early times (after 3000 B.C.) inhabited by Semitic settlers ruled by viceroys of the Babylonian kings; about 2280 the Anzanite element (of a different race and speaking a different language) gained the upper hand, and even established a suzerainty over Babylonia. From that time onwards Elam was a powerful monarchy, playing an important part in the politics of the Euphrates valley, till it was finally destroyed by Assurbanipal.[1] The reason for including this non-Semitic race among the sons of Shem is no doubt geographical or political. The other OT reff. are Gn. 141. 9, Is. 1112 212 226, Jer. 2525 4934ff., Ezk. 3224, Dn. 82.
(2) (
Hebrew characters)] Assyria. See below on v.11 (p. 211).
(3) (Hebrew characters) ((Greek characters))] identified by Boch. with the (Greek characters) which
Ptol. (vi. 1. 2) describes as the province of Assyria next to Armenia,—the
mountainous region round the sources of the Upper Zab, between
lakes Van and Urumia, still called in Kurdish Albâk. This name
appears in Ass. as Arapḫa (Arbaḫa, etc.),[2] and on Eg. monuments of
the 18th dynasty as 'Ararpaḫa (Müller, AE, 278 f.). Geographically
nothing could be more suitable than this identification: the difficulty is
that the last syllable (Hebrew characters) is left unaccounted for. Jos. recognised in the
last three letters the name of the Chaldeans ((Hebrew characters)),[3] and several attempts
have been made to explain the first element of the word in accordance
with this hint. (a) The best is perhaps that of Cheyne (EB, 318),[4]
resolving the word into two proper names: (Hebrew characters) or (Hebrew characters) (= Ass. Arbaḫa)
and (Hebrew characters),—the latter here introducing a second trio of sons of Shem.
On this view the Arpakšad of v.24 1110ff. must be an error (for (Hebrew characters)?) caused
by the textual corruption here. (b) An older conjecture, approved by Ges.
(Th.), Knobel, al., compares the (Hebrew characters) with Ar. 'urfat (= 'boundary'),[5]
Eth. arfat (= 'wall'); (Hebrew characters) would thus be the 'wall (or boundary)
of Kesed.' (c) Hommel (AHT, 212, 294-8) takes the middle syllable pa
to be the Egyptian art., reading 'Ur-pa-Kesed = Ur of the Chaldees
(1128),—an improbable suggestion. (d) Del. (Par. 255 f.) and Jen. (ZA,
xv. 256) interpret the word as arba-kišādu = '[Land of the] four quarters
(or shores),' after the analogy of a common designation of Babylonia in
royal titles.—These theories are partly prompted by the observation
that otherwise Chaldea is passed over in the Table of P,—a surprising
omission, no doubt, but perhaps susceptible of other explanations. The
question is complicated by the mention of an Aramean Kesed in 2222.
The difficulty of identifying that tribe with the Chaldeans in the S of
Babylonia is admitted by Dri. (p. 223); and if there was another Kesed
near Ḥarran, the fact must be taken account of in speculating about
the meaning of Arpakšad.
- ↑ See the interesting historical sketch by Scheil, Textes elamites-semitiques (1900), pp. ix-xv [= vol. ii. of de Morgan, Delegation en Perse: Memoires
- ↑ KIB, i. 177, 213, ii. 13, 89; cf. Del. Par. 124 f.
- ↑ (
Greek characters). Cf. Sayce, ET, xiii. 65.]: Ant. i. 144.
- ↑ A different conjecture in EB, 3644; TBI, 178.
- ↑ Note Tu.'s objections, p. 205.
