Habiru

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The Mysterious "Habiru" and the Hebrews

"Shem, the father of all the children of 'Ever..."

Bereshyit 10:21

What is the meaning of this statement? Why Ever, the fifth of eleven

patriarchs from Noach to Avraham, was mentioned in this particular

way, as one who is acknowledged ancestor of some special descent that

actually begins six generations later? The genealogic line splits into two

branches after him, implying that many peoples are his children beforeAvraham was born, including the branch from which Avraham does not

come...

The eleven-generation line from Noach to Avraham is: Noach, Shem,

Arpakshad, Shelach, Ever, Peleg, Re'u, Serug, Nachor, Terach, Avraham,

who is considered the father of all Hebrews, but also the father of other

nations... actually, the people universally recognized as Hebrews began to

exist even two generations later, after Yitzhak and Ya'kov, who is Israel.

Was Avraham a Hebrew, being himself the father of Hebrews? Do the

statement in Bereshyit 10:21 convey any meaning?

Some scholars speculate that the Israelites did not peak Hebrew as their

original language but adopted it from their Canaanite neighbours when

they moved into that territory. However, the weight of linguistic evidence

from around the world speaks against such supposition. We simply do not

have sufficient knowledge of those times to say which language resided in

which territory by which group of people and how the people and thelanguages may have moved and mixed from one area to another. But we

now know with a wealth of explicit evidence that Hebrew is the language

in which the Scriptures were written, and they are among the most

ancient documents we have.

Some Egyptian monuments mention an enigmatic people: the "Apiru". In

one of these was carved on the stone walls a scene depicting men working

at a wine press. Beneath the picture was a title which ran: "Straining outwine by the Apiru". The date of the monument is believed to be during

the reign of queen Hatshepshut and Tutmose III, about the year 2290

(1470 b.c.e.). Scholars immediately recognized the similarity of the word

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"Apiru" to "Hebrew", with a scene depicting manual labour, as described

in Exodus for Hebrew people under bondage in Egypt.

From the Papyrus Leiden, dated to the reign of Ramose II, about the year

2510 (1250 b.c.e.), the following statement is made in a letter: "Issue grain

to the men of the army and to the Apiru who draw stone for the great

pylon of Ramses II". Again we see Apiru in bondage in Egypt down to the

time of Ramose II. They were being used as quarrymen and manuallabourers.

These references to the Apiru in Egyptian documents and on monuments

show their presence in Egypt, and their social importance, for more than

three centuries. The same people are called elsewhere "Habiru" or "Habiri".

Er-Heba, the Egyptian ruler in Jerusalem, wrote a series of letters to the

king in which he complained about the "Habiru". The Habiru were

plundering the lands of the king. Er-Heba wanted to know why the king

was leaving them behave in this way; why was he not sending archers to

protect his, the king's, properties. If he did not send military help the

whole land would be given to the Habiru.

If the events of this period were those described by Yehoshua in the

Scriptures they would place the Exodus prior to the fourteenth century

b.c.e., in agreement with more traditional estimates.

The activities of the Habiri in Southern Canaan concerns many scholars;

they believe this area was not attached to Israelite territory until much

later. However, Chapters 10 to 12 in the Book of Yehoshua describe just

such conquest, with the very names listed in the Amarna tablets,

including Lachish, Gezer, Gath, and the king of Jerusalem. A quote from

one tablet shows the state of affairs: "See the deed which Milkilu and

Shuwardata have done to the land of the king, my lord! They have the

troops of Gezer, troops of Gath, and troops of Qeila. They have seized the

land of Rubute. The land of the king has fallen away to the Habiri. And

now, even a city of the Jerusalem district, Bit-nin'ib by name, a city of theking, has fallen away to the side of the people of Qeila. Let the king listen

to Er-Heba, your servant, and send an army of archers that they might

restore the land of the king to the king. For if there are no army of archers

the land of the king will fall away to the Habiri.".

The identification of groups of Habiri and their activities corresponds well

to the conquest of Canaan described in the Book of Yehoshua. The

Amarna letters suggest that this class of people held unique status in the

Near East. All these documents lead to fully identify the Habiru with theIsraelites, until other sources bring great perplexity...

The Apiru are obviously a recognizable people distinct from others. If the

Apiru were Hebrews, not all of them were descended from the original

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twelve Tribes, and other Semitic groups (maybe the Hyksos among them)

were included.

The span of dates covers the period of the exile in Egypt and also well after

the Exodus. It seems evident that not all Apiru left Egypt; some remained

behind. This means that not all Semitic peoples in Egypt joined the

Israelites, though many did.

Although not of tribal identity, with a specific geographical location, it wasgiven special regard. The location of the Habiri in Southern Syria,

Phoenicia, and Canaan suggests that the term was used generally for the

Semitic tribes of those areas. It described a particular Semitic stock which,

by historical times, had divided into numerous tribes and separate,

identifiable ethnic groups.

The earliest known reference to the Habiru are from Sumer and date from

the Third Dynasty of Ur, about the year 1760 (2000 b.c.e.). A characteristicof this period was the expansion of Semitic peoples; mainly native

Akkadian speaking groups. Concurrent with this influx of Semites the

terms Habiru/Habiri begin to appear in Sumerian documents. The

documents show that the Habiru/Habiri were a new element in society,

that they were attempting to establish themselves, and that the judicial

system was having difficulty defining their legal status.

All the Sumerian records show that the Habiri were active in service roles

in the community, as well as the Israelites did in Egypt, and later in thecourt of Nebukhadnetzar.

Excavations at Kultepe and Alishar in ancient Anatolia, uncovered several

hoards of letters and legal and economic texts, belonging to Assyrian

trading stations of the old Akkadian period. Among these documents was

a letter from one Assyrian merchant to another requesting that he seek the

release of Habiri men who were in custody at the palace of Shalahshuwe,

an unidentified neighbour, possibly north of Alishar. This land is near the

residence of Avraham's family after they left Ur. From this ancient record

we see that the Habiri are located in central Anatolia and show the

widespread dispersion of those people before Avraham's times. If the

recipient of his letter is uncertain of the cost he is reminded that the Habiri

themselves have much money and could use it for their own release. In

any case, the author of the letter wants to make sure they are released. He

held them in high regard.

An Amorite kingdom dominated Mesopotamia in Avraham's times, from

Babylon in the south to Haran in the north, and across to the

Mediterranean (all the lands that Avraham covered in his travels from Ur

of the Chaldeans to Haran and Canaan). This period was the golden age

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of the city of Mari, that included some minor states among which appear

some Habiri rulers. One document states that Yapah Adad had built up

the town of Zallul on the banks of the Euphrates and, with 2000 Habiri

soldiers, was then located in that town. In another document Izinabu, a

Yamubalite chief, had 30 Habiru men march in his charge. In still another

letter in which the destination and sender have been lost "3000 asses of the

Habiri" are mentioned. (Note the corresponding use of asses by theHebrew tribes described in the Scriptures). In other letters the Habiru men

went by night and seized the town of Yahmumam, attempted to seize

other towns, and raided Luhaya seizing 500 sheep and 10 men. The

Habiri were a recognizable part of the population.

The Habiru are mentioned in many documents of the Hurrian state of

Nuzi, where they have been an important part of society.

What is remarkably interesting is that the ancient peoples ascribe to the

Habiru a mysterious relationship with the Divinity.In Hittite documentslong lists of gods are invoked to protect the treaties. They include deities

from many different regions and people. The curious nature of this

invocation is illustrated by a treaty with Egypt. This list concludes with

the following words: "and so on to... and the Hapiri Gods,...". Significantly

the Hapiru/Habiri Elohim had special mention, and although they are not

identified by Name, they also could not be forgotten.

The same particularity has been found in Assyrian temples, in which the

Habiru are mentioned among the deities. This mention of the Habiru

among a list of deities shows explicitly that they were considered as having

divine origins. They were different from ordinary people, including rulers

and magistrates.

Several Assyrian omen texts were discovered in which it appears that the

Habiri were associated with ominous celestial phenomena and with some

unknown afflictions. They were thought to carry divine powers.

In Egypt the Apir name appears a number of places combined with adivine name; the titles suggest specific identification as Apir deities. From

Anatolia, to the Mesopotamian Basin, to Egypt, the Habiri were regarded

with special social and religious status. Based on the historic evidence, an

association of the Habiri with divinity cannot be avoided. While the exact

significance of each of these references is unknown, it would not have been

possible for the people who lived, worked, and travelled with Habiri to

ignore the divine association. That factor must have been present in the

mind of everyone; it was universally recognized and accepted. They wereof special genetic stock, a "Chosen People".

The result of this research leads to the following conclusions:

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The Habiri existed since the most ancient times. They are present in the

first documents available to us, hundreds of years earlier than Avraham.

They were scattered all over the Near East from Egypt to Mesopotamia, to

the extremities of Assyria, along the coast of the Mediterranean through

Canaan, and in the regions of Anatolia. They are not limited to any

geographical area, any nation, or any social category; they appear at every

level of society, in many different activities. They usually wandered fromplace to place. The movements of Terah, Avraham, and other members of

that family were according to the habits of the general Habiri people. This

is the reason by which the Sumerians were attempting to define their

social roles. They truly were "wandering Arameans", though their origin is

Akkadian/Assyrian, being descendants from Arphakshad.

Notwithstanding, these "wandering Arameans" were the path through

which the ancient Semitic linguistic world memories were preserved. They

certainly played an unique role in reconnecting us with the remote history

of mankind. They also brought a genetic line down into historic times,

with Avraham chosen as the outstanding representative of that blood

blessing.

The Habiru had a Deity whose Name was unknown to the other peoples,

and also to themselves, as the Name was not revealed to anybody before

Mosheh Rabainu. The fact that their Divinity's name was unknown is a

further proof that identifies them with the "Children of Ever". The

enigmatic MalkiTzedek, kohen of El-Elyon (Bereshyit 14:18), whoever he

was corresponds to the characteristics of a Habiru authority, holder of the

original spirituality which Avraham himself followed.

Their bondage in Egypt is now better understood. It was an economic

bondage contracted during a time of need. They bought food and shelter

in Egypt by selling their services, under established practices of those days.

Succeeding generations were born into that bondage for lack of means to

buy their freedom. The Egyptians probably perpetuated severe conditionsin order to preserve a source of cheap labour. When Egypt was ravaged by

plagues, Shemot chapters 7 to 11, the whole country was in havoc. The

Israelites seized that opportunity to make their escape.

The documentary evidence shows they were extremely versatile and

socially flexible, and were regarded with social respect. The Habiri had no

fixed place in the social order where they chose to live; they were accepted

in a foreign sense, not as part of a local social group.

The "Children of Ever" were many peoples. Ever himself is the father ofall Yoqtanites, who settled in Southern Arabia, but the "Habiru" line

continued through his other son, Peleg, from whom came Avraham and

his brothers. Avraham engaged his son Yitzhak within his brother's

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family, in order to keep the bloodline, while Yishmael married an

Egyptian and the Habiru tradition did not continue through him. The

other sons of Avraham, that he had with Qeturah, seem that have

partially followed the Abrahamic line, at least some Midianites (the

Qeynites, of whom was Yethro, the father-in-law of Mosheh Rabainu)

and Yoqshanites (the Ashurim, Lethushim and Le'ummim) were Habiru.

Yitzhak followed his father's example and sent his son Ya'kov to the houseof Betuel, his brother-in-law, to marry a daughter of him.

When the term "Habiru" disappears from ancient documents, the name

"Ivri" (Hebrew) is applied in a restricted sense, only to

Israelites.Apparently the Habiru were a social class who lost their unique

identity. Their bloodline became submerged by interbreeding with other

people, and could no longer be distinguished. The Hebrew people

attempted to preserve the genetic lines, and thus preserved the Habiri

distinction. The strength of that consciousness is witnessed yet today

among the Jews who believe they are fulfilling the promises of the

Scriptures, and that they have a right to the lands promised to Avraham.

A few simple sentences written millennia ago carry the weight of destiny

and modify the lives and actions of people living today.

The Hebrew Tribes were Habiru but not all Habiri were Hebrews. The

Israelites came out of that special people and thus acquired the "Ivri"

name. The statement in Bereshyit that Shem was the father of all the

children of Ever now has a different meaning. The Hebrew/Habiri were

the children of Ever, as that genetic line was remembered by the later

Jewish scribes. This brief survey casts light on the antecedents of the

Hebrew people, the Children of Israel. It offers us some insight into the

selection of Avraham, the "Habiri" as the "Father of many nations".

Therefore, Avraham was both a Hebrew (Habiri) and the forefather of

Hebrews (Israelites).

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