If a place in Canaan is mentioned on several occasions in the Bible, we
can often determine its approximate elevation by focusing on the following
three Hebrew verbs: go up/(LH; go down/YRD; go/BW).
In Biblical Hebrew, in order to go from a place of average elevation to a
mountain that is at a far higher elevation, normally the Bible says that
one “goes up”. (LH: “go up”. Thus II Samuel 2: 1-3 on five separate
occasions says that future King David and his men “went up”/(LH to near the top
of the highest mountain in Canaan, in order to get to the 1st millennium
BCE city of Hebron high in the mountains of southern hill country.
Likewise, Genesis 19: 30 says [as to a different locale]: “Lot went up/(LH
out of
Zoar, and dwelt in the mountain/HR….” Returning now to the locale of
mountainous Hebron in southern hill country, Moses’s spies “go up”/(LH to
there [Numbers 13: 22], as do Joshua [Joshua 10: 36] and Samson [Judges 16:
3]. Yes, the Bible could sometimes alternatively say “go”, instead of
having to say “go up” on each and every occasion. The only Biblical use of
that nomenclature regarding mountainous Hebron in southern hill country is
that the elders of Israel “go”/BW) to see King David at Hebron [though in
that particular case, BW) effectively means “had an important meeting with”,
with no focus whatsoever on whether one must go “up” to get to Hebron].
If people are repeatedly portrayed as going from a place of average
elevation to a mountain that is at a far higher elevation, the Bible will at
least
on occasion say that one “goes up”/(LH to that mountainous locale (per II
Samuel 2: 1-3, Genesis 19: 30, etc.). If a Book of the Bible n-e-v-e-r
says that anyone “goes up”/(LH to a certain place [such as the Patriarchs’
Hebron in Genesis], and many people over many chapters of text are
portrayed as going to such place [which is n-e-v-e-r described as being in
the “
mountains”/HR], then that place cannot be located high up in the mountains!
Correspondingly, in Biblical Hebrew, in order to go from a place of
average elevation to a place located at a far lower elevation, such as the
bottom
of a valley, normally the Bible says that one “goes down”/YRD to such
low-lying place. YRD: “go down”. Thus when Judah leaves the Dothan-Shechem
area in hill country and settles in Adullam, which is located at the bottom
of the Elah Valley [almost surrounded by foothills], naturally Genesis
38: 1 says that Judah “went down”/YRD. Yes, the Bible can alternatively say
“go”, but if people are repeatedly portrayed as going from a place of
average elevation to a place of much lower elevation, such as going to the
bottom of a valley, the Bible will at least on occasion say that one “goes
down”
/YRD to that place at a far lower elevation. If a Book of the Bible
n-e-v-e-r says that anyone “goes down”/YRD to a certain place, and many
people over many chapters of text are portrayed as going to such place, then
that place cannot be located in the b-o-t-t-o-m of a valley. Likewise, if a
Book of the Bible n-e-v-e-r says that anyone “goes down”/YRD f-r-o-m a
certain place in leaving that place, and many people over many chapters of
text are portrayed as leaving such place, then that place cannot be
located near the top of the highest mountain in Canaan! Note that when Joseph
leaves the Patriarchs’ Hebron, he “goes”/BW) to Shechem [Genesis 37: 14];
that is to say, Joseph does not “go down”/YRD from a mountainous Hebron in
going to Shechem.
Finally, in Biblical Hebrew, in order to go from a place of average
elevation to another place of average elevation [that is to say, not “up” to a
mountain or “down” to the bottom of a valley or “down” from a mountain],
the Bible ordinarily says that one “goes”. BW): “go”. So if a person
starts at the base of a mountain near Bethel, and goes to the highest altitude
part of the Ayalon Valley, namely the hills in the northeast quadrant of
the Ayalon Valley [west of Bethel], which are at only a slightly lower
elevation, then the Bible will say that one “goes”/BW) there. Even though
the
elevation is slightly lower, and it’s in a broad true valley [(MQ, per
Genesis 37: 14], the Northern Hills of the northeast Ayalon Valley, being the
highest part of the Ayalon Valley, are not enough lower than hill country
for the text to say that one “goes down”/YRD. At Genesis 13: 18, the text
says that Abram “goes”/BW) from the base of a mountain near Bethel to the
Patriarchs’ Hebron. Jacob likewise “goes”/BW) to the Patriarchs’ Hebron at
Genesis 35: 27.
In the Patriarchal narratives, no human being is ever said to “go up”/(LH
to the Patriarch’s Hebron, or to “go down”/YRD in leaving the Patriarchs’
Hebron. Rather, in those situations each of Abraham, Jacob and Joseph is
said to “go”/BW) to and from the Patriarchs’ Hebron.
If we pay close attention to what the actual words in the Bible are,
instead of blindly accepting the traditional misinterpretation of what the
Bible
says, we find that the Patriarchs’ Hebron cannot possibly be located at or
near the site of King David’s city of Hebron, high “up” in the “mountains
” of southern hill country. Not only is the word “mountains”/HR never
used in the Patriarchal narratives to describe the Patriarchs’ Hebron or the
area nearby, nor does King David ever claim that the Patriarchs had formerly
sojourned at the site of the Hebrews’ first capital city, but also, as is
the focus of this post, no one is ever said in the Patriarchal narratives
to “go up”/(LH to the Patriarchs’ Hebron. Lot “goes up”/(LH from Zoar to
the mountains; David “goes up”/(LH to the high altitude capital city of
Hebron, as do the spies and Joshua and Samson. But the two great
Patriarchs, Abraham and Jacob/“Israel”, by contrast “go”/BW) to the Patriarchs’
Hebron. In the Patriarchal narratives, no one ever “goes up”/(LH to the
Patriarchs’ Hebron. If we pay close attention to what the text says and does
not say, we see that the Patriarchs’ Hebron is not portrayed in Genesis as
being located near the top of Canaan’s tallest mountain in southern hill
country. Not.
Jim Stinehart
Evanston, Illinois
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