Hebrew Myths (28 page)

12
. The Cave of Machpelah had been bought by Abraham from Ephron the Hittite (see 11.
d
). Sarah’s joyful death is intended by the late mythographer to account for her absence from Beersheba, Abraham’s home, and for his journey to Hebron. Athamas, too, was connected with the Hittites, by being a brother of ‘Sisyphus’, the Hittite God Teshub (see 39.
1
). The cave of ‘Ephron the Hittite’ may have been a shrine sacred to Phoroneus, who is called father of Agenor (‘Canaan’) and said to have not only discovered how to use fire, but initiated the Greek worship of Hera (‘Anath’).

(
a
) Though now one hundred and thirty-seven years of age, Abraham continued youthful and hale. He prayed that God might distinguish him from Isaac, for whom he was often mistaken by strangers. God accordingly crowned Abraham with locks white as wool, like His own: the first external sign of old age granted mankind and treated as a mark of respect.
²⁸⁹

After Sarah’s death, Abraham married Keturah. Some say that this was a nickname of Hagar’s, who had been
bound
in service to Sarah; who
bound
together a garland of sweet-smelling virtues; and who remained
bound
to Abraham by a vow of chastity, even when she had been driven away. Others say that Abraham chose Keturah, a descendant of Japheth, so that he might have posterity in the female line from each of Noah’s sons: Hagar being descended from Ham, and Sarah from Shem.
²⁹⁰

(
b
) Abraham’s sons by Keturah were Zimran, Jokshan (father of Dedan and Sheba), Medan, Midian, Ishbak and Shuah. He sent them all off eastwards, laden with gifts, to fend for themselves, and pronounced this warning: ‘Beware of Isaac’s fire!’ They took possession of many lands, including Trogloditis and the Red Sea shores of Arabia Felix. Distant nations now claim descent from Abraham through them, even the Spartans of Greece. None of Keturah’s sons kept God’s Law, which explains Abraham’s warning. Among the children of Dedan were the Asshurites, who founded Assyria; the Letushites; and the Leummites. Midian’s sons were Ephah and Epher, Hanoch, Abida and Eldaah.
²⁹¹

(
c
) Some say that Abraham entrusted Keturah’s sons with the secret names of demons, whom they could thus bend to do their will when making magic; and that all the wisdom of the East, now so much admired, was Abraham’s.
²⁹²

(
d
) Others say that Keturah bore Abraham twelve sons.
²⁹³

***

1
. This myth is historically important, since it suggests that Abraham’s Hebrews controlled the desert routes to Egypt and acted as agents for trade with various eastern tribes. ‘Medan’ recalls the Yemenite god
Madan.
The North Arabian tribe of Midian occupied the Gulf of Aqaba and the Sinai Peninsula. ‘Ishbak’ seems to be
Iashbuqi
, a small North Syrian kingdom mentioned in an eighth-century
B.C.
Assyrian inscription; and ‘Shuah’ (
Soge
or
Soe
in the Septuagint) its neighbouring kingdom of Shukhu. ‘Keturah’ will have meant a
binding together
of tribes for the common interest of trade under Abraham’s benevolent guidance.

2
. ‘Jokshan’ seems to be identical with Yoqtan, father of Sheba (
Genesis
X. 27–28), who is called Qahtān in Arabic and regarded by Arab genealogists as the ancestor of all Southern Arab tribes. Sheba fathered the mercantile Sabaeans. Jokshan’s son Dedan—who also figures as a son of Raamah the Cushite in
Genesis
X. 7 and I
Chronicles
I. 9; and in Josephus’s
Antiquities
as a son of Shuah—was a North Arabian desert tribe from Tema and Buz (
Jeremiah
XXV. 23). According to
Ezekiel
XXVII. 15–20, they supplied Tyre with saddle-rugs until ‘Esau’ or ‘Edom’ harried their caravans (
Isaiah
XXI. 13–15;
Jeremiah
XLIX. 8;
Ezekiel
XXV. 13) and forced them to retreat south.

3
. ‘Asshur’, here called a son of Dedan, was the god from whom the city of Asshur—later the Assyrian capital—took its name. The names Ashuru and Latashu (i.e. Asshur and Letush) occur in Nabataean inscriptions as personal names. ‘Leummites’ is probably a mistake for ‘and other nations’, from
le’om
, ‘a nation’ (as in
Genesis
XXV. 23).

4
. The sons of Midian also moved to South Arabia. ‘Ephah’ (Gephar in the Septuagint), mentioned with Midian (
Isaiah
LX. 6) as a camel-owning tribe that brought gold and incense from Sheba, is Khayapa in inscriptions of Sargon of Assyria; today Ghwafa, east of the Gulf of Aqaba. ‘Epher’ (
Opher
or
Gapher
in the Septuagint,
Eperu
or
Apuriu
in Egyptian inscriptions), has been identified with the Banu Ghifar of the Hejaz. ‘Hanoch’ may represent the modern Hanakiya, a settlement north of Medina, visited by Doughty and Burckhardt. Abida could be Ibadidi, mentioned in inscriptions of Sargon II. Both Abida and Eldaah occur as proper names in Sabaean and Minaean inscriptions.

5
. Josephus’s tribal genealogy is based on an alternative tradition; so is the
Sepher Hayashar
, which gives Dedan’s sons different names.
Genesis
itself embodies rival traditions of kinship, produced by constant political changes among nomadic tribes, from Hyksos times onward.

6
. Josephus states that King Areus of Sparta, in a letter written about
183
B.C.
to Onias III, High Priest of Jerusalem, claimed Abraham as his ancestor; this claim was acknowledged some twelve years later by the High Priest Jonathan (
Maccabees
XII) who admitted its conformity with Jewish sacred books, but did not cite them. At all events, Menelaus the Spartan had spent ten yean in Egypto-Palestinian waters, according to various passages in the
Odyssey;
and the early Achaean Greeks had founded colonies in Palestine (see 30. 3). Xanthus the Lydian records that Ascalon was built by Ascalus, an ancestor of the Spartans.

7
. Hebrew mythographers tend to credit tribal ancestors with twelve sons. Thus, although
Genesis
allows Abraham only six, the midrash elevates him above his brother Nahor who had twelve, by giving him twelve in addition to Ishmael and Isaac. Ishmael begot twelve sons (see 29.
i
); and so did Jacob (see 45); so, according to the
Sepher Hayashar
, did Abraham’s nephew Aram, son of Zoba, Terah’s youngest child, who founded Aram-Zoba (2
Samuel
X. 6–8), a city north of Damascus.

(
a
) Word reached Abraham from Harran that his brother Nahor was now blessed with twelve sons, of whom eight had been borne by his wife Milcah; namely, Uz, Buz, Kemuel, Chesed, Hazo, Pildash, Jidlaph and Bethuel. The other four were children of a concubine, Reumah; namely, Tebah, Gaham, Tahash and Maacah. Nahor had a grandson Aram, by Kemuel; also a grandson and grand-daughter by Bethuel, namely, Laban and Rebekah.
²⁹⁴

Abraham called his chief steward Eliezer, and said: ‘Put your hand under my thigh, and swear by the Living God that you will obey me! Since I cannot let Isaac marry among the Canaanites, a bride must be found for him at Harran. I am too old to settle this matter in person; therefore go, make your choice on my behalf, and bring the woman back to Hebron.’

Eliezer asked: ‘What if she hesitates to accompany me? Must Isaac then marry her in Harran?’

Abraham replied: ‘Isaac shall never leave the land which God has given us! If she declines, you are free of this oath. Nevertheless, have no fear: God’s angel will prepare your way.’

Eliezer took the oath, chose ten fine camels from Abraham’s herds, filled their saddle-bags with rich gifts, and rode off at the head of a large retinue. Many days later, at dusk, he made his camels kneel at the well outside Padan-Aram in Harran, and saw the city women trooping up to draw water, as was their custom. He prayed: ‘God of my master Abraham, prosper me today and grant me a sign: that when I say to one of these women “Let down your pitcher, and give me drink!”, and she answers “Drink, and I shall also water your camels,” that same woman will be Isaac’s appointed bride.’

The first woman to reach the well was young, stately and dressed as a virgin. She descended the steps, and soon re-appeared with a brimming pitcher on her shoulder. Eliezer asked leave to quench his thirst from it. The woman answered: ‘Drink, my lord,’ and handed him the pitcher. Eliezer drank, then awaited her next words. When she said:
‘I will also water your camels,’ and emptied the pitcher into a trough, he knew her for God’s choice. Eliezer fetched the bridal gifts—a golden nose-ring weighing half a shekel, and two golden bracelets of ten shekels’ weight—then, having set the ring in her nostrils and the bracelets on her wrists, he asked: ‘Whose daughter are you?’ She replied: ‘Bethuel is my father: Nahor’s son by his wife Milcah. I am named Rebekah.’

Eliezer asked again: ‘Will there be lodging for us in your father’s house?’

She said: ‘Yes, we have sufficient lodging, also straw and green fodder for your camels.’

Eliezer at once prostrated himself and thanked God that he had been led to Abraham’s kinsfolk.

Rebekah hurried home to announce Eliezer’s arrival; and when her brother Laban saw the golden ornaments she wore, he ran to the well and cried: ‘Come, stranger, with God’s blessing! I have made ready a room for your lodging, and a stable for your beasts.’ He took Eliezer and his fellow-servants to Bethuel’s house, where they ungirded and fed the weary camels. Water was brought to wash the travellers’ feet, and platters of food placed before them. But Eliezer said: ‘First let me reveal my errand!’ He then told Bethuel and Laban of his mission, of Abraham’s riches, and of his own providential encounter with Rebekah, ending: ‘Pray decide at once, my lords, whether you will gratify my master’s wish, or whether you will not.’

Bethuel and Laban both replied: ‘Since the hand of God is manifest in this matter, how dare we oppose Him? Take Rebekah and go; she shall be Isaac’s wife, as God wills.’

Eliezer bowed low in thanksgiving, then took out bridal garments and more jewels from the saddle-bags; presenting rich gifts also to Rebekah’s mother, and to Laban. Then they all feasted merrily. The next day, Eliezer was for going home, but Laban and his mother desired Rebekah to stay ten days longer. Eliezer said: ‘Do not delay a servant of God! I must return to my master.’ They asked Rebekah: ‘Will you accompany this honest man at once?’ When she answered: ‘I will,’ they let her go with their blessing. Laban said: ‘May you become the mother of unnumbered thousands, sister; and may they hold the city gates of all who hate them!’

Rebekah, attended by her nurse Deborah and other bond-women, followed Eliezer to Canaan. Some days later, at sunset, they reached the well of Lahai-Roi, where God had once comforted Hagar. Rebekah
alighted from her camel, and asked: ‘Who can this be: walking across the field to greet us?’ When Eliezer replied: ‘It is my master’s son,’ she quickly veiled her face.

After hearing Eliezer’s story, Isaac brought Rebekah into the tent which had been Sarah’s. That night they lay together, and he ceased mourning for his mother.
²⁹⁵

(
b
) Some say that Abraham formerly planned to choose Isaac’s wife from among the daughters of his friends Aner, Eshcol and Mamre who were pious men, though Canaanites. But God, when blessing him on Mount Moriah, revealed the bride-to-be as his brother Nahor’s newly born grand-daughter—Isaac’s paternal cousins having first claim on him as a husband.
²⁹⁶

Yet since a girl cannot be given in marriage until at least three years and one day old, Abraham refrained from sending Eliezer on his mission until this time had elapsed; others even say that he waited fourteen years, until Rebekah should be nubile.

When forbidden by Abraham to choose Isaac a Canaanite wife, Eliezer offered him his own daughter. Abraham, however, replied: ‘You, Eliezer, are a bondman, Isaac is free born: the cursed may not unite with the blessed!’
²⁹⁷

(
c
) Some say that among the Aramaeans a father would deflower his virgin daughter before her wedding; and that Bethuel, upon agreeing to Rebekah’s marriage, would have dishonoured her in this manner, had he not suddenly died. According to others, Bethuel, as King of Harran, claimed the sole right to deflower brides and, when Rebekah became nubile, the princes of the land gathered around, saying: ‘Unless Bethuel now treats his own daughter as he has treated ours, we shall kill them both!’
²⁹⁸

(
d
) According to others Laban, seeing the rich gifts Rebekah brought back from the well, had planned an ambush for Eliezer, but awe of his gigantic stature and numerous armed retainers made him desist. Instead, he pretended great friendship, and set a platter of poisoned food before Eliezer. The archangel Gabriel, entering unseen, exchanged this platter with Bethuel’s, who died instantly. Though Laban and his mother wished Rebekah to stay until they had mourned Bethuel for a full week, Eliezer mistrusted Laban and demanded that Rebekah should leave home at once. Being now an orphan, she could make her own decisions, and told Laban: ‘I shall go, even if it be against your will!’ Thus constrained to agree, he blessed her with such mockery that she was barren for many years.

(
e
) When the travellers neared Hebron, Rebekah saw Isaac on his way back from Paradise, walking on his hands, as the dead do. She took fright, fell off her camel and was hurt by the stump of a bush. Abraham greeted her as he stood at the tent door, but said to Isaac: ‘Bondmen are capable of any deceit. Take this woman into your tent, and finger her to see whether she is still a virgin after this long journey in Eliezer’s company!’ Isaac obeyed and, finding Rebekah’s maidenhead broken, sternly asked how this had come about. She answered: ‘My lord, I was frightened by your appearance, and fell to the ground, where the stump of a bush pierced my thighs.’ ‘No, but Eliezer has defiled you!’ cried Isaac. Rebekah, swearing by the Living God that no man had touched her, showed him the stump still wet with her virginal blood; and he believed at last.