) then Terakh’s family stopped at Harran
unexpectedly, due to Terakh being too weak to continue
on to Canaan as
planned. Given those clear facts, Harran cannot possibly be Abraham’s native
homeland, nor did Abraham ever own any land at Harran.
The word )RC in Biblical Hebrew has a very broad meaning. )RC means “earth”
or “the earth” or “ground” or “country” or “region” or “the place on
the earth where a person is at a particular time” or simply “place”. )RC
can mean, but usually does not mean, a piece of real estate owned by a person.
Haran was buried in Ur, where he died.
Terakh was buried in Harran, where
he died.
Abraham was buried in Canaan, where he died.
6. You wrote: “Then, one of the most important clues is Genesis 24.
Abraham gives
specific instructions for his servant to go 'his country' to 'his
relatives' to choose a wife for Isaac so that Isaac didn't end up marrying one of
'the daughters of Canaan'.”
Finally, at long last, you cite a key passage. Note what Genesis 24: 3-4
says (per the JPS1917 translation): “…thou shalt not take a wife for my son
of the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell. But thou shalt go
unto my country, and to my kindred [MWLDTY], and take a wife for my son,
even for Isaac.'”
Does MWLDT mean “birth” or “birth place” at Genesis 24: 4? No. Abraham
certainly had not been born in Harran. But Harran is where Abraham’s
trusted servant properly goes to find kinswoman Rebekah to be Isaac’s ideal wife.
Rather, MWLDTY means “my kindred”, that is, “my father’s descendants”.
Many of Terakh’s descendants were now living at Harran, including in
particular Laban and his sister Rebekah. The reference to )RCY, translated above as
“my country”, means “the place where I had stayed with my father’s family
for some time when my father could not make it all the way back to Canaan”.
The only place, outside of Canaan, where any female descendants of Terakh
were living at this time was Harran. Given those key facts, and the fact
that the preceding verse explicitly says that Isaac shall not marry someone
from Canaan, Genesis 24: 4 is an unambiguous reference to Harran.
Most importantly for us, at Genesis 24: 4 MWLDT clearly means “kindred”/ “
descendants of a common ancestor”/“my father’s descendants”, and does not
mean “birth” or “birth place”.
The Greek language Septuagint, which you cited above, mistranslates Genesis
24: 4 as follows: “…you shall go to my country where I was born”. But
the trusted servant goes straight to Harran! Abraham clearly was not born in
Harran. Terakh’s family was only in Harran because of the accident that
Terakh had become too weak to make it all the way to Canaan. Genesis 11: 31-32
The Septuagint’s Greek translation of the Biblical Hebrew word MWLDTY (or
at least the English translation thereof) in the Patriarchal narratives is
clearly erroneous. By contrast, the JPS1917 translation of MWLDTY as “my
kindred” is clearly correct.
7. You wrote: “Jubilees gives us more detail….”
Jubilees is not historically reliable, and it long postdates the
Patriarchal narratives.
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