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[German Version] I. Place in the Canon – II. Structure – III. Growth – IV. Date – V. Name I. Place in the Canon The book of Obadiah (Gk Abdias) is part of the Book of the Twelve (Prophetic books); in the Hebrew canon ¶ it follows Amos, in the Greek, Joel (cf. Lives of the Prophets). It shares motifs and catchwords with both. II. Structure Obadiah uses Edom to exemplify the relationship of Israel to the nations. The linkage of two levels of communication (Wehrle) in vv. 1 and 15 divides the book into two parts. After the superscription, v. 1 links two speech ev…

[English Version] I. Stellung im KanonNah steht im Zwölfprophetenbuch (Prophetenbücher) an siebter Stelle. Im hebr. Kanon geht ihm Mi, im griech. (wohl wegen Ninive) Jon voraus. Die Abfolge im MT wird von den in Mi 7,8–20 auf Nah 1 hin geschaffenen Stichwortbezügen (Nogalski) verstärkt. Mit Hab verbindet Nah nicht nur die Art der Überschrift, sondern auch die in Hab 1 redaktionell gebildeten Verknüpfungen mit Nah 3. Beide Bücher waren vielleicht einmal zu einer Zweiprophetenschrift zusammengestellt,…

[English Version] I. Ort im KanonDas Buch Ob, griech. Abdias, befindet sich in der Zwölfprophetensammlung (Prophetenbücher) im hebr. Kanon nach Am, im griech. nach Jo (vgl. Vitae Prophetarum). Motive und Stichwörter verbinden mit beiden Büchern. II. AufbauOb reflektiert das Verhältnis Israels zu den Völkern exemplarisch an Edom. Die Verknotung zweier Kommunikationsebenen (Wehrle) in V.1 und V.15 gliedern das Buch in zwei Teile. Nach der Buchüberschrift verknüpft V.1 zwei Redevorgänge miteinander. Zunächst leitet V.1b eine Gottes…

[German Version] The Old Testament has no term equivalent to patriarch for Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The earliest reference to the three as “patriarchs” is 4 Macc. 7:19 (cf. Heb 7:4 for Abraham, Acts 7:8f. for the 12 sons of Jacob, and 2:29 for David [NRSV: ancestor]). Even later the Talmud refers to Sarah, Rebekah, Rachel, and Leah as “matriarchs” ( b. Ber. 16b). But the notion of the people’s origin through its ancestors was quite familiar to the OT as well as the genealogical thought of the ancient Near East in general. Although the patriarchal trio ap…

[German version] In Hebrew aḥāb = ‘brother of the father’ (substitute name), Ἄρχ(ι)αβος ( Árch(i)abos) according to Josephus (Ant. 8,13, 1-2), Achab in the Vulgate. As one of the most active rulers, A. governed the northern kingdom of Israel from the capital city of Samaria, which was founded by his father and predecessor Omri, from c. 871-852 BC. In addition to the Bible, the monolith inscription of Salmanassar III (col. II 90-102) and the Mes̆a Stele, l. 5, 8 (no name given here) provide documentary evidence of A. Biblical reports in 1 Kg 16,28-…

[German version] This item can be found on the following maps: Syria | Hasmonaeans | Hellenistic states | Phoenicians, Poeni | Pilgrimage | Pompeius | Aegean Koine | Egypt Arabic casqalan, to the west of modern derech ha-nizachon, situated 16 km north of Gaza on the Mediterranean and on the via maris, was an important port and trade city connecting Egypt with Canaan/Syria and via Byblus with Mesopotamia. In the 2nd millennium A. was under Egyptian influence. In the 1st millennium A. belonged continuously to the Pentapolis of the Philistines (1 S…

[German version] ‘Asphalt Lake’ is the name of the 1000 km2 rift valley lake, which does not drain away and in its northern part is approximately 400 m below sea level, into which the Jordan flows, mentioned in Diodorus (2.48.6ff.; 19. 98f.), Josephus (BI 4.436-482) and Plinius (HN 5.72). Tectonic movements had caused the pure bitumen (oxydized petroleum) lying in great quantities at the bottom of the Asphaltitis limne to rise to the surface, where it was gathered in lumps (Str. 16.42f.; Jos. BI 4.8.4; Nabataeans' asphalt trade[1]). The older biblical names ‘Se…

[German version] Name of a stream east of the Jordan; not located (forms: Hebr. kerît; LXX Χορράθ ( Chorráth); Vulg. Carith; Eus. On. 174,16 Χορρά ( Chorrá); Jer. On. 175,16 Ch.; Peregrinatio Aetheriae, CSEL 39, 58f. Corra). Abel [vol. 1, 1. 484f.], Glueck [2] i.a. [3], arguing on the basis of the prophet Elias' having hidden there (1 Kg 17,3,5), identify C. with the Wadi el-Jubis in northern Gilead, which joins the Jordan to the south of Pella. Köckert, Matthias (Berlin) Bibliography 1 F.-M. Abel, Géographie de la Palestine 2 vols., 1933-38 2 N. Glueck, AASO 25-28, 1951, 219 3 J. Döller…

[German version] (Βηρσαβεέ; Bērsabeé). In the northern Negev, identified either with bir as-saba (now Beer Ševa) or with tall as-sab (5 km east). In the biblical tradition, B. appears as an open-air sanctuary of Yahwe with the name of El-Olam and is associated with the three arch fathers. However, it has some grounding only in the Isaac tradition, if that. Its meaning in popular etymology is ‘well of the oath’ (Gen. 21,22-27, 31b; 26,25-33), or ‘seven wells’ (Gen. 21,28-31a). In the set phrase ‘from Dan to Be…

[German version] This item can be found on the following maps: Syria | Theatre | Hasmonaeans | Phoenicians, Poeni | Pompeius (Hebrew dōr). Port town identified with Ḫirbat al-Burǧ near the village aṭ-Ṭanṭūra 15 km north of Caesarea (Eus. Onom. 9,78; 16,136) and 21 km south of Haifa. Settlement since the Middle Bronze Age IIA was demonstrated in excavations from 1980-1991. D. was attested in the city lists of Ramses II (region of the via maris between Saron and Akko). In the travel report of Wen Amun (about 1100 BC), however, D. appeared in the possession of the Tkl, who were one of the S…

[German version] (Qarnaim). The place referred to in Am 6:13 as qarnayim, in the LXX and in Jos as καρναιν, καρνιον or καρναια, in Jerome as carnae/eas, is identified with Šaiḫ Saʿd, 4 km in northeastern direction from Aštarot (Gn 14:5 draws both places together as Aštarot-K.) east of the Jordan [1]. The Israelite king Jerobeom II is said to have conquered K. in his wars just before 760 BC, if Am 6:13 is not in fact a play of words ( Lobedar = ‘nothing’, Qarnaim = ‘horns’ as a symbol of strength) [2]. After the fall of Damascus in 732 BC, K. became the capital of the Assyrian pr…

(Hebrew bēt-ēl ‘House of El’). [German version] [1] Place in the Ephraim range of mountains This item can be found on the following maps: Hasmonaeans Place in the Ephraim range of mountains, original name Lūz (Gen. 28,19; 35,6; 48,3; Jos. 18,3; Judg. 1,23) and identified with today's bētīn; 17 km north of Jerusalem (cf. Eus. On. 40,20f.) at the intersection of the roads from Hebron to Sichem and from Jericho to the Mediterranean; linked with an important sanctuary that, to distinguish it from the city with the earlier …

(Hebr. Dān, Greek Δάν; Dán, in Ios. Δάνα, Δάνος; Dána, Dános). [German version] [1] Son of Jacob Son of Jacob and eponym of an Israelite tribe (Gen. 30,1-6), which eventually settled near the city of Laish/Leshem, which was then renamed after the tribe (Judg. 18,2-9; Jos. 19,40-48). Köckert, Matthias (Berlin) [German version] [2] City at the foot of Mt Hermon City at the foot of Mt Hermon, 20 km north of Lake Hule, identified with Tall al-Qāḍı̄ at the central source of the Jordan on the basis of a Greek-Aramaic bilingual inscription (3rd/2nd cents. BC) a…

[German version] The location identified with ḫirbet at-tell, 3 km south-east of Bētin (Gn 12,8; Jos 7,2), appears primarily in the Bible with the name hay, (determinate appellative) meaning ‘desolate place’ (Jos 8,28; Arabic at-tell). Archaeological findings corroborate this. The early Bronze Age city was fortified by three colossal ring walls and was c. 10 hectares in size. It also had an acropolis with a large spacious temple. It was completely destroyed in the middle of the 3rd millennium and abandoned by its inhabitants. Not until 1200 BC wa…

[German version] (the name should perhaps be regarded as etymologically related to Arabic hadda ‘break, hit’, haddat, ‘thunder’). Evidence: Jos. Ant. Iud. 9,93 (Ἄδαδος); Phil. Bybl. FGH 3, 569, 24 (Ἄδωδος); Plin. HN 37,186 ( Adadu); Macr. Sat. 1,23,17 ( Adad). Western Semitic name of the  weather god venerated in cult worship as Adad in Akkadian, as Tarhu(a)n(t) in cuneiform Luwian and Hittite, from the middle of the 3rd millennium in numerous local formulations (especially as Ḫadda of Ḫalab/Aleppo [1]). Iconographically he appears a…

[German version] (Ugaritic il, Hebrew ēl, Akkadian ilu). Common Semitic appellation for ‘god’ (except in Ethiopian) and also the nomen proprium of a deity attested in Mesopotamia since the 3rd millennium BC that apparently belonged to the original Semitic pantheon. Of several etymological hypotheses, the derivation from the root wl, ‘be in front, the first, strong,’ deserves consideration. While il in Old Akkadian and Amoritic, but also in the texts of  Ebla (3rd millennium) only appears in theophoric personal names, Ugaritic texts (2nd half of the 2…

(hebr. Dān, griech. Δάν, bei Ios. Δάνα, Δάνος). [English version] [1] Sohn Jakobs Sohn Jakobs und Eponym eines israelitischen Stammes (Gn 30,1-6), der sein endgültiges Siedlungsgebiet bei der Stadt Lajisch/Leschem fand, die nach ihm umbenannt wurde (Ri 18,2-9; Ios 19,40-48). Köckert, Matthias (Berlin) [English version] [2] Stadt am Fuße des Hermon Stadt am Fuße des Hermon, 20 km nördl. des Hule-Sees, aufgrund einer griech.-aram. Bilingue (3./2. Jh.v.Chr.), der Kontinuität des Namens und der Angaben (Eus. On. 76,6-8; Ios. ant. 5,178; 8,226) mit T…

[English version] (Qarnaim). Der in Am 6,13 qarnayim, in der LXX und bei Ios. καρναιν, καρνιον oder καρναια, bei Hier. carnae/eas genannte Ort wird mit Šaiḫ Sad, 4 km nö von Aštarot (Gn 14,5 zieht beide Orte zu Aštarot-K. zusammen) im Ostjordanland identifiziert [1]. Der israelitische König Jerobeam II. soll K. in den Aramäerkämpfen kurz vor 760 v.Chr. erobert haben, wenn Am 6,13 nicht als Wortspiel ( Lobedar = “Unding”, Qarnaim = “Hörner” als Symbol der Stärke) verstanden werden muß [2]. Nach dem Fall von Damaskos 732 v.Chr. wurde K. Hauptstadt der assyr. Prov…

[English version] “Asphaltsee” heißt der in seinem nördl. Teil ca. 400 m unter N.N. liegende, 1000 km2 große, abflußlose Grabensee, in den der Jordan mündet, bei Diodorus (2,48,6ff.; 19. 98f.), Iosephus (bell. Iud. 4,436-482) und Plinius (nat. 5,72). Tektonische Bewegungen hatten den in großen Mengen am Grunde der A. liegenden reinen Asphalt (oxydiertes Erdöl) an die Oberfläche steigen lassen, wo er in Klumpen abgesammelt wurde (Strab. 16,42f.; Ios. bell. Iud. 4,8,4; Asphalthandel der Nabatäer [1]). Die älteren…

[English version] (Βηρσαβεέ). Im nördl. Negev, entweder mit bir as-saba (h. Beer Ševa) oder mit tall as-sab (5 km östl.) identifiziert. In der bibl. Überlieferung erscheint B. als Freilichtheiligtum für Jahwe als El-Olam und wird mit den drei Erzvätern verbunden, ist aber allenfalls in der Isaak-Überlieferung fester verankert. Volksetym. als “Schwurbrunnen” (Gn 21,22-27, 31b; 26,25-33), oder als “Siebenbrunnen” (Gn 21,28-31a) gedeutet. In der Formel “von Dan bis Beerseba” bezeichnet B. die Südgrenze des Re…