No 12

(The Mari Letters)

As we have seen in our brief studies, archaeological findings have proved to be of incalculable assistance to biblical scholars and the Mari letters are no exception; they are also called the Light on the World of the Patriarchs. Mari was an ancient kingdom on the western bank the Euphrates River some seven miles northwest of the city of Abu-Kemal, close to the Syrian-Iraqi border. Archaeology is a difficult task and must be spear-headed by unrelenting historians – in this case, Mr André Parrot under the auspices of the Musée du Louvre began excavating the city of Mari in 1933. However, the Second World War interrupted the excavations in 1939 but they were resumed in 1951.

A palace was uncovered that had 300 rooms many of which had paintings on the walls and the most historically significant find in that building was 20,000 cuneiform clay tablets now called the Mari Letters. They date from the era of Hammurabi c. 1700 BC and were written in the dialect of Old Babylonian. The Biblical value of these tablets is great because they come from the very region which was the home of the Hebrew patriarchs for a number of years before they left Ur to go to Canaan. The word Habiru is frequently found in the letters and Abraham was the first individual to be called a “Hebrew” (Gen 14:13).

The Mari letters refer to a fierce tribe of wanderers called the “Benjaminites” or the Sons of the South. They have no direct connection to Jacob’s last son of Rachel, Benjamin but it is interesting to note that in Genesis 49:27, Jacob referred to him as a “… a ravenous wolf” . Another interesting fact in the Mari letters is that the word “chieftain” in reference to the ferocious Benjaminites is davidum meaning leader. This sheds light on the etymology of the name of the most renowned king of Israel who was, as we know, a strong leader and a man after God’s heart (1 Sam 13:14). The letters also refer to a Semitic-nomadic people who established many cities in the Mesopotamia area; they are referred to as the Amorites in the Old Testament. Slowly but surely, archaeology is outlining the historical framework of the Biblical patriarchs and who knows what will be uncovered in future excavations.