Biblical Archaeology Review

The Ugaritic t_ (th) is equivalent to the s\ (sh) in Hebrew, the Ugaritic feminine ending -r is equivalent to the Hebrew -h.

B.C.E. (Before the Common Era), used by this author, is the alternate designation corresponding to B.C. often used in scholarly literature.

At this time Manasseh was apparently called Machir, a son of Manasseh. See, for example the early poem known as the Song of Deborah, where Manasseh is still referred to as Machir (Judges 5:14). See Lawrence Stager, “The Song of Deborah—Why Some Tribes Answered the Call and Others Did Not,” BAR 15:01.

But scholars differ as to the geographical background of the events. Some believe it occurred in Transjordan. See the discussion in R. J. Boling, Joshua, Anchor Bible (Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1982), pp. 419–420.

Beriah, the founder of Asher, appears as a clan of Ephraim (I Chronicles 7:23) His sister Serah appears as an Ephraimite daughter. See D. Edelman, “The Asherite Genealogy in 1 Chronicles 7:30–40, ” Biblical Research 33 (1988), pp. 13–73.

Did they come from Transjordan? The state of research there does not allow us to say. More large-scale surveys are needed to answer this question.

See “Israel’s Emergence in Canaan—BR Interviews Norman Gottwald,” Bible Review, October 1989.

Israel Finkelstein, “Shiloh Yields Some But Not All Of Its Secrets,” BAR 12:01.

In the patriarchal narratives, Bethel also plays an important role, as does Hebron. But only in Shechem are these sacred traditions repeated from the patriarchal period to the period of the Judges. Moreover only there do the national ceremonies described in Joshua 8 and 24 take place.