The name Shinar occurs 8 times in the Hebrew Bible: Genesis 10:10; 11:2; 14:1,9; Isaiah 11:11; Daniel 1:2; and Zechariah 5:11. In addition, Achan, in Joshua 7:21, sinned in taking a beautiful Shinarish garment from the forbidden loot in the destruction of Ai.
The four Genesis verses all refer to 'Shinar' as the 'place where the Tower of Babel was built. The meaning of the name 'Babel,' is defined right in the Genesis passage as 'confound' (11:9).
Isaiah 11:11 is a reference to the gathering of the children of Israel from far places; and Zechariah 5:11 sees a vision, in which an angel tells him that a House for the 'ephah' will be built in the 'land of Shinar.'
The Daniel reference to Shinar is when Nebuchadnezzar took part of the vessels of the House of God from Jerusalem and carried them into 'Shinar to the house of his god,' the one in whose honor he was named, 'Nabu,' also spelled 'Nebo,'
The Bible describes two different expeditions to Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar, the first one took place in the 3rd year of Jehoiakim's reign in Judah (Daniel 1:1), and the second took place after Jehoiakim had reigned for 11 years (2 Chronicles 36:5). There was also a third plundering trip to Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar, as detailed in 2 Kings 24:13, when Jehoiachin was king. This time Nebuchadnezzar gathered up everything that he had missed previously, from both the temple and the king's palace. In addition to more vessels, this lot included the pillars, sea, and bases that Solomon had made for the temple, that Jeremiah 27:19 tells about.
We hear about all those temple vessels later on when Belshazzar gave a great banquet in the city of Babylon and commanded that they be brought out for his guests to drink from (Daniel 5:2-3).
The ancient name 'Shinar' in a simply Semitic language means 'two rivers,' closely related to the Greek 'Mesopotamia.' The ancient name was given to the great alluvial tract which the Tigris and Euphrates pass before reaching the sea. The tract was known in later times as 'Chaldea' or 'Babylonia.'
In the Book of Genesis 10:10 the beginning of Nimrod's kingdom is said to have been Babel, Akkad, Erech, and Calneh in the 'land of Shinar.'
According to Genesis 11:2, 9 Shinar is parallel to Babel, and states that 'Shinar' enclosed the plain that became the site of the Tower of Babel after the Great Flood.
After the biblical Flood of Genesis 7-8, Noah and his family came out of the Ark in the mountains of Ararat to start new lives in a very strange world. Genesis 11: 1-2 says that the whole earth had only one language and 'few words.' And as men migrated from the East, they found a 'plain' in the 'land of Shinar', opposite to the East, and settled there. All appear to indicate that the Ark and "Shinar' were East-West of each other.
In Shinar they rebelled against God and set out to build a city and tower to make a 'name' for themselves and keep from scattering. There, two of the greatest of ancient empires, Assyria and Babylon, were centered.
In Zechariah 5:11 Shinar is Babel, where Nimrod first built his great empire based upon idolatrous covetousness, thence to become the earth's 'mother of harlots.'
Saturday, 24 September 2016
Monday, 12 September 2016
THE "1st" ANCIENT HISTORICAL RECORD OF ISRAEL.
William Mathew Flinders Petrie (3 June 1853-28 July 1942) was an English Egyptologist who excavated many archaeological sites in Egypt in conjunction with his wife, Hilda Petrie.
One of his most famous discovery is the 'Mer'Neptah Stele' also known as the 'Israel Stele,' discovered in 1896 at the ancient Egyptian capital ofThebes, and now housed in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.
The stele was found in Mer'Neptah's funerary chapel, on the West bank of the Nile. On the opposite bank is the Temple of Karnak, where the fragmentary copy was found.
The stele is a black granite slab, over 3m/10ft high, and the inscription says it was carved in the 5th year of Mer'Neptah (reign: 1213-1203 BC) of the 19th dynasty.
Most of the text glorifies the victories of the king over the enemies from Libya and their Sea People allies, but the last 3 of the 28 lines deal with an apparently separate campaign in the East, where it seems that some of the Canaanite cities had revolted, Canaan, then, part of Egypt's imperial possessions, where Mer'Neptah says he defeated and destroyed Ash'Kalon, Gezer, Yanoam, and Israel:
"The princes are prostrate, saying, 'Peace!'. Not one is raising his head among the 'Nine Bows.'
Now that Te'Henu (Libya) has come to ruin, Hatti is pacified; the Canaan has been plundered into every sort of 'Woe': Ash'Kelon has been overcome; Gezer has been captured; Yano'Am is made non-existent. Israel is laid waste and his seed is not; Hurru is become a widow because of Egypt."
Traditionally the Egyptians had concerned themselves only with cities, so the problem presented by Israel must have been something new. Mer'Neptah and Ramesses III fought off their enemies, but it was the beginning of the end of Egypt's control over the people of Canaan. The last evidence of an Egyptian presence in the area is the name of Ram'Esses VI (1141-33 CE) inscribed on a statue base from Meg'Iddo.
The use of the determinative for a people rather than land implies that Israel had neither a king nor a kingdom at this time. The other Canaanite groups fought by Egypt :Ash'Kelon, Gezer, and Yano'Am, are in contrast described in the stele as nascent states.
William Petrie called upon Wilhelm Spiegel'Berg, a German Egyptologist in his team, to translate the inscription. He was specialized in analyses of Demotic (writing used for more than a 1000 years by the Egyptians) and hieratic (priestly) text. Spiegel'Berg was puzzled by one symbol towards the end, that of a people or tribe whom Mer'Neptah had victoriously smitten. Petrie quickly suggested that it read"Israel!" Spiegel'Berg agreed that the translation was correct. Petrie remarked: "Won't the reverends be pleased?" At dinner that evening, Petrie who realized the importance of the find said: "This stele will be better known in the world than anything else I have found." The news of its discovery made headlines when it reached the English papers.
In Spiegel'Berg's inscriptions chapter of Petrie's 1897 publication "6 Temples at Thebes," Spiegel'Berg described the 'stele' as 'engraved on the rough back of the 'Stele of Amen'Hotep III,' which was removed from his temple, and placed back outward, against the wall, in the forecourt of the temple of Mer'Neptah. The scene at the top retained its original coloring of yellow, red, and blue. Amen'Hotep is shown giving a sword to the king, who is backed by Mut (ancient Egyptian mother goddess) on one side and by Khonsu (ancient Egyptian god of the moon).
"Mut" was the title of the primordial waters of the cosmos, and she was considered the mother from which the cosmos emerged. The hieroglyph for Mut's name, and for 'mother' itself, was that of a 'vulture', which the Egyptians believed were very maternal creatures. Since Egyptian vultures have no significant differing markings between female and male of the species, being without sexual dimorphism, the Egyptians believed they were all females, who conceived their offspring by the wind herself.
Khonsu, god of the moon, along with Thot, marked the passage of time. Khonsu was instrumental in the creation of new life in all living creatures. At Thebes he formed part of a family triad (the Theban triad) with Mut as his mother and Amun his father. His name reflects the fact that the Moon travels across the night sky, for it means 'traveller', and also had the titles 'Embracer', 'Pathfinder', and 'defender', as he watched overnight travelers. As the god of light in the night, Khonsu was invoked to protect against wild animals, and aid with healing. It was said that when Khonsu (Lah in Egyptian) caused the crescent moon to shine, women conceived, cattle became fertile, and all nostrils and every throat was filled with fresh air.
The majority of scholars translate a set of hieroglyphs on line 27 as "Israel,"representing the 1st documented instance of the name Israel in the historical record, and the only mention in Ancient Egypt. It is also one of the only four known ancient inscriptions interpreted to mention the term "Israel," the others being the 'Mesha Stele,' the 'Tel Dan Stele,' and the 'Kurkh Monolith.'
In the 1970s Frank Yurko announced that some of the reliefs at Karnak which had been thought to depict events in the reign of Ram'Esses II, Mer'Neptah's father, in fact belonged to Mer'Neptah.
The four reliefs show the capture of 3 cities, one of them labelled as Ash'Kelon. Frank Yurco suggested that the other 2 were Gezer and Yano'Am. The fourth relief shows a 'Battle in an open Hill Country' against an enemy shown as Canaanite. Frank Yurco suggested that this scene was to be equated with the Israel of the stele.
While the idea that Mer'Neptah's Israelites are to be seen on the walls of the temple has had an influence on many theories regarding the significance of the inscription, not all Egyptologists accept Frank Yurko's ascription of the reliefs to Mer'Neptah.
One of his most famous discovery is the 'Mer'Neptah Stele' also known as the 'Israel Stele,' discovered in 1896 at the ancient Egyptian capital ofThebes, and now housed in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.
The stele was found in Mer'Neptah's funerary chapel, on the West bank of the Nile. On the opposite bank is the Temple of Karnak, where the fragmentary copy was found.
The stele is a black granite slab, over 3m/10ft high, and the inscription says it was carved in the 5th year of Mer'Neptah (reign: 1213-1203 BC) of the 19th dynasty.
Most of the text glorifies the victories of the king over the enemies from Libya and their Sea People allies, but the last 3 of the 28 lines deal with an apparently separate campaign in the East, where it seems that some of the Canaanite cities had revolted, Canaan, then, part of Egypt's imperial possessions, where Mer'Neptah says he defeated and destroyed Ash'Kalon, Gezer, Yanoam, and Israel:
"The princes are prostrate, saying, 'Peace!'. Not one is raising his head among the 'Nine Bows.'
Now that Te'Henu (Libya) has come to ruin, Hatti is pacified; the Canaan has been plundered into every sort of 'Woe': Ash'Kelon has been overcome; Gezer has been captured; Yano'Am is made non-existent. Israel is laid waste and his seed is not; Hurru is become a widow because of Egypt."
Traditionally the Egyptians had concerned themselves only with cities, so the problem presented by Israel must have been something new. Mer'Neptah and Ramesses III fought off their enemies, but it was the beginning of the end of Egypt's control over the people of Canaan. The last evidence of an Egyptian presence in the area is the name of Ram'Esses VI (1141-33 CE) inscribed on a statue base from Meg'Iddo.
The use of the determinative for a people rather than land implies that Israel had neither a king nor a kingdom at this time. The other Canaanite groups fought by Egypt :Ash'Kelon, Gezer, and Yano'Am, are in contrast described in the stele as nascent states.
William Petrie called upon Wilhelm Spiegel'Berg, a German Egyptologist in his team, to translate the inscription. He was specialized in analyses of Demotic (writing used for more than a 1000 years by the Egyptians) and hieratic (priestly) text. Spiegel'Berg was puzzled by one symbol towards the end, that of a people or tribe whom Mer'Neptah had victoriously smitten. Petrie quickly suggested that it read"Israel!" Spiegel'Berg agreed that the translation was correct. Petrie remarked: "Won't the reverends be pleased?" At dinner that evening, Petrie who realized the importance of the find said: "This stele will be better known in the world than anything else I have found." The news of its discovery made headlines when it reached the English papers.
In Spiegel'Berg's inscriptions chapter of Petrie's 1897 publication "6 Temples at Thebes," Spiegel'Berg described the 'stele' as 'engraved on the rough back of the 'Stele of Amen'Hotep III,' which was removed from his temple, and placed back outward, against the wall, in the forecourt of the temple of Mer'Neptah. The scene at the top retained its original coloring of yellow, red, and blue. Amen'Hotep is shown giving a sword to the king, who is backed by Mut (ancient Egyptian mother goddess) on one side and by Khonsu (ancient Egyptian god of the moon).
"Mut" was the title of the primordial waters of the cosmos, and she was considered the mother from which the cosmos emerged. The hieroglyph for Mut's name, and for 'mother' itself, was that of a 'vulture', which the Egyptians believed were very maternal creatures. Since Egyptian vultures have no significant differing markings between female and male of the species, being without sexual dimorphism, the Egyptians believed they were all females, who conceived their offspring by the wind herself.
Khonsu, god of the moon, along with Thot, marked the passage of time. Khonsu was instrumental in the creation of new life in all living creatures. At Thebes he formed part of a family triad (the Theban triad) with Mut as his mother and Amun his father. His name reflects the fact that the Moon travels across the night sky, for it means 'traveller', and also had the titles 'Embracer', 'Pathfinder', and 'defender', as he watched overnight travelers. As the god of light in the night, Khonsu was invoked to protect against wild animals, and aid with healing. It was said that when Khonsu (Lah in Egyptian) caused the crescent moon to shine, women conceived, cattle became fertile, and all nostrils and every throat was filled with fresh air.
The majority of scholars translate a set of hieroglyphs on line 27 as "Israel,"representing the 1st documented instance of the name Israel in the historical record, and the only mention in Ancient Egypt. It is also one of the only four known ancient inscriptions interpreted to mention the term "Israel," the others being the 'Mesha Stele,' the 'Tel Dan Stele,' and the 'Kurkh Monolith.'
In the 1970s Frank Yurko announced that some of the reliefs at Karnak which had been thought to depict events in the reign of Ram'Esses II, Mer'Neptah's father, in fact belonged to Mer'Neptah.
The four reliefs show the capture of 3 cities, one of them labelled as Ash'Kelon. Frank Yurco suggested that the other 2 were Gezer and Yano'Am. The fourth relief shows a 'Battle in an open Hill Country' against an enemy shown as Canaanite. Frank Yurco suggested that this scene was to be equated with the Israel of the stele.
While the idea that Mer'Neptah's Israelites are to be seen on the walls of the temple has had an influence on many theories regarding the significance of the inscription, not all Egyptologists accept Frank Yurko's ascription of the reliefs to Mer'Neptah.
Sunday, 11 September 2016
ANCIENT GERAR, THE 13TH STOP IN ABRAHAM'S JOURNEY.
Gerar was an ancient town, surrounded by a rampant of beaten earth, in the Western Negev, half-way between Beer'Sheba and Gaza, covering 40 acres.
In earliest times, Gerar was within the territory of the Canaanites: "Afterward the families of the Canaanites spread abroad. And the territory of the Canaanites extended from Sidon, in the direction of Gerar, as far as Gaza, and in the direction of Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim, as far as Lasha." (Genesis 10).
The Bible shifts its focus in Genesis 12 from the history of the entire human race to a man named Abram, the first Hebrew. God appeared to Abram and promised him that if he would leave his country and journey to a land that he has never seen, God would make of his descerndants a great nation and through them the Saviour of the world would come, through his 'seed.'
Abraham and Isaac both, who were born in the area, sought to live in Gerar. It was in Gerar that they deceived the king of the land.
In the time of Abraham, it was ruled by a Philistine king named Abi'Melech. Abraham moved there after living Kadesh (Barnea) and Shur in Western Sinai. (Genesis 20). Both made a treaty with the king of Gerar, after separate incidents in which both claimed that their wives were their sisters, in order to keep from being killed. Abraham's wife was eventually returned with 1000 shekels of silver.
Isaac came to Gerar to live inside the city during a famine in the land, instead of going to Egypt like Abraham and Jacob. (Genesis 26). Isaac's troubles over Rebekah happened in the city, since the king observed the display of affection from his window.
Abraham and, later Isaac's troubles with the locals required that they move to the outside edge of Gerar's territory: "Then Isaac departed from Gerar and pitched his tent in the Valley of Gerar and dwelt there." The productivity of the land around Gerar is described in Genesis 26: "Now Isaac sowed in that land, and reaped in the same year a hundredfold. And the Lord blessed him."
The Promised Land would be the inheritance of Abraham's descendants but Abraham would only be a pilgrim there. On his journey Abraham visited 17 places :
1) Ur of the Chaldeans was the original home of Abraham. God told Abraham to leave his home and country and go to a land that He would show him. He obeyed and departed from Ur, with his father Terah and his nephew Lot. (Genesis11; Acts 7).
2) Haran was his 1st stop. He dwelt here until his father died. In Haran God called Abraham again.
3) Damascus, located in ancient Aram (Syria). Here Abraham secured his servant Eliezer. (Genesis 15).
4) Shechem was the 1st place in the Promised Land. The Lord appeared to Abraham again and confirmed His Promises. Abraham built the First Altar to the Lord. There is much history in this place. (Joshua 24:1; Judges 9:6; 1Kings 12:1).
5) Bethel is the 2nd place in which Abraham built an Altar to the Lord, in a nearby mountain. (Gen 12).
6) Egypt was the place where Abraham and his family migrated because of a major famine hit the land.
In Egypt Abraham deceived the King in order to save his own life and was expelled from the land. The king of Egypt feared Abraham because of a dream and allowed him to leave with all his possessions.
7) Bethel was the former home of Abraham and Lot. They returned to their former home at Bethel, but on account of strife between their herdsmen they parted each other company as friends. (Genesis 13).
8) Hebron. Lot chose the warm climate and lush plains of the Jordan Valley and pitched his tent toward Sodom, and Abraham left and sojourned at Hebron in Mamre, one of the oldest cities (Numbers 13), where he heard again from the Lord and built an Altar there.
9) Dan. Four kings of the East came to Canaan who were united under Chedorlaomer of Elam (the territory of ancient Ur) and made War against the five kings of Canaan. In their conquest of the Jordan Valley they captured Lot as a prisoner of war, and when Abraham heard of it pursued the 4 kings and overtook them at Dan and defeated them with the help of the Lord (Genesis 14). Abraham already had assembled an army of 318 men. Dan was located in the North between Hazor and Damascus.
10) Hobah. Abraham and his army of servants smote the army of the 4 kings and chased them to Hobah, near Damascus. Lot and all the people with him were rescued with their belongings.
11) Salem. On his return Abraham passed through Salem (Jeru'Salem) and was met by a man named Melchizedek whose name means "King of Righteousness," He was a mysterious man regarded in the Bible as the 'priest' and 'king of Salem.' This was the 1st mention of the word 'Priest' in the Bible, and he gave to Abraham bread and wine. Abraham paid him 1/10th of all his spoils from the War as a 'tithe.' Hebrews 7 gives an interesting description of Melchizedek and therefore his identity remains a mystery. The king of Sodom also came out to meet Abraham at the same place.
12) Hebron. When Abraham finally returned to Hebron God reminded him of His Covenant with him and changed his name from Abram to Abraham. During his stay at this place Ishmael was born and the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed. (Genesis 16; 18; 19).
13) Gerar. Abraham left Hebron and for a time sojourned among the Philistines in Gerar which was in Southern Canaan West of Beer'Sheba. It was here that Abraham deceived the King of Gerar. (Gen.20).
14) Beer'Sheba. Abraham remained at this place for some time. During this time he made a covenant with king Abi'Melech. Later he gave birth to Isaac (Laughter), a natural son of him and Sarah, in his old age. When Isaac was born Ishmael was expelled and his mother Hagar fled and was met by "the Angel of the Lord" which was the Lord Himself. (Genesis 21).
15) Moriah. It was in Beer'Sheba that Abraham received the command from the Lord to take his only natural son Isaac to Mount Moriah, a mountain of Salem, to offer Isaac as a Burnt Offering. (Gen 22).
16) Beer'Sheba. Abraham returned to this place and dwelt here for some time.
17) Hebron. Abraham bought the Cave of Mach'Pelah as the family sepulcher and buried his wife Sarah there. (Genesis 23). At the age of 175 Abraham died, and was also buried in the Cave at Mach-Pelah.
In earliest times, Gerar was within the territory of the Canaanites: "Afterward the families of the Canaanites spread abroad. And the territory of the Canaanites extended from Sidon, in the direction of Gerar, as far as Gaza, and in the direction of Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim, as far as Lasha." (Genesis 10).
The Bible shifts its focus in Genesis 12 from the history of the entire human race to a man named Abram, the first Hebrew. God appeared to Abram and promised him that if he would leave his country and journey to a land that he has never seen, God would make of his descerndants a great nation and through them the Saviour of the world would come, through his 'seed.'
Abraham and Isaac both, who were born in the area, sought to live in Gerar. It was in Gerar that they deceived the king of the land.
In the time of Abraham, it was ruled by a Philistine king named Abi'Melech. Abraham moved there after living Kadesh (Barnea) and Shur in Western Sinai. (Genesis 20). Both made a treaty with the king of Gerar, after separate incidents in which both claimed that their wives were their sisters, in order to keep from being killed. Abraham's wife was eventually returned with 1000 shekels of silver.
Isaac came to Gerar to live inside the city during a famine in the land, instead of going to Egypt like Abraham and Jacob. (Genesis 26). Isaac's troubles over Rebekah happened in the city, since the king observed the display of affection from his window.
Abraham and, later Isaac's troubles with the locals required that they move to the outside edge of Gerar's territory: "Then Isaac departed from Gerar and pitched his tent in the Valley of Gerar and dwelt there." The productivity of the land around Gerar is described in Genesis 26: "Now Isaac sowed in that land, and reaped in the same year a hundredfold. And the Lord blessed him."
The Promised Land would be the inheritance of Abraham's descendants but Abraham would only be a pilgrim there. On his journey Abraham visited 17 places :
1) Ur of the Chaldeans was the original home of Abraham. God told Abraham to leave his home and country and go to a land that He would show him. He obeyed and departed from Ur, with his father Terah and his nephew Lot. (Genesis11; Acts 7).
2) Haran was his 1st stop. He dwelt here until his father died. In Haran God called Abraham again.
3) Damascus, located in ancient Aram (Syria). Here Abraham secured his servant Eliezer. (Genesis 15).
4) Shechem was the 1st place in the Promised Land. The Lord appeared to Abraham again and confirmed His Promises. Abraham built the First Altar to the Lord. There is much history in this place. (Joshua 24:1; Judges 9:6; 1Kings 12:1).
5) Bethel is the 2nd place in which Abraham built an Altar to the Lord, in a nearby mountain. (Gen 12).
6) Egypt was the place where Abraham and his family migrated because of a major famine hit the land.
In Egypt Abraham deceived the King in order to save his own life and was expelled from the land. The king of Egypt feared Abraham because of a dream and allowed him to leave with all his possessions.
7) Bethel was the former home of Abraham and Lot. They returned to their former home at Bethel, but on account of strife between their herdsmen they parted each other company as friends. (Genesis 13).
8) Hebron. Lot chose the warm climate and lush plains of the Jordan Valley and pitched his tent toward Sodom, and Abraham left and sojourned at Hebron in Mamre, one of the oldest cities (Numbers 13), where he heard again from the Lord and built an Altar there.
9) Dan. Four kings of the East came to Canaan who were united under Chedorlaomer of Elam (the territory of ancient Ur) and made War against the five kings of Canaan. In their conquest of the Jordan Valley they captured Lot as a prisoner of war, and when Abraham heard of it pursued the 4 kings and overtook them at Dan and defeated them with the help of the Lord (Genesis 14). Abraham already had assembled an army of 318 men. Dan was located in the North between Hazor and Damascus.
10) Hobah. Abraham and his army of servants smote the army of the 4 kings and chased them to Hobah, near Damascus. Lot and all the people with him were rescued with their belongings.
11) Salem. On his return Abraham passed through Salem (Jeru'Salem) and was met by a man named Melchizedek whose name means "King of Righteousness," He was a mysterious man regarded in the Bible as the 'priest' and 'king of Salem.' This was the 1st mention of the word 'Priest' in the Bible, and he gave to Abraham bread and wine. Abraham paid him 1/10th of all his spoils from the War as a 'tithe.' Hebrews 7 gives an interesting description of Melchizedek and therefore his identity remains a mystery. The king of Sodom also came out to meet Abraham at the same place.
12) Hebron. When Abraham finally returned to Hebron God reminded him of His Covenant with him and changed his name from Abram to Abraham. During his stay at this place Ishmael was born and the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed. (Genesis 16; 18; 19).
13) Gerar. Abraham left Hebron and for a time sojourned among the Philistines in Gerar which was in Southern Canaan West of Beer'Sheba. It was here that Abraham deceived the King of Gerar. (Gen.20).
14) Beer'Sheba. Abraham remained at this place for some time. During this time he made a covenant with king Abi'Melech. Later he gave birth to Isaac (Laughter), a natural son of him and Sarah, in his old age. When Isaac was born Ishmael was expelled and his mother Hagar fled and was met by "the Angel of the Lord" which was the Lord Himself. (Genesis 21).
15) Moriah. It was in Beer'Sheba that Abraham received the command from the Lord to take his only natural son Isaac to Mount Moriah, a mountain of Salem, to offer Isaac as a Burnt Offering. (Gen 22).
16) Beer'Sheba. Abraham returned to this place and dwelt here for some time.
17) Hebron. Abraham bought the Cave of Mach'Pelah as the family sepulcher and buried his wife Sarah there. (Genesis 23). At the age of 175 Abraham died, and was also buried in the Cave at Mach-Pelah.
THE MEANING OF TOWN GER'AR, AND THE PEOPLE IN IT.
-The Biblical name of 'Gerar' is Hebrew in origin and its meaning is 'Lodging Place.'
Gerar was a town in Gaza belonging to the Philistines. Abimelech was the king of Gerar, when Abraham and Isaac sojourned there.
Genesis 10:9; 20:1,2; 26:1,6,17,20,26; 2Chronicles14:13,14.
-The Biblical name 'Gaza' is Hebrew in origin and its meaning is 'Strong, Fortified.' Gaza was one of the 5 Philistines cities in Canaan.
-The Biblical name 'Abi'Melech' is Hebrew in origin and its meaning is 'Father of the King.' Abi'Melech was the title assumed by the Philistine kings of the Old testament.
Abraham introduced his wife Sarah, as his sister to Abi'Melech (Father of the King), the king of Gerar (Lodging Place). Abi'Melech (Father of the King) took Sarah into his harem. God then appeared in a dream to Abi'Melech (Father of the King) and revealed to him his error. Abi'Melech (Father of the King) restored Sarah to Abraham (Father of Multitude) along with many gifts.
Abi'Melech was also the name of a son of Gideon and the name of a High Priest during the time of David.
Genesis 20:1-18; 21:22-34; Judges 9:1; 1Chronicles 18:16.
-The Biblical name 'Abraham' is Hebrew in origin and its meaning is 'Father of a Multitude.' Abraham was the son of Terah. His original name was Abram. This was changed by God to Abraham the Father of many nations. The sons of Abraham were Ishmael (by Sarah's maidservant Hagar), Isaac (by his wife Sarah), Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah (by his 2nd wife Keturah).
Genesis 11:27; 12:2,3,7; Hebrews 11:17-19.
-The Biblical name 'Isaac' is Hebrew in origin and its meaning is 'Laughter' or 'He Laughs.'
Isaac (Laugh) was the son of Abraham (Father of Multitude) and Sarah (Princess). He was born when his parents were very aged. When God told Abraham that he was to be a father at the age of 100 years, he thought He was laughing at him, and so Isaac was named. When Isaac (Laughter) was a young man, his father Abraham was commanded by God to sacrifice his son Isaac on Mount Moriah (Chosen by God), as proof of his obedience. Abraham unhesitatingly prepared to do so, but was stopped by God. In the New Testament, this episode is compared to God's sacrifice of His own son, Jesus. Isaac's older half-brother was Ishmael. Isaac was married to Rebekah and had two sons: Esau and Jacob.
Genesis 17:19,21; 21:3-12; 22:2-9; 24:4,14,62-67; 25:5-28; 26:1,6-35; 27:1-46; 28:1-13; 31:18,42,53; 32:9; 35:12,27-29; 46:1; 48:15,16; 49:31; 50:24.
Exodus 2:24; 3:6,15,16; 4:5; 6:3,8: 32:13; 33:1. Leviticus 26:42. Numbers 32:11.
Deuteronomy 1:8; 6:10; 9:5,27; 29:13; 30:20; 34:4. Joshua 24:4; 1Kings 18:36. 2Kings 13:23.
1Chronicles 1:28; 1:34; 16:16; 29:18. 2Chronicles 30:6. Psalms 105:9. Jeremiah 33:26. Amos 7:9,16.
Matthew 1:2; 8:11; 22:32. Mark 12:26. Luke 3:34; 13:28; 20:37. Acts 3:13; 7:8,32. Romans 9:7,10.
Galatians 4:28. Hebrews 11:9,17-20. James 2:21.
-The Biblical name 'Moriah' is Hebrew in origin and its meaning is 'Chosen by God.' Moriah is one of the hills of Jerusalem where the Temple was built by Solomon. This was also the spot where Abraham was asked by God to sacrifice his son Isaac.
-The Biblical name 'Sarah' is Hebrew in origin and its meaning is 'Princes.' Sara was the wife of Abraham (Father of Multitudes) and the mother of Isaac (Laughter). Her grandsons founded the 12 tribes of Israel and through them Sarah became the 'Mother of many Nations.'
-The Biblical name 'Ishmael' is Hebrew in origin and its meaning is 'God will Hear.' Ishmael is the name of 6 men in the Bible. Ishmael was the elder son of Abraham by Hagar, Sarah's Egyptian servant.
At the time of Ishmael's circumsicion at the age of 13, God promised Abraham to make his eldest son a great nation. Ishmael is considered to be the founder of the Arab nations.
Ishmael 2nd was the son of Nethaniah. He murdered Gedaliah (Jehovah is my greatness). Gedaliah was the son of Ahikam (Rising), an influential officer in the court of King Josiah (Healed by Jehovah) of Judah. Ahikam was one of the 5 delegates sent by the High Priest Hilkiah (God is my portion) to consult the Prophetess Huldah. Gedaliah was also the grandson of Shaphan, secretary of King Josiah. Nabuchadnezzar appointed Gedaliah the Governor of Judah, after his violent conquest of Jerusalem. Gedaliah promised to allow the Israelites to live in peace before being murdered.
Ishmael 3rd was the son of Azel and a descendant of Saul. He belonged to the tribe of Benjamin.
Ishmael 4th was the father of Zebadiah. He belonged to the tribe of Judah.
Ishmael 5th was a son of Johanan. He was one of the captains of the army who assisted the High Priest Jehoiada in restoring Joash to the throne of Judah.
Ishmael 6th was a priest of the family of Pashur. He had a foreign wife during the time of Ezra. Ishmael belonged to the tribe of Levi.
Genesis 16:11,15,16; 17:18-26; 25: 9-17; 28:9; 36:3. 2Kings 25:23,25. 1Chronicles 1:28,29,31; 8:38;
9:44. 2Chronicles: 19:11; 23:1. Ezra 10:22. Jeremiah 40:8,14-16; 41:1-18.
Gerar was a town in Gaza belonging to the Philistines. Abimelech was the king of Gerar, when Abraham and Isaac sojourned there.
Genesis 10:9; 20:1,2; 26:1,6,17,20,26; 2Chronicles14:13,14.
-The Biblical name 'Gaza' is Hebrew in origin and its meaning is 'Strong, Fortified.' Gaza was one of the 5 Philistines cities in Canaan.
-The Biblical name 'Abi'Melech' is Hebrew in origin and its meaning is 'Father of the King.' Abi'Melech was the title assumed by the Philistine kings of the Old testament.
Abraham introduced his wife Sarah, as his sister to Abi'Melech (Father of the King), the king of Gerar (Lodging Place). Abi'Melech (Father of the King) took Sarah into his harem. God then appeared in a dream to Abi'Melech (Father of the King) and revealed to him his error. Abi'Melech (Father of the King) restored Sarah to Abraham (Father of Multitude) along with many gifts.
Abi'Melech was also the name of a son of Gideon and the name of a High Priest during the time of David.
Genesis 20:1-18; 21:22-34; Judges 9:1; 1Chronicles 18:16.
-The Biblical name 'Abraham' is Hebrew in origin and its meaning is 'Father of a Multitude.' Abraham was the son of Terah. His original name was Abram. This was changed by God to Abraham the Father of many nations. The sons of Abraham were Ishmael (by Sarah's maidservant Hagar), Isaac (by his wife Sarah), Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah (by his 2nd wife Keturah).
Genesis 11:27; 12:2,3,7; Hebrews 11:17-19.
-The Biblical name 'Isaac' is Hebrew in origin and its meaning is 'Laughter' or 'He Laughs.'
Isaac (Laugh) was the son of Abraham (Father of Multitude) and Sarah (Princess). He was born when his parents were very aged. When God told Abraham that he was to be a father at the age of 100 years, he thought He was laughing at him, and so Isaac was named. When Isaac (Laughter) was a young man, his father Abraham was commanded by God to sacrifice his son Isaac on Mount Moriah (Chosen by God), as proof of his obedience. Abraham unhesitatingly prepared to do so, but was stopped by God. In the New Testament, this episode is compared to God's sacrifice of His own son, Jesus. Isaac's older half-brother was Ishmael. Isaac was married to Rebekah and had two sons: Esau and Jacob.
Genesis 17:19,21; 21:3-12; 22:2-9; 24:4,14,62-67; 25:5-28; 26:1,6-35; 27:1-46; 28:1-13; 31:18,42,53; 32:9; 35:12,27-29; 46:1; 48:15,16; 49:31; 50:24.
Exodus 2:24; 3:6,15,16; 4:5; 6:3,8: 32:13; 33:1. Leviticus 26:42. Numbers 32:11.
Deuteronomy 1:8; 6:10; 9:5,27; 29:13; 30:20; 34:4. Joshua 24:4; 1Kings 18:36. 2Kings 13:23.
1Chronicles 1:28; 1:34; 16:16; 29:18. 2Chronicles 30:6. Psalms 105:9. Jeremiah 33:26. Amos 7:9,16.
Matthew 1:2; 8:11; 22:32. Mark 12:26. Luke 3:34; 13:28; 20:37. Acts 3:13; 7:8,32. Romans 9:7,10.
Galatians 4:28. Hebrews 11:9,17-20. James 2:21.
-The Biblical name 'Moriah' is Hebrew in origin and its meaning is 'Chosen by God.' Moriah is one of the hills of Jerusalem where the Temple was built by Solomon. This was also the spot where Abraham was asked by God to sacrifice his son Isaac.
-The Biblical name 'Sarah' is Hebrew in origin and its meaning is 'Princes.' Sara was the wife of Abraham (Father of Multitudes) and the mother of Isaac (Laughter). Her grandsons founded the 12 tribes of Israel and through them Sarah became the 'Mother of many Nations.'
-The Biblical name 'Ishmael' is Hebrew in origin and its meaning is 'God will Hear.' Ishmael is the name of 6 men in the Bible. Ishmael was the elder son of Abraham by Hagar, Sarah's Egyptian servant.
At the time of Ishmael's circumsicion at the age of 13, God promised Abraham to make his eldest son a great nation. Ishmael is considered to be the founder of the Arab nations.
Ishmael 2nd was the son of Nethaniah. He murdered Gedaliah (Jehovah is my greatness). Gedaliah was the son of Ahikam (Rising), an influential officer in the court of King Josiah (Healed by Jehovah) of Judah. Ahikam was one of the 5 delegates sent by the High Priest Hilkiah (God is my portion) to consult the Prophetess Huldah. Gedaliah was also the grandson of Shaphan, secretary of King Josiah. Nabuchadnezzar appointed Gedaliah the Governor of Judah, after his violent conquest of Jerusalem. Gedaliah promised to allow the Israelites to live in peace before being murdered.
Ishmael 3rd was the son of Azel and a descendant of Saul. He belonged to the tribe of Benjamin.
Ishmael 4th was the father of Zebadiah. He belonged to the tribe of Judah.
Ishmael 5th was a son of Johanan. He was one of the captains of the army who assisted the High Priest Jehoiada in restoring Joash to the throne of Judah.
Ishmael 6th was a priest of the family of Pashur. He had a foreign wife during the time of Ezra. Ishmael belonged to the tribe of Levi.
Genesis 16:11,15,16; 17:18-26; 25: 9-17; 28:9; 36:3. 2Kings 25:23,25. 1Chronicles 1:28,29,31; 8:38;
9:44. 2Chronicles: 19:11; 23:1. Ezra 10:22. Jeremiah 40:8,14-16; 41:1-18.
THE CITY OF BEER ' SHEBA AND THE NEGEV.
Beer'Sheba id the largest city in the Negev desert of Southern Israel, often referred to as the 'Capital of the Negev.' Beer'Sheba is mainly dealt in the Hebrew Bible in connection with Abraham and Isaac, who both dig a 'well' and close 'peace treaties' with king Abi'Melech of Gerar at the site.
There are several studies (etymology) for the origin of the name 'Beer'Sheba'. 'Beer' is the Hebrew word for 'Well'; and 'sheva' for 'seven' or 'oath'. The Arabic form can also be translated as '7 Wells.'
Abi'Melech (Father/Leader of a king) was the name of multiple Philistine kings mentioned in the Bible.
There are 3 wife-sister narratives in the Book of Genesis, all of which are similar. They occur in Genesis 12, 20, and 26. At the core of each is the story of a Biblical Patriarch, who has come to be in the land of a powerful foreign overlord who misidentifies the Patriarch's wife as the Patriarch's sister, and consequently attempts to wed her himself. The overlord later finds out his error. Two of the three stories are similar in many other details, including the ruler's name, Abi'Melech.
- In the 1st, Abram is pressured to move to Egypt in order to evade a famine. Because his wife-sister is very beautiful, Abram asks her to say that she was only his sister lest the Egyptians kill him so that they can take her. On arriving before the Pharaoh, the Egyptians recognize Sarai's beauty, and the Egyptian princes shower Abram with gifts of livestock and servants to gain her hand in marriage. Sarai thus becomes part of the "Pharaoh's House"(harem), but God sends a plague to punish Pharaoh. Pharaoh realizes the truth of the matter, restores Sarai to Abram and orders them to leave Egypt with all the possessions Abram had acquired in Egypt.
-In the 2nd episode the story splits in two parts. The 1st in Genesis 20 and the 2nd in Genesis 21. It begins with Abraham emigrating to the Southern Region of Gerar, whose king is named Abi'Melech.
By this time, God had changed Abram and Sarai's names to 'Abraham and Sarah' respectively (Gen17).
He states that Sarah is only his sister, leading Abi'Melech to try to take Sarah as a wife; God intervened, before Abi'Melech touched Sarah, in a dream and tells him the truth, acknowledging that Abi'Melech made the mistake innocently, but ordering Abi'Melech to restore Sarah to Abraham. He complains to Abraham, who states that he did not exactly lie, since Sarah is his half-sister. Abi'Melech restores Sarah to Abraham, and gives him gifts of livestock and servants by way of apology, and also allows Abraham to reside anywhere in Gerar. He also gives 1000 pieces of silver to Abraham to reprove Sarah by a "covering of the eyes"(sign of vindication). The story then states for the 1st time that Abi'Melech, his wife, and household, had previously been punished for Abi'Melech's mistake concerning Sarah, by being made infertile. After an intermission concerning the birth of a son to Abraham and Sarah, the 2nd have of the story begins with Abi'Melech requesting Abraham swear an 'oath' of non-aggression towards Abi'Melech and his family, to which Abraham agrees. Abi'Melech's servants later 'violently take away' a well, and so Abraham complains to Abi'Melech, who apologizes. Abraham then sets aside 7 ewes (adult female sheeps) as witness to his having dug the well, and Abraham, Abi'Melech, and Phi'chol (Abi'Melech's chief captain), then make a 'covenant', and leave each other.
The place the 'covenant' was made is consequently named 'Beer-Sheba,' which translates either to 'Well of Oaths' or 'Well of Seven' or 'Seven Wells,' and Abraham planted a Tamarisk Tree there in memory.
-In the 3rd episode, it is Isaac who, in order to avoid a famine, emigrates to the Southern Region of Gerar, whose king is named Abi'Melech. Isaac has been told to do so by God, who also orders him to avoid Egypt, and promises to him the fulfillment of the 'oath' made with Abraham. Isaac states that Rebekah, his wife, is really his sister, as he worried that the Philistines will otherwise kill him in order to marry Rebekah. After a while, Abi'Melech spots Isaac doing things that a brother do not do with his sister, and states that she must be Isaac's wife rather than his sister.
Abimelech then orders that Rebekah be left alone by the denizens of Gerar, on pain of death. Isaac goes on to spend a year in the area, and gradually built up a large household of servants, and a strong possession of livestock, leading to the envy of the Philistines of Gerar, so Abi'Melech sends Isaac away. Noting that the 'wells' that Abraham had dug have since been filled in, Isaac re-digs them, giving names for three:
Esek, which means 'argument', gaining its name due to the Gerar herdsmen contesting the 'ownership of the well.'
Sitnah, which means 'opposition', gaining its name due to the Gerar herdsmen also 'contesting this well.'
Rehoboth, which means 'enlarged space', gaining its name because 'God made room for Isaac.'
Isaac then travels to Beer'Sheba, and God appears to him, so Isaac builds an altar there. Abi'Melech then meets Isaac there, with a friend named Ahuzzath, and Phi'Chol (Abi'Melech's chief captain). They then make an 'oath of non-agression, hold a feast, and then depart from one another. Later on the same day, Isaac's servants report to him that they have found 'another well,' so he names the place in such a way that it later becomes known as 'Beer'Sheva.'
Christian interpretation of the narratives has varied considerably. Some have seen them as a symbolic interpretation of God's spiritual power in order to achieve His ultimately Plan of Salvation. The Patriarchal individuals did not lie, they merely concealed part of the Truth.
The Negev, which play a part in the Patriarchs' lives, is a desert and semi-desert Region and the city of Beer'Sheba is located in the North of it. At its South end is the Gulf of Aqaba.
Nomadic life in the Negev dates back as much as 7000 years. The 1st urbanized settlements were established by a combination of Phoenicians (Canaanites), Amalekite, and Edomite groups. Pharaonic Egypt is credited with introducing copper mining and smelting in both the Negev and the Sin'Ai between 1400 and 1300 BC.
In the Bible, the term Negev only relates to the Northern, semi-arid part, located in the general area of the Arad-Beer'Sheba Valley. According to the Book of Genesis, chapter 13, Abraham lived for a while in the Negev after being banished from Egypt. During the Exodus journey to the promised land, Moses sent 12 scouts into the Negev to assess the land and population. Later, Northern part of biblical Negev, was inhabited by the Tribe of Judah and the Southern part by the Tribe of Simeon. The Negev was later part of the Kingdom of Solomon (in its entirety, all the way to the Red Sea), and then, with varied extension to the South, part of the Kingdom of Judah. In the 9th century BC, development and expansion of mining in both the Negev and Edom (modern Jordan) coincided with the rise of the Ass'Yrian Empire.
Beer'Sheba was the region's capital and a center for trade in the 8th century BC.
The 4th CE arrival of Nabateans resulted in the development of irrigation systems that supported new urban centers located along the Negev incense route. They were Arab people who inhabited Northern Arabia and the Southern Levant, and whose settlements, most prominently the capital city of Petra (Raqmu), in 37-100CE, gave the name of Nabatene to the borderland between Arabia and Syria, from the Euphrates to the Red Sea. They controlled the trade on the spice route between Petra and the Gazan seaports. Nabatean currency and the remains of red and orange fragments of stone and glass vessels (pot-sherds), identified as a trademark of their civilization, have been found along the route. Nabatean control ended when the Roman empire annexed their lands in 106 CE. The population, largely made up of Arabian nomads, remained largely tribal and independent of Roman rule, with an animistic belief system.
Byzantine rule introduced Christianity to the population. Agricultural-based cities were established and the population grew exponentially.
The Southern Negev saw a flourishing of economic activity during the 8th to 10th CE. Six Islamic settlements have been found in the vicinity of modern Eilat, a busy port at the Northern tip of the Red Sea, on the Gulf of Aqaba, along with copper and gold mines and stone quarries, and a sophisticated irrigation system and road network. The economic center was the port of Aqaba (Ayla).
Nomadic tribes ruled the Negev largely independently and with a relative lack of interference for the next 1000 years. Bedouins of the Negev historically survive chiefly on sheep and goat husbandry. Scarcity of water and on permanent pastoral land required them to move constantly. What is known of this time is derived from oral histories and folk tales from the areas in present-day Jordan.
In 1900 CE the Otto'Man Empire established an administrative center for Southern Palestine at Beer'Sheba including schools and a railway station. The authority of the tribal chiefs over the region was recognized by the Otto'Mans. A railroad connected it to the port of Rafah.
Rafah has a history stretching back 1000s of years. It was first recorded in an inscription of Egyptian Pharaoh Seti I, from 1303 BC as 'Rph', and the first stop of Pharaoh Shoshenq I's campaign to the Levant in 925 BC. In 720BC it was the site of the Assyrian king Sargon II's victory over the Egyptians and in 217BC the 'Battle of Raphia' was fought between Ptolemy IV and Antiochus III, one of the largest battles ever fought in the Levant, with over a 100,000 soldiers and 100s of elephants.
In the 19th CE, the extension of the Freanch language by its adoption as a first language of the Jews in the French colonial North Africa, resulted in a separation of the community from the local Muslims.
The French began the conquest of Algeria in 1830CE. The following century had a profound influence on the status of the Algerian Jews. The situation in colonial Libya was similar; as for the French in the other North African countries, the italian influence in Libya was welcomed by the Jewish community, increasing their separation from the non-Jewish Libyans. The Alliance Israelite Universelle, founded in France in 1860CE, set up schools in Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia as early as 1863 CE.
Beer'Sheba grew in importance in the 19th CE, when the Otto'Man Turks built a regional police station there. The Battle of Ber'Sheba was part of a wider British offensive in World War I aimed at breaking the Turkish defensive line from Gaza to Beer'Sheba. In 1947, Beer'Sheba was envisioned as part of the Arab state in the United Nations Partition Plan for Palestine. Following the declaration of Israel's independence, the Egyptian army its forces in Beer'Sheba as a strategic and logistical base. In the battle waged in October 1948, Beer'Sheba was conquered by the Israeli Defense Forces.
An Arabic history of tribes around Beer'Sheba, published in 1934, recorded 23 tribal groups.
Since 1948, when the Negev came under Israeli rule, it absorbed many of the Jewish refugees from Arab countries, with Israeli government setting up many development towns. Beer'Sheba has grown considerable since then. The Soviet Jews immigrants have made the game of chess a major city's sport. The city is now Israeli's national chess center, with more chess grand-masters per capita than any other city in the world.
Since then, the Negev region has also become home to many of the Israeli Defense Forces major bases -a process acelerated in the past two decades.
There are several studies (etymology) for the origin of the name 'Beer'Sheba'. 'Beer' is the Hebrew word for 'Well'; and 'sheva' for 'seven' or 'oath'. The Arabic form can also be translated as '7 Wells.'
Abi'Melech (Father/Leader of a king) was the name of multiple Philistine kings mentioned in the Bible.
There are 3 wife-sister narratives in the Book of Genesis, all of which are similar. They occur in Genesis 12, 20, and 26. At the core of each is the story of a Biblical Patriarch, who has come to be in the land of a powerful foreign overlord who misidentifies the Patriarch's wife as the Patriarch's sister, and consequently attempts to wed her himself. The overlord later finds out his error. Two of the three stories are similar in many other details, including the ruler's name, Abi'Melech.
- In the 1st, Abram is pressured to move to Egypt in order to evade a famine. Because his wife-sister is very beautiful, Abram asks her to say that she was only his sister lest the Egyptians kill him so that they can take her. On arriving before the Pharaoh, the Egyptians recognize Sarai's beauty, and the Egyptian princes shower Abram with gifts of livestock and servants to gain her hand in marriage. Sarai thus becomes part of the "Pharaoh's House"(harem), but God sends a plague to punish Pharaoh. Pharaoh realizes the truth of the matter, restores Sarai to Abram and orders them to leave Egypt with all the possessions Abram had acquired in Egypt.
-In the 2nd episode the story splits in two parts. The 1st in Genesis 20 and the 2nd in Genesis 21. It begins with Abraham emigrating to the Southern Region of Gerar, whose king is named Abi'Melech.
By this time, God had changed Abram and Sarai's names to 'Abraham and Sarah' respectively (Gen17).
He states that Sarah is only his sister, leading Abi'Melech to try to take Sarah as a wife; God intervened, before Abi'Melech touched Sarah, in a dream and tells him the truth, acknowledging that Abi'Melech made the mistake innocently, but ordering Abi'Melech to restore Sarah to Abraham. He complains to Abraham, who states that he did not exactly lie, since Sarah is his half-sister. Abi'Melech restores Sarah to Abraham, and gives him gifts of livestock and servants by way of apology, and also allows Abraham to reside anywhere in Gerar. He also gives 1000 pieces of silver to Abraham to reprove Sarah by a "covering of the eyes"(sign of vindication). The story then states for the 1st time that Abi'Melech, his wife, and household, had previously been punished for Abi'Melech's mistake concerning Sarah, by being made infertile. After an intermission concerning the birth of a son to Abraham and Sarah, the 2nd have of the story begins with Abi'Melech requesting Abraham swear an 'oath' of non-aggression towards Abi'Melech and his family, to which Abraham agrees. Abi'Melech's servants later 'violently take away' a well, and so Abraham complains to Abi'Melech, who apologizes. Abraham then sets aside 7 ewes (adult female sheeps) as witness to his having dug the well, and Abraham, Abi'Melech, and Phi'chol (Abi'Melech's chief captain), then make a 'covenant', and leave each other.
The place the 'covenant' was made is consequently named 'Beer-Sheba,' which translates either to 'Well of Oaths' or 'Well of Seven' or 'Seven Wells,' and Abraham planted a Tamarisk Tree there in memory.
-In the 3rd episode, it is Isaac who, in order to avoid a famine, emigrates to the Southern Region of Gerar, whose king is named Abi'Melech. Isaac has been told to do so by God, who also orders him to avoid Egypt, and promises to him the fulfillment of the 'oath' made with Abraham. Isaac states that Rebekah, his wife, is really his sister, as he worried that the Philistines will otherwise kill him in order to marry Rebekah. After a while, Abi'Melech spots Isaac doing things that a brother do not do with his sister, and states that she must be Isaac's wife rather than his sister.
Abimelech then orders that Rebekah be left alone by the denizens of Gerar, on pain of death. Isaac goes on to spend a year in the area, and gradually built up a large household of servants, and a strong possession of livestock, leading to the envy of the Philistines of Gerar, so Abi'Melech sends Isaac away. Noting that the 'wells' that Abraham had dug have since been filled in, Isaac re-digs them, giving names for three:
Esek, which means 'argument', gaining its name due to the Gerar herdsmen contesting the 'ownership of the well.'
Sitnah, which means 'opposition', gaining its name due to the Gerar herdsmen also 'contesting this well.'
Rehoboth, which means 'enlarged space', gaining its name because 'God made room for Isaac.'
Isaac then travels to Beer'Sheba, and God appears to him, so Isaac builds an altar there. Abi'Melech then meets Isaac there, with a friend named Ahuzzath, and Phi'Chol (Abi'Melech's chief captain). They then make an 'oath of non-agression, hold a feast, and then depart from one another. Later on the same day, Isaac's servants report to him that they have found 'another well,' so he names the place in such a way that it later becomes known as 'Beer'Sheva.'
Christian interpretation of the narratives has varied considerably. Some have seen them as a symbolic interpretation of God's spiritual power in order to achieve His ultimately Plan of Salvation. The Patriarchal individuals did not lie, they merely concealed part of the Truth.
The Negev, which play a part in the Patriarchs' lives, is a desert and semi-desert Region and the city of Beer'Sheba is located in the North of it. At its South end is the Gulf of Aqaba.
Nomadic life in the Negev dates back as much as 7000 years. The 1st urbanized settlements were established by a combination of Phoenicians (Canaanites), Amalekite, and Edomite groups. Pharaonic Egypt is credited with introducing copper mining and smelting in both the Negev and the Sin'Ai between 1400 and 1300 BC.
In the Bible, the term Negev only relates to the Northern, semi-arid part, located in the general area of the Arad-Beer'Sheba Valley. According to the Book of Genesis, chapter 13, Abraham lived for a while in the Negev after being banished from Egypt. During the Exodus journey to the promised land, Moses sent 12 scouts into the Negev to assess the land and population. Later, Northern part of biblical Negev, was inhabited by the Tribe of Judah and the Southern part by the Tribe of Simeon. The Negev was later part of the Kingdom of Solomon (in its entirety, all the way to the Red Sea), and then, with varied extension to the South, part of the Kingdom of Judah. In the 9th century BC, development and expansion of mining in both the Negev and Edom (modern Jordan) coincided with the rise of the Ass'Yrian Empire.
Beer'Sheba was the region's capital and a center for trade in the 8th century BC.
The 4th CE arrival of Nabateans resulted in the development of irrigation systems that supported new urban centers located along the Negev incense route. They were Arab people who inhabited Northern Arabia and the Southern Levant, and whose settlements, most prominently the capital city of Petra (Raqmu), in 37-100CE, gave the name of Nabatene to the borderland between Arabia and Syria, from the Euphrates to the Red Sea. They controlled the trade on the spice route between Petra and the Gazan seaports. Nabatean currency and the remains of red and orange fragments of stone and glass vessels (pot-sherds), identified as a trademark of their civilization, have been found along the route. Nabatean control ended when the Roman empire annexed their lands in 106 CE. The population, largely made up of Arabian nomads, remained largely tribal and independent of Roman rule, with an animistic belief system.
Byzantine rule introduced Christianity to the population. Agricultural-based cities were established and the population grew exponentially.
The Southern Negev saw a flourishing of economic activity during the 8th to 10th CE. Six Islamic settlements have been found in the vicinity of modern Eilat, a busy port at the Northern tip of the Red Sea, on the Gulf of Aqaba, along with copper and gold mines and stone quarries, and a sophisticated irrigation system and road network. The economic center was the port of Aqaba (Ayla).
Nomadic tribes ruled the Negev largely independently and with a relative lack of interference for the next 1000 years. Bedouins of the Negev historically survive chiefly on sheep and goat husbandry. Scarcity of water and on permanent pastoral land required them to move constantly. What is known of this time is derived from oral histories and folk tales from the areas in present-day Jordan.
In 1900 CE the Otto'Man Empire established an administrative center for Southern Palestine at Beer'Sheba including schools and a railway station. The authority of the tribal chiefs over the region was recognized by the Otto'Mans. A railroad connected it to the port of Rafah.
Rafah has a history stretching back 1000s of years. It was first recorded in an inscription of Egyptian Pharaoh Seti I, from 1303 BC as 'Rph', and the first stop of Pharaoh Shoshenq I's campaign to the Levant in 925 BC. In 720BC it was the site of the Assyrian king Sargon II's victory over the Egyptians and in 217BC the 'Battle of Raphia' was fought between Ptolemy IV and Antiochus III, one of the largest battles ever fought in the Levant, with over a 100,000 soldiers and 100s of elephants.
In the 19th CE, the extension of the Freanch language by its adoption as a first language of the Jews in the French colonial North Africa, resulted in a separation of the community from the local Muslims.
The French began the conquest of Algeria in 1830CE. The following century had a profound influence on the status of the Algerian Jews. The situation in colonial Libya was similar; as for the French in the other North African countries, the italian influence in Libya was welcomed by the Jewish community, increasing their separation from the non-Jewish Libyans. The Alliance Israelite Universelle, founded in France in 1860CE, set up schools in Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia as early as 1863 CE.
Beer'Sheba grew in importance in the 19th CE, when the Otto'Man Turks built a regional police station there. The Battle of Ber'Sheba was part of a wider British offensive in World War I aimed at breaking the Turkish defensive line from Gaza to Beer'Sheba. In 1947, Beer'Sheba was envisioned as part of the Arab state in the United Nations Partition Plan for Palestine. Following the declaration of Israel's independence, the Egyptian army its forces in Beer'Sheba as a strategic and logistical base. In the battle waged in October 1948, Beer'Sheba was conquered by the Israeli Defense Forces.
An Arabic history of tribes around Beer'Sheba, published in 1934, recorded 23 tribal groups.
Since 1948, when the Negev came under Israeli rule, it absorbed many of the Jewish refugees from Arab countries, with Israeli government setting up many development towns. Beer'Sheba has grown considerable since then. The Soviet Jews immigrants have made the game of chess a major city's sport. The city is now Israeli's national chess center, with more chess grand-masters per capita than any other city in the world.
Since then, the Negev region has also become home to many of the Israeli Defense Forces major bases -a process acelerated in the past two decades.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)