Tidal "King of Nations"

 Before the campaign against Sodom, Gomorrah and the other cities of the plains. The Elamite king Chedorlaomer allied with other three Mesopotamian kings Amraphel, Arioch, and Tidal. However, the historic impact of this even has been somehow minimized. As a result of this event, it can be highlighted the advancements in social, politic, and military advancements. In this case, Tidal was a king who ruled Goyim. according to the Jewish Tradition the translation of Goyim is “king of nations”. Which means, that he probably ruled over several nomadic tribes. Unfortunately, information about Tidal is scarce. Nevertheless, Peake's Commentary on the bible, which is a one-volume commentary with special emphasis in archaeological evidence, gives some insight about who this king of nations was.

First of all, Tidal was one of the four kings that battled against the kingdoms Sodom, Gomorrah and the cities of the plain. according to Peake's, Tidal can be considered as the equivalent of Tudhaliya a Hittite King, contemporary to Hammurabi, in the 17^th century BC. The interesting fact about Tidal is that he was a Hittite king that expanded the Hittite empire to the land of Assuwa. Which is believed to be the origin of Asia. Furthermore, by defeating the Asuwwa league he was able to claim also the adjacent territories of Taruisa and Wilusiya. that are generally referred to the mythic city of Troy.

The Hittite empire originated approximately 2,000 years BC. with the migration of ancient Anatolian people who moved from the Armenian highlands to found the city of Hatussa which was the capital of their empire. However, the information about Tudhaliya is confusing the main reason is because there are three consecutive king Tudhaliya wich make hard to settle which one was the one who accompany Chedorlaomer into the battle of Siddim.

Despite the fact that information about Tidal is scarce. We can infer that he was also a mighty king that contributed to the ferocious expansion of the Hittite empire. Furthermore, it also reflects the political bilateral relations that existed between empires.  

Amraphel "the underestimated king."

 In previous post I have mentioned the event know as the battle of the vale of Siddim or the battle of the nine kings. Where king Chedorlaomer of Elam had subdued Sodom and the other cities of the plain. We know from Genesis 14that Chedorlaomer allied with other Mesopotamian kings in a campaign to regain the control of the plains. At the beginning of the chapter we can notice that the narration in located in the days of Amraphel king of Shinar, for that reason, why should be important to mention such king in this narration? According to the The American Journal of Semitic Languages and Literatures, Shinar is believed to be the ancient city of Babylon and in consequence Amraphel is believed to be the superb king Hammurabi. This revealed identity of the king Amraphel enhance the dimensions of the battle of Siddim, and why Chedorlaomer was very confident with the support that he received from their allied armies.

Many scholars support the hypothesis of the king Hammurabi, the world famous assyriologist Eberhard Schrader who was a pioner in theoryzing about how Amraphel is Hammurabi. The evidences provided that support the theory are basically three. The first mentions that the city of Babel was geographically located within the land of Shinar were Nimrod was the first king of this land. The second, mentions the phonetically relation in the pronunciation of Hammurabi and Amraphel. The third, Amraphel is mentioned first in the chronicle of the battle, making clear his might over the land mentioning him first rather than the other kings.

The bas-relief of Hammurabi at the United States Congress

King Hammurabi is well known for the flourishing, empire that he developed, it is believed that his domains were extended trough central Mesopotamia and the Levant region. Furthermore he is also known, for developing city defenses , that helped him to defend his city from the attack of Ishme-Dagan I of Assyria for the control of Mesopotamia, is well known that Hammurabi made alliances with smaller states to strengthen his own territory, that can explain why he was supporting Elamite king Chedaorlaomer in the control of the plain cities. Furthermore, Hammurabi is better known for the code of laws or code of Hammurabi. This code was written in akkadian, contained 282 laws and was written in 12 tables. The code of laws was available for everyone to see it and also was written on a stele were everyone could read it. However, the stele was later stolen by the Elamites, and finally found again in 1901 and now is secured in the Louvre museum in France.

Map showing the Babylonian territory upon Hammurabi's ascension in c. 1792 BC and upon his death in c. 1750 BC

The code of laws is the most famous contribution of Hammurabi to the world, and nowadays still being a point of controversy due to the similarities with the table of the 10 commandments received from from God by Moses. Furthermore, the Semitic background of both cultures suggest that both laws have evidence of other laws from nearby civilizations in their writing such as Ur-Nammu's code, Laws of Eshnunna, and Code of Lipit-Ishtar, and the later Hittite code of laws.

Hammurabi was an outstanding king and results fascinating to me that he probably was the same king Amraphel that we meet reading Genesis, which is just mentioned a couple times with an almost nonexistent presence of his might in the chronicle of the battle of the nine kings. The change of setting whit this mighty king in the scene make the conflict even more important in the historical value of the event.

Melchizedek a Righteous King

 After the defeat of Chedorlaomer and the rescue of Lot by his uncle Abram. The triumphant company set out their journey back home. In the way back home, Bera king of Sodom went out to meet him at the Valley of Shaveh (Genesis 14:17). Where, Melchizedek king of Salem brought bread and wine for the weary men of the Abram company. Although, other kings Melchizedek is a very popular character in the Christian world, as well in the Judaisms and Islam. Hence, he is well know for being the Priest who received Abram tithes and also, blessed him and El Elyon (God Most High, in Canaanite). However, information about Melchizedek genealogy, kingdom, and his regime as king of Salem are almost nonexistent.

Abraham's encounter with Melchizedek - Peter Paul Rubens

The information about the origin of king Melchizedek is relative scarce. Since, the bible does not provide other information other than, he was king of Salem and priest of the Highest God. Nevertheless, there are many hypothesis about his origin.

Melchizedek mosaic in San Vitale Basilica

The first theory, is from a Roman Jewish historian from the first century named Josephus. He mentioned on his book “the Jewish Wars” that Melchizedek was a Canaanite chief, and his name, in Canaanite means melek “king” ṣedeq “righteous”. Furthermore, his kingdom was located in the land of Canaan, which were in the territory inherited by Ham. Which make hard to believe that such prestigious person came from that cursed lineage. However, Melchizedek was a monotheist priest, whom only adored El Elyon (God most High), that definitely contrasted with the Canaanite customs of adoring multiple deities.

Photography of a Roman portrait bust said to be of Josephus, Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek, Copenhagen, Denmark.

The second theory is from the Melchizedekites. Who believe that Melchizedek came from the lineage of Shem. Moreover, the Chazalic literature claims that Melchizedek is just a title for Shem son of Noah. Thus, a strong reason to believe that Melchizedek came from a chosen lineage perfect aligned to his priest condition. However, the reason why a descendant of Shem was ruling over Canaan is not totally clear.

 The role of Melchizedek as the king of Salem during the great war between the Mesopotamian kings and the Elamite king Chedorlaomer against the Five king of the Jordan river plains. Are not clear, Salem, does not appear to be oppressed by the infamous Chedorloamer. But, it is widely accepted that was friendly to the kingdoms of the plain. Moreover, the city was in the neighborhood of the valley of Shaveh where Abraham payed his tithes to the priest king, and restored his goods to kng Bera of Sodom. Sugesting the interpretation that Salem was a place of reunion for the near plain's kingdoms, who venerated El Elyon. According to the Jewish Encyclopedia Salem is the ancient name of the city that today we know as Jerusalem. Thus, the importance of the place is reflected in the person of Melchizedek who is portrayed at the same category of the most notable prophets of history.

Jerusalem in the present

Chedorlaomer and the battle of the Nine Kings

While I was reading Genesis chapter 14, the mention of a battle in the vale of Siddim totally drag my attention. Furthermore, this chapter is the one who mentions another Mighty king "Chedorloamer" who ruled the Elamite Kingdom, and he is specially mentioned in the chapter for two reasons. First, because he have subdued the kingdoms near the jordan river plain, and most important because he took captive Lot the nephew of Abram.

First of all,  Chedorlaomer was king of the Elamite kingdom who was subduing the plains near the Jordan river. According to Genesis he have subdued at least five  cities for at leas 13 years, causing that the subdued kings rebelled and start a war against the Chedorlaomer rule. This war had an episode known as the battle of Siddim or the war of the nine kings. Although, the bible never mentions a battle in the vale of Siddim, we can infer that the battle took place there between the oppressor force of Chedorloamer and the rebel force commanded by the five kings of the plains. as a result of the battle the rebel forces were surpassed and  the rebels were forced to flee. hence, the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fell into the slime pits, that were located around the battlefield, causing many others to die in the escape.
One thing that its important to highlight is that in this battle, the 9 kings joined together for the clash. That style of combat gives us a background of how belligerent strategies and setting were done in the past. according to the Cambridge Atlas of Archaeology it was common for powerful king to bring with them every kind of company such as vassals or other allied kings to show the mighty and power of their army, as a strategy to frighten the opponents and making them flee or renegotiate the therms of their submission. In consequence, we can infer that Chedorloamer was a brilliant strategist because he allied with other Mesopotamian kings and brought them into battle. Furthermore, his strategy plus his allied armies made him to win the battle and advance to Sodom and Gomorrah were they claim their goods and victuals and come back their way kidnapping Lot who dwelt in the Land of Sodom.
when the word of the kidnapping of Lot reached Abram, he rapidly formed a small army of 318 person who accompanied him in the chase of Chedorloamer. the chase was not easy, we can read in Genesis that Abram caught up with Chedorloamer in the city of Dan. According to GIS measurements there are 200 km between the city of Hebron and the city of Dan, which means that the persecution was fast and definitely exhausting. However, Abram had the strength and courage to battle Chedorloamer forces. When Abraham finally caught up with Chedorloamer, he decided to divide his army between The infamous king troops and finally smote them by night. As a result, The attacked army fled Dan going northeast into Damascus.

The Vale of Siddim

Finally, Abram Chased Chedorloamer for approximately additional 65 km, finally slaughtering Chedorloamer's army in the city of Hobah near Damascus. Hence, Abraham took back the stolen goods and also the prisoners in which Lot was one of them. When Abram come back he was received by Melchizedek King of Salem who brought bread and wine unto him and blessed him.

Nimrod a "Mighty Hunter"

Nimrod is the first King mentioned in the Bible, ruler of Babel and the surrounding cities. After the great flood, the land was dry and clear. Noah and his family were commanded to multiply and fill the earth. Thus, the land was given to Noah sons Shem, Ham, and Japhet. Nimrod is the fourth generation who inhabited the new earth. Nimrod is son of Cush, who is son of Ham, who is son of Noah.

Litograpy of Nimrod by Gustave Dore

Abraham is trow into a furnace by Nimrod

The fist Biblical mention of Nimrod is found in Genesis chapter 10 verse 8 and 9 who describes him as a “mighty one in the earth” and a “mighty hunter before the LORD”. When I first read this verse my conception of Nimrod was that he was righteous man who stood for the LORD will. However, the Islamist conception of Nimrod differed mine. According to the Encyclopedia of the Qur’an, Nimrod is not mentioned in the Qur’an. However, in the Islamic tradition Nimrod was the Antagonist of Abraham. And the one who ordered to burn Abraham in a furnace, from which he was saved by the LORD. This fact caught my attention because the bible never mentions any interaction between Nimrod and Abraham. Furthermore, there are a separation of seven generations between them. The difference between epochs in the Bible and the Islamic tradition are different for that reason I decided to research now the Jewish point of view. the Jewish Encyclopedia says that “Nimrod is the prototype of a rebellious people, his name being interpreted as "he who made all the people rebellious against God"”. Hence, this information made me rethink about what I just read in Genesis 10. However, further in Chapter it is told that Babel was part of Nimrod kingdom. Although the Bible never mentions that Nimrod requested the building of the Babel tower, it is widely accepted in the Christian and Jewish belief that Nimrod was the one who ordered to build the tower, after all he was the king of the whole region where Babel was part of the kingdom, also the tower was being built under his regime.

Stone panel dedicated to Nimrod an the British museum 

Besides being a king, Nimrod was also a “mighty hunter” according to the Jewish encyclopedia, Nimrod was the first hunter in the human history and the one who introduced the people to eating meat. Furthermore, it is believed form the Jewish community that he possessed the coats of skin that God made for Adam and Eve when they left the garden of Eden. Those clothes were believed to be in Noah possession, and stolen from him by Ham who passed them to Cush who did the same and handed them to Nimrod. Who used them to attract animal who crouched before him whenever they saw him wearing the clothes, making extremely easy for him to catch his prey. This version totally blew out my perception of “mighty hunter” or at least the traditional idea that we have about how a hunter acts.  

As I mentioned before the tower of Babel is believed to be requested from Nimrod. Furthermore, the tower is also one of the most popular stories of Christianity because its is believed that during its construction language was split into different ones, that rendered the tower impossible to complete. As a consequence the people fled the place and scattered throughout the world. What happened to the tower of Babel after the people fled is not known, the Bible does not mention the destruction of the tower. But still, it is accepted in the christian community that the tower was destroyed while the people were leaving Babel.  

Engraving confusion of tongues by Gustave Dore

Gilgamesh

Additionally, something that definitely grabbed my attention is a prominent theory about who Nimrod was. This theory was  held by George Smith it  mentions that Nimrod can be related to the Babylonian hero Izdubar (Gilgamesh). Izdubar was a hunter who was always followed by four dogs who accompanied him into his journeys of hunting. Also he is named in some Sumerian poems and it is believed that he was the king of the city of Uruk. The Legends of Izdubar are recorded in twelve tablets dated from between 1800 and 2000 B.C.  

In conclusion, for this first edition of the blog I can mention that reading and finding out more information about who this king were make me very exited to know more about who I am and I what I believe in, research about Nimrod made me realize that he was not as good as I first though. This exercise gives me the lesson that an effective comprehension of the bible does not only require reading but also a little more research to get to know those forgotten kings.

Welcome!

When I was a child back in the early 90s, my father used to read a chapter of the Bible to my siblings and me every day. I remember that he gathered us together to lay on the grass under the shade of a Chinese banyan tree and it was an enjoyable experience to hear him reading. I remember closing my eyes just to imagine those great scenes involving kings such as Nebuchadnezzar II king of Babylon, Saul the first king of Israel, Solomon third king of Israel son of David, Herod king of the Herodian kingdom. Those kings were great because of their contributions to the history, but they also had a weak side that made them make mistakes because they were humans after all. 

Recently, I started rereading the Old Testament, but what makes it very interesting is that I want to do it in a more deep way. I want to be able to better understand the story behind the history. In other words, I want to learn more about those kings, their personalities, lives and contributions to the history. It will be interesting primarily because when we talk about the Old Testament, we just think about Adam and Eve, and probably about Moses too but the general conception of the history behind it is broad. Writing here will be a personal aid to keep me researching about something that I am passionate about and to share that research with those who are interested in doing the same. I expect this project to be a miraculous journey to remember those forgotten king.