Tanakh & the Ancient Near East Index – Parashat Chayyei Sarah

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Overview

Knowledge of the history, law, cultic practices and realia of the Ancient Near East can often shed much light on Tanakh. This index contains a list of links to articles which touch on the connections between Tanakh and ancient cultures.

Land Purchase in the Ancient Near East

  • For information about Avraham’s purchase of the Cave of Makhpelah in its Ancient Near East context, see Nahum Sarna’s Genesis Chapter 23:The Cave of Machpelah. The article explores the cultural context of Efron’s reluctance to part with his land, the price of the field, and technical aspects of the sale, including the currency used to pay for it.
  • See also M. Lehmann's Abraham's Purchase of Machpelah and Hittite Law who suggests that certain Hittite laws might shed light on the nature of the argument between Avraham and Efron.  He concludes that the real issue was not price, but what was to be bought, just the cave or also the field.
  • See The Field of Makhpelah, by Prof. Yoel Elitzur, who reads the negotiations and agreement between Avraham and Efron in light of ancient Near East taboos against selling land to a foreigner. He notes that most of the conversation revolves around Efron's initial refusal to actually sell the land, as he gives permission for Avraham to bury Sarah, but in a cave that will still be owned by Efron. In addition, though the dialogue between Efron and Avraham appears polite and amicable, on closer inspection, it turns out that the friendly language is simply a means to mask "cutthroat bargaining tactics" and an astronomically high price.

Oath-Taking in the Ancient Near East

  • Ibn Ezra on Bereshit 24:2 notes that Avraham’s request of his servant to place his hand under Avraham’s thigh while taking an oath was common practice in the Ancient Near East; this idea is reiterated by later commentators and scholars. The same convention appears in Bereshit 47:29. 

Betrothal Practices in the Ancient Near East

  • See The Family in the Ancient Near East by I. Mendelsohn for background about practices relating to betrothal and marriage, including gifts that were required to be given to the bride’s family as part of the marriage process

Anachronisms?

  • In Tanakh and Archaeology (3), R. Amnon Bazak discusses claims that certain details included in the Patriarchal narratives appear to be anachronistic, and brings several approaches to resolve the issue.  For example, he points to arguments that camels were not yet domesticated by the era of the Patriarchs but notes that newer archaeological evidence demonstrates that the picture is not so clear.  Domestication did indeed begin in ancient times, though in a limited way. This fits well with the Biblical account of the period, in which camels do not play a central role, their numbers are small, and they are possessed mainly by the wealthy.
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