Historical Dictionary of Ancient Israel (Historical Dictionaries of Ancient Civilizations and Historical Eras)

316 Pages·2003·10.61 MB·English

by  Niels Peter Lemche

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h i s t o r y i s r a e l
•
NIELS PETER LEMCHE
Historical Dictionaries of Ancient Civilizations and Historical Eras, No. 13
LEMCHE
Of the many early civilizations of which we are aware, few are smaller than
the ancient kingdom of Israel. Small both in geographical area and population,
it was barely noticed by the major civilizations of the time. The great states
that arose in Egypt, Mesopotamia, and elsewhere either ignored or crushed
it. Yet, several millennia later, Israel is the civilization we remember most
acutely and that we know—or think we know—the most about. What is D
known about Israel comes partly from the Old Testament and partly from ICH
fragmentary and problematic bits of historical evidence. TIS
I
OT
O
N
Because ancient Israel intrigues us and because we have so few reliable AR
sources about it, Historical Dictionary of Ancient Israel is particularly RIC
YA
important. It examines the usual sources in the Old Testament and surveys OL
the findings of more recent archaeological research to help us determine F
just what happened and when—a far-from-simple task. This resource
includes not only entries on the persons, places, and events of the kingdoms
of Israel and Judah, but it also defines their roles in the ancient world as
closely as possible according to the latest available data and their interpre-
tation. Although the results might differ from traditional views, they are
essential correctives.
niels peter lemche
is professor of theology at the University of
HISTORICAL
Copenhagen, Denmark. The author of ten books, he is the founder and editor
DICTIONARY OF
of the Scandinavian Journal of the Old Testament. Dr. Lemche was head of
the Copenhagen Dead Sea Scrolls Initiative until 1999 and has written
widely on early Israel and the surrounding region.
For orders and information please contact the publisher
scarecrow press, inc.
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4501 Forbes Boulevard, Suite 200 • Lanham, Maryland 20706
1-800-462-6420 • fax [phone] • www.scarecrowpress.com
Cover photographs courtesy of the author • Cover design by Jason Enterline
IiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIi

Historical Dictionaries of Ancient Civilizations
and Historical Eras
Series editor: Jon Woronoff
1. Ancient Egypt, Morris L. Bierbrier, 1999.
2. Ancient Mesoamerica, Joel W. Palka, 2000.
3. Pre-Colonial Africa, Robert O. Collins, 2001.
4. Byzantium, John H. Rosser, 2001.
5. Medieval Russia, Lawrence N. Langer, 2001.
6. Napoleonic Era, George F. Nafziger, 200l.
7. Ottoman Empire, Selcuk Aksin Somel, 2003.
8. Mongol World Empire, Paul D. Buell, 2003.
9. Mesopotamia, Gwendolyn Leick, 2003.
10. Ancient and Medieval Nubia, by Richard A. Lobban, Jr. 2003.
11. The Vikings, by Katherine Holman, 2003.
12. The Renaissance, by Charles G. Nauert, 2004.
13. Ancient Israel, by Niels Peter Lemche, 2004.

Historical Dictionary of
Ancient Israel
Niels Peter Lemche
Historical Dictionaries ofA ncient
Civilizations and Historical Eras, No. 13
j
The Scarecrow Press, Inc.
Lanham, Maryland, and Oxford
2004
SCARECROW PRESS, INC.
Published in the United States of America
by Scarecrow Press, Inc.
A wholly owned subsidiary of
The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, Inc.
4501 Forbes Boulevard, Suite 200, Lanham, Maryland 20706
www.scarecrowpress.com
PO Box 317
Oxford
OX29RU, UK
Copyright © 2004 by Niels Peter Lemche
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced,
stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any
means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise,
without the prior permission of the publisher.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Information Available
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Lemche, Niels Peter.
Historical dictionary of ancient Israel/Niels Peter Lemche.
p. cm. - (Historical dictionaries of ancient civilizations and historical
eras; no. 13)
Includes bibliographical references (p. ).
ISBN 0-8108-4848-1 ( alk. paper)
1. lews-History-Dictionaries. 2. ludaism-History-Dictionaries. 1. Title.
II. Series.
DS102.8 .L38 2004
933'.003-dc22
2003015311
en<
The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of
American National Standard for Information Sciences-Permanence of
Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSIINISO Z39.48-1992.
Manufactured in the United States of America.
Contents
Editor's Foreword Jon Woronoff vii
Reader's Notes IX
Preface: How to Read the Old Testament Historically
How to Read This Dictionary
Chronology 19
Abbreviations 21
THE DICTIONARY 23
Bibliography 265
About the Author 303
v

Editor's Foreword
Of all the ancient civilizations that will be included in this series none
is smaller than the ancient kingdoms of Israel and Judah, otherwise
known as ancient Israel. Small both in geographical area and popula
tion, they were barely noticed by the major civilizations of the time in
Egypt, Mesopotamia, and elsewhere, which either crushed or ignored
them. Yet, several millennia later, ancient Israel is the civilization we
remember most acutely, which we know (or think we know) the most
about, and which has even been revived after a manner. Alas, what we
know (or think we know) about Israel comes partly from the Old Tes
tament and partly from fragmentary and sometimes distorted bits of
historical evidence. So it has been doubly hard to figure out just what
is true and what is false, what can be proven historically and what
must be left to conjecture. This is a second way in which the subject
matter of the Historical Dictionary of Ancient Israel differs notably
from other books in the series.
This makes it considerably more problematic to determine the suit
able coverage of a reference work, since it is necessary to include in
the dictionary entries on persons, places, and events about which there
is painfully little solid data and where even the Bible may be ambigu
ous or confusing. But they must be there, and they are, with as much
information as can be mustered. The same applies to the broader envi
ronment: historical, political, and economic, as well as anthropological
and sociological, since they give useful clues as to what life in ancient
Israel was like. To put things in their proper place as much as possible,
the introduction plays a significant role. And the chronology, actually
this time two chronologies, can give us a feel for the sequence of
events in Israel and surrounding areas. Naturally, since opinions still
vary so much, from an older maximalist to a newer minimalist view,
the bibliography is crucial not only to learn more and understand better
but also to find different interpretations of the evidence.
Obviously, all this does not facilitate the compilation of the volume
on ancient Israel. It is necessary for the author to acquire considerable
VII
EDITOR'S FOREWORD • VIII
information; part gleaned from the biblical and related literature, part
won from archaeological and related research. And it is also essential
to decide how much credit to give to the former and the latter. The
author, Niels Peter Lemche, certainly has the background and experi
ence. Receiving his doctorate at the University of Copenhagen in
1985, he had already served as an associate professor at the University
of Aarhus, and after a brief stint at the University of Hamburg, he
became and remains professor of theology at the University of Copen
hagen. He has lectured and written widely on prehistoric and early
Israel and on the Canaanites and other early peoples. He has a broad
knowledge of the whole region, including the major civilizations. And
he has also delved into the archaeology and anthropology of the pe
riod. It should doubtlessly be added that, although a minimalist, Dr.
Lemche is aware of the maximalist positions, and therefore makes an
attempt to encompass a broader view. For such reasons, he is an un
usually reliable guide through an era that can be more confusing and
misleading than most.
Jon Woronoff
Series Editor