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In the Hebrew Bible, Amraphel ( he, אַמְרָפֶל, translit=’Amrāp̄el; el, Ἀμαρφάλ, Amarphál; la, Amraphel) was a king of
''Jewish Encyclopedia'': Amraphel
{{Authority control Lech-Lecha Nimrod Sumerian rulers Torah monarchs Hammurabi
In the Hebrew Bible, Amraphel ( he, אַמְרָפֶל, translit=’Amrāp̄el; el, Ἀμαρφάλ, Amarphál; la, Amraphel) was a king of Shinar
Shinar (; Hebrew , Septuagint ) is the name for the southern region of Mesopotamia used by the Hebrew Bible.
Etymology
Hebrew שנער ''Šinʿar'' is equivalent to the Egyptian ''Sngr'' and Hittite ''Šanḫar(a)'', all referring to southern M ...
(Hebrew for Sumer
Sumer () is the earliest known civilization in the historical region of southern Mesopotamia (south-central Iraq), emerging during the Chalcolithic and early Bronze Ages between the sixth and fifth millennium BC. It is one of the cradles of c ...
) in Book of Genesis Chapter 14, who invaded Canaan along with other kings under the leadership of Chedorlaomer, king of Elam
Elam (; Linear Elamite: ''hatamti''; Cuneiform Elamite: ; Sumerian: ; Akkadian: ; he, עֵילָם ''ʿēlām''; peo, 𐎢𐎺𐎩 ''hūja'') was an ancient civilization centered in the far west and southwest of modern-day Iran, stretc ...
. Chedorlaomer's coalition defeated Sodom
Sodom may refer to:
Places Historic
* Sodom and Gomorrah, cities mentioned in the Book of Genesis
United States
* Sodom, Kentucky, a ghost town
* Sodom, New York, a hamlet
* Sodom, Ohio, an unincorporated community
* Sodom, West Virginia, an ...
and the other cities in the Battle of the Vale of Siddim
The Battle of the Vale of Siddim, also often called the War of Nine Kings or the Slaughter of Chedorlaomer, is an event in the Hebrew Bible book of that occurs in the days of Abram and Lot. The Vale of Siddim was the battleground for the cities ...
.
Modern identifications
Beginning with E. Schrader in 1888, Amraphel is usually associated with Hammurabi, who ruledBabylonia
Babylonia (; Akkadian: , ''māt Akkadī'') was an ancient Akkadian-speaking state and cultural area based in the city of Babylon in central-southern Mesopotamia (present-day Iraq and parts of Syria). It emerged as an Amorite-ruled state c. ...
from 1792 BC until his death in 1750 BC. Although there is no other king in Sumerian King List or Babylonian King List that matches the name Amraphel except Hammurabi, whose name is Ammurāpi in Amorite, this view has been largely abandoned in recent years. Other scholars have identified Amraphel with ''Aralius'', one of the names on the later Babylonian king-lists, attributed first to Ctesias. Recently, David Rohl argued for an identification with Amar-Sin, the third ruler of the Ur III dynasty. John Van Seters, in ''Abraham in History and Tradition'', rejected the historical existence of Amraphel.
In Rabbinic tradition
Rabbinic sources such as Midrash Tanhuma ''Lekh Lekhah'' 6, Targum Yonatan to Exodus 14:1, andEruvin
Eruv ( he, עירוב "mixture"), in Judaism, may refer to:
* Eruvin (Talmud), a tractate in Moed
* Eruv tavshilin, ("mixing of cooked dishes"), which permits cooking on a Friday Holiday to prepare for Shabbat.
* Eruv techumin, ("mixing of borders ...
53a identify Amraphel with Nimrod. This is also asserted in the 11th chapter of the Sefer haYashar, attested from the early 17th century:
Genesis Rabbah 42 says Amraphel was called by three names: Cush, after his father's name (Gen. 10:8), Nimrod, because he established rebellion (''mrd'') in the world, and Amraphel, as he declared (''amar'') "I will cast down" (''apilah'').
References
Bibliography
* Irving L. Finkel, ''The Ark Before Noah: Decoding the Story of the Flood'' (Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, 2014). *External links
''Jewish Encyclopedia'': Amraphel
{{Authority control Lech-Lecha Nimrod Sumerian rulers Torah monarchs Hammurabi