Dictionary of Deities and Demons in the Bible Online

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Jael יעל
(367 words)

I. Name

Jael at whose hands Sisera met his death (Judg. 4–5) has been interpreted as a demythologized incarnation of the goddess Amaltheia (Garbini 1978).

II. Identity

The principal motive for speculations about the mythological background of Jael is the conjectural connection between the name Sisera (סיסרא) and the name (j)a-sas-sa-ra in a votive text written in Minoan ‘Linear A’. The latter corresponds with Gk. ΣΑΙΣΑΡΑ and belongs to Zeus Krētogenēs, the god born on the isle of Crete (G. Pugliese Carratelli, ΣΑΙΣΑΡΑ, 31 [1976] 1…

Cite this page
K. van der Toorn, “Jael יעל”, in: Dictionary of Deities and Demons in the Bible Online, Edited by: Karel van der Toorn, Bob Becking, Pieter W. van der Horst. Consulted online on 29 March 2023 <http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/2589-7802_DDDO_DDDO_Jael>



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