From: Ratson Naharadama <yahoo-arch AT heplist.com>
To: "b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org" <b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org>
Subject: [b-hebrew] Re: Pharaoh Khepera'a in Jeremiah 44:30
Date: Mon, 26 Jul 2010 08:31:58 -0600
Karl asked:
=> Any idea who he was?
=> What other names did he go by?
Tricky question as Khepera would likely be an incomplete name and there
are several Egyptian kings (pharaohs) who had Khepera (Ḫeper-Ri`a) as
part of their name.
The Ḫeper part would mean "transform(s)/come-into-being" (such as the
dung beatle egg transforming — seemingly out of dead material — as an
adult beetle from the dung or dead creature it was laid in).
Ri`a is the deity Ri`a (usually transcribed as Ra or Re in English).
Usually there is at least one word either before the Ḫeper, or between
Ḫeper and Ri`a
(
such as:
* Men-Ḫeper-Ri`a -- "strength of Ri`a transforms"
* `a'a-Ḫeper:u:-Ri`a -- "great are the manifestations of Ri`a"
or
* Ḫeper-Ka'a-Ri`a -- "transformed is the Ka'a of Ri`a"
).
As said before, there are many kings with this element in their name
(particularly in the early New Kingdom, it seems).