Talk:Aram-Naharaim

Josephus etc

The info on Josephus calling the people of Aram Naharaim "Assyrians" is referenced, please stop reverting this. Josephus does not refer to Aram Naharaim but he is taking about the people ruled by Chushan-Rishathaim who in explicitly called the king of Aram Naharaim in the Book of Judges which is Josephus' source for the account.

Also the area called Aram in the Bible is not identical to the region called Aram Naharaim, there are also views that only the former is named after Aram son of Shem while the latter is named after Aram the son of Kemuel. Suggestions that this article should be merged into the article on Aram is like suggesting that Niger be merged into Nigeria. Kuratowski's Ghost 15:55, 6 September 2006 (UTC)

Jubilees

According to Jubilees 9, the region between Tigris and Euphrates was alloted to Aram. His brother Asshur originally received land east of the Tigris. The land from the Euphrates to the Red Sea, went to their brother Arphaxad, whose son built Ur Kesed on the south bank of the Euphrates (usually assumed to be Ur - not anything near the Khabur). Abraham (a descendant of Arphaxad) *LEFT* Ur to go *TO* Padan Aram, lots of revisionists nowadays are trying to make Ur somewhere within Padam Aram, but the evidence is slim. ፈቃደ (ውይይት) 16:08, 6 September 2006 (UTC)

No Ur Kasdim in Aram Naharaim is a genuine Jewish tradition. Ur as Camarina is also fairly old but it has only been favoured in relatively recent times.

Paddan Aram is understood as a smaller region within Aram Naharaim contaiming Haran, the common view being that it is the Balikh valley.

I will look for the reference for Aram Naharaim being named after Aram son of Kemuel. Mention also needs to be made of Pethor. Kuratowski's Ghost 21:51, 6 September 2006 (UTC)

Actually, Ur Kasdim as being in Aram Naharaim is directly alluded to in the Biblical text itself. Abraham does not go from Ur *to* "Padan Aram", he leaves Ur then goes to Haran, and only then is he asked to leave his "country, father's house, and nativity to a land that I will show you". Later Abraham, ask his servant to return the "land of my nativity" to get a wife for his son, and where does he send him to? To Haran, in Aram Naharaim. There is no evidence whatsoever in the narrative of Genesis that Ur was any great distance from Haran. The Bible reminds us time and time again that when Araham and his family are in Haran and Aram Naharaim, they are hanging around *their own turf*, so to speak, and did not migrate their from 100's of miles downstream from a foreign metropolis seaport. Furthermore, in Deuteronomy 26:6, the Israelites are explicitly reminded that their "father was a wandering Aramaean", not an Akkadian, not a Babylonian, not a Sumerian, not anything from lower Mesopotamia, nor even a Chaldean. The 5 books of Moses are explicit in not associating the Hebrew patriarchs with Sumer (Shinar), Babylon, or Akkad. There is no mention of a land called 'Chaldea' in the Torah. The cities of Shinar were founded by Nimrod, descended from Ham, and others by Asshur, son of Shem. Aram son of Shem is regarded as the ancestor of the Arameans of cis-Euphratine Syria (Damascus and Zobah). But there is another Aram, mentioned in Genesis 22, along with Kesed (the only allusion to the Kasdim in the 5 books of Moses other than in reference to Ur itself), and they are descended from Nahor, Abraham's brother, from Haran. This Aram is commonly associated with Aram Naharaim, as opposed to Aram of Shem. The book of Jubilees is not a canonical Biblical book, tellingly has not been preserved in Hebrew, and cannot be cited as a source of information regarding ancient Biblical traditions. It is a late Hellenistic era tradition, but suffice it to mention that many Hellenistic-era authors did not associate the Hebrew patriarchs with lower Babylon either. Confusion must have arisen due to the fact that the Chaldeans ended up in Babylon, but again, later canonical books of the Bible are explicit in saying that the Chaldeans were newcomers to that region as well, and not native to Babylon from the time of the patriarchs. Note, I haven't even touched on the archeological evidence associating the patriarchal names and traditions with upper Mesopotamia. J.D. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 205.68.95.65 (talk) 16:43, 29 January 2008 (UTC)

Your opinion about the Book of Jubilees being "uncanonical" is irrelevant and incorrect, it is indeed a canonical book to some Churches, who openly disagree with those who claim it is "Hellenistic". It isn't Wikipedia's job to decide whose canon is correct; Wikipedia is not the Council of Nicea. All we do is cite sources here. Instead of making up your own arguments for your POV which qualifies as WP:OR, you should instead look for published sources that have said something like what you are trying to argue, then we may be able to add those sources' views to the sources we already have. Til Eulenspiegel (talk) 18:03, 29 January 2008 (UTC)

Sorry, but the person above who quotes from Jubilees (which, I repeat is NOT from the Biblical era but from the Hellenistic era, as admitted by the Wikipedia article on Jubilees, which correctly identifies it as pseudo-epigraphal and not from the original Hebrew Bible) is quoting it incorrectly. It does not say that Abraham leaves Ur to go to Padan Aram. It says in Jubilees, as in the Bible that, he goes to Haran and then to Canaan. Jubilees 34 also distinguishes Aram of Abraham's immediate family ("the daughters of Aram, of the seed of the sons of Terah") from the Aram son of Shem. This supports the narrative in Genesis 22. See my comments below about this distinction. As for the mention of Chaldeans in Jubilees, by the time of Jubilees, they had already installed themselves in Babylon. In the time of Abraham, they were not and would not be there for over 1100 years. As I said, in Genesis, the only mention of 'Kasdim' is in the context of Ur Kasdim, and the only clue given in the entire Torah about their origin is in the context of Abraham's brother Nahor's descendants Aram and Kesed, from Aram Naharaim. J.D. Here are some external references for you: Josephus, Book 1, Chapter 7: "And Nicolaus of Damascus, in the fourth book of his History, says thus: "Abram reigned at Damascus, being a foreigner, who came with an army out of the land ABOVE Babylon, called the land of the Chaldeans" Tactius on the origin of the Jews: "Others describe them as an Assyrian horde who, not having sufficient territory, took possession of part of Egypt, and founded cities of their own in what is called the Hebrew country, lying on the borders of Syria." There were also excavations done at Ebla by archeologists from Rome's La Sapienza University, by Pettinato and Matthiae, that identified references in Cuneiform tablets to "Ur in the territory of Haran", which they believed to be a far more likely candidate for Abraham's family origin than the Sumerian metropolis (which is in fact called Urima in Sumerian cuneiform). Furthermore, the Chaldean clan of 'Bit-Adini' in lower Mesopotamia has exactly the same name as, surprise surprise, the Aramaean kingdom of 'Bit-Adini' centered in Aram Naharaim in the vicinity of Haran, which is known in the Bible as 'Beth Eden'. Then there is Deuteronomy 6: "When the priest takes the basket from your hand and sets it down before the altar of the LORD your God, you shall make this response before the LORD your God: "A wandering Aramean was my father; he went down into Egypt and lived there as an alien, few in number, and there he became a great nation, mighty and populous." Then there is Isaiah 23:13, written shortly after the entrance of the Chaldeans into Bablonian sphere: "Behold, the land of the Chaldeans--this is the people that was not, when Asshur founded it for shipmen--they set up their siege towers, they overthrew the palaces thereof; it is made a ruin." Then there is Daniel 2:4 "Then spoke the Chaldeans to the king in Aramaic: 'O king, live for ever! tell thy servants the dream, and we will declare the interpretation.'"

In my opinion, the question that should be asked ought to be "what is the evidence AGAINST Abraham's Ur and the original Kasdim being in Aram Naharaim"? J.D. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 205.68.95.65 (talk) 23:03, 29 January 2008 (UTC)

Actually, the article on Jubilees is a good example of a neutral article, since it correctly notes who considers it "pseudepigraphal" and / or "Hellenistic", and who considers it canonical, and does not endorse either POV. So do you have any good sources that argue the Aramaeans of Aram-Naharaim were descended specifically from Aram, son of Kemuel and descendant of Arphaxad, as opposed to Aram son of Shem? If so, that would be a relevant addition to the scope of this article. Til Eulenspiegel (talk) 23:20, 29 January 2008 (UTC)

So, what I have been able to understand so far is that in the Hebrew midrash 'Sefer ha Yashar', pg.58, Aram son of Kemuel is named as the founder of Aram Naharaim. In the same Midrash, the Radak (Rabbi David Kimhi) names Kesed from the same family as a possible ancestor of the Kasdim. http://bible.ort.org/books/pentd2.asp?ACTION=displaypage&BOOK=1&CHAPTER=22 Similarly, the Hellenistic-era Septuagint spefically mentions in Gen. 22 "Kamuel, the father of the Syrians" and his brother "Chasad". Similarly Jerome's Vulgate has "...Camuel patrem Syrorum, et Cased...". J.D. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 205.68.95.65 (talk) 00:31, 30 January 2008 (UTC)

To Do List

• Pethor in Aram Naharaim identified as Pitru on the bank of Upper Euphrates - confirms Upper Euphrates
  • Pethor is however on west bank at point where minor tributary Sajur joins it.
  • Orontes as second river?
    • Arguments and counterarguments regarding period of journey from Aram Naharaim to Canaan.
• Expand on nahrima - location of kingdom of Mitanni.
• Possibility that Naharaim is not really a dual merely having appearance of a dual - something about this in JPS commentary on Genesis
• Rashi on two Arams, Aram son of Kemuel etc.

Kuratowski's Ghost 13:13, 7 September 2006 (UTC)

Aram is not near the Tigris and Euphrates. Locate the references below on the map above. Its the territory of Asher, Dan, Nephtali and Zebul on the headwaters of the Jordan a bit beyond to include Kadesh on the Orontes.

Naharain or nahrin is the land of the Mittani. Their cities are Alalah on the Orontes east of Ugarit, and Hama Quatna and Kadesh moving upstream to the headwaters east of the Amurru.

Their presence is referenced both in Biblical and Egyptian campaign accounts and their lands and kings as given in "The Cambridge Atlas of Mesopotamia" (CAM) indicate their cities are Alalah on the Orontes east of Ugarit, and Hama, Quatna, and Kadesh moving upstream to the headwaters east of the Amurru. They are bounded to the west by the Amurru and Mukish, to the North by Kizzuwatna with Tarsus and Charchemish, To the east by Nuhase which touches on the Euphrates but bordrs the Mitanni with the cities of Ebla and Allepo. To the south they extend down the Jordan as far as Meggido See the map of their territory mentioned in the Amarna letters and in the Biblical Conquest CAM p135Rktect 19:51, 6 July 2007 (UTC)

http://www.stempublishing.com/dictionary/054_080.html

Aram. [A'ram]

This is the name of a large district lying north of Arabia, north-east of Palestine, east of Phoenicia, south of the Taurus range, and west of the Tigris. It is generally supposed that the name points to the district as the 'Highlands,' though it may be from Aram the son of Shem, as above. The word occurs once untranslated in Num. 23: 7, as 'Aram' simply, from whence Balaam was brought, 'out of the mountains of the east;' but it is mostly translated Syria or Syrian. Thus we have -

1. ARAM-DAMMESEK, 2 Sam. 8: 5, translated 'Syrians of Damascus,' embracing the highlands of Damascus including the city. (Mount Hermon)

2. ARAM-MAACHAH, 1 Chr. 19: 6, translated 'Syria-maachah,' a district on the east of Argob and Bashan.

Maacah (Codex Alexandrinus: Maacha, KJV: Maachah) is a biblical name with many references:

Small Aramean kingdom east of the Sea of Galilee (I Chronicles 19:6). Its territory was in the region assigned to the half-tribe of Manasseh east of the Jordan. Maacah, its king, became a mercenary of the Ammonites in their war against David (II Samuel 10:6). It is probable that the city Abel of Beth-maachah in Naphtali (ib. xx. 15) derived its name from its relation to this kingdom and people.

Bashan (Hebrew הבשן ha-Bashan, meaning "the light soil") is a biblical place first mentioned in Genesis 14:5, where it is said that Chedorlaomer and his confederates "smote the Rephaim in Ashteroth," where Og the king of Bashan had his residence. At the time of Israel's entrance into the Promised Land, Og came out against them, but was utterly routed (Numbers 21:33-35; Deuteronomy 3:1-7). This country extended from Gilead in the south to Hermon in the north, and from the Jordan river on the west to Salcah on the east. Along with the half of Gilead it was given to the half-tribe of Manasseh (Joshua 13:29-31). Golan, one of its cities, became a city of refuge (Joshua 21:27).

Bashan just northeast of Chinnereth, the Golan heights.

Argob, in Bashan, was one of Solomon's commissariat districts (1 Kings 4:13). The cities of Bashan were taken by Hazael (2 Kings 10:33), but were soon after reconquered by Jehoash (2 Kings 13:25), who overcame the Syrians in three battles, according to the prediction of Elisha (19). From this time Bashan almost disappears from history, although we read of the wild cattle of its rich pastures (Ezekiel 39:18; Psalms 22:12), the oaks of its forests (Isaiah 2:13; Ezekiel 27:6; Zechariah 11:2), and the beauty of its extensive plains (Amos 4:1; Jeremiah 50:19). Soon after the conquest, the name "Gilead" was given to the whole country beyond Jordan. After the Exile, Bashan was divided into four districts

3. ARAM-BETH-REHOB, 2 Sam. 10: 6, translated 'Syrians of Beth-rehob: cf. Judges 18: 28, a district in the north, near Dan.

4. ARAM-ZOBAH, 2 Sam. 10: 6, 8, translated 'Syrians of Zoba,' a district between and Damascus, but not definitely recognised.

5. ARAM-NAHARAIM signifying 'Aram of two rivers,' Gen. 24: 10; Deut. 23: 4; Judges 3: 8; 1 Chr. 19: 6, translated 'Mesopotamia.' The two rivers are the Euphrates and the Tigris. The district would be the highlands from whence the rivers issue to the plain, and the district between the two rivers without extending to the far south.

4 out of 5 ARAM usages are south west of Damascus Genesis 24:10 refers to Nahor Deut. 23:4 refers to Pethor in Aram of the two rivers Judges 3:8 Cushhan-rishatham king of Edom 1 Chr. 19: 6 refers to Maccah and Zobah

Aram a region mentioned in the Bible containing Damascus. Aram-Naharaim (Aram of two Rivers) a region mentioned in the Bible containing the town of Haran Rktect 00:14, 8 July 2007 (UTC)

There are two characters called Aram in the Torah (Pentateuch), neatly distinguished

One on Genesis 10, as a descendant of Shem: "22 The sons of Shem: Elam, and Asshur, and Arpachshad, and Lud, and Aram 23 And the sons of Aram: Uz, and Hul, and Gether, and Mash."

And another from Genesis 22, as a member of Abraham's more immediate family, along with Kesed (the patrial root for the Kasdim): 20 And it came to pass after these things, that it was told Abraham, saying: 'Behold, Milcah, she also hath borne children unto thy brother Nahor: 21 Uz his first-born, and Buz his brother, and Kemuel the father of ARAM; 22 and KESED, and Hazo, and Pildash, and Jidlaph, and Bethuel."

And then in Genesis 24, Nahor's wearabouts are explicitly tied to Abraham's birthplace, when Abraham asked his servant in Canaan to bring a wife for Isaac from there (Aram-Naharaim), but not to leave Isaac in that land: 5 And the servant said unto him: 'Peradventure the woman will not be willing to follow me unto this land; must I needs bring thy son back unto the land from whence thou camest?' 6 And Abraham said unto him: 'Beware thou that thou bring not my son back thither. 7 The LORD, the God of heaven, WHO TOOK ME FROM MY FATHER'S HOUSE, AND FROM THE LAND OF MY NATIVITY, and who spoke unto me, and who swore unto me, saying: Unto thy seed will I give this land; He will send His angel before thee, and thou shalt take a wife for my son from thence. 8 And if the woman be not willing to follow thee, then thou shalt be clear from this my oath; only thou shalt not bring my son back thither.' 9 And the servant put his hand under the thigh of Abraham his master, and swore to him concerning this matter. 10 And the servant took ten camels, of the camels of his master, and departed; having all goodly things of his master's in his hand; and he arose, AND WENT TO ARAM-NAHARAIM, UNTO THE CITY OF NAHOR.

These, and other passages in Genesis, explicitly link the origins and birthplace of Abraham and his immediate family with the area of Aram Naharaim. J.D. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 205.68.95.65 (talk) 17:08, 29 January 2008 (UTC)

The Torah is not the only possible POV for Bible studies. Because of current events in regions where conflicts go back to periods mentioned in the Bible it is useful to have access to secular information such as archaeology, toponyms, ethnolinquistic maps covering these regions.Rktect (talk) 19:45, 12 August 2008 (UTC)

Location Location Location

An article about a geographic place should have reference to geography first even if that conflicts with a religious POV. Map references are germane. References to Nahor are germane if they tell you where Nahor is. If they are self referential, Nahor may be located because it is in Aram Naharaim, Aram Naharaim may be located by references to Nahor, that is less helpful. Rktect (talk) 13:10, 2 September 2008 (UTC)

References to Aram

is is the name of a small district lying north of Arabia, north-east of Palestine, east of Phoenicia, south of the Taurus range, and west of the Tigris. It is generally supposed that the name points to the district as the 'Highlands,' though it may be from Aram the son of Shem, as above. The word occurs once untranslated in , as 'Aram' simply, from whence Balaam was brought, 'out of the mountains of the east;' but it is mostly translated Syria or Syrian. Thus we have -

ARAM-DAMMESEK, translated 'Syrians of Damascus,' embracing the highlands of Damascus including the city. (Mount Hermon)

AM-MAACHAH translated 'Syria-maachah,' a district on the east of Argob and Bashan.

(Codex Alexandrinus: Maacha, KJV: Maachah) is a biblical name with many references:

Small Aramean kingdom east of the Sea of Galilee Its territory was in the region assigned to the half-tribe of Manasseh east of the Jordan. Maacah, its king, became a mercenary of the Ammonites in their war against David It is probable that the city Abel of Beth-maachah in Naphtali 15) derived its name from its relation to this kingdom and people.

Bashan (Hebrew הבשן ha-Bashan, meaning "the light soil") is a biblical place , where it is said that Chedorlaomer and his confederates "smote the Rephaim in Ashteroth," where Og the king of Bashan had his residence. At the time of Israel's entrance into the Promised Land, Og came out against them, but was utterly routed

This country extended from Gilead in the south to Hermon in the north, and from the Jordan river on the west to Salcah on the east. Along with the half of Gilead it was given to the half-tribe of Manasseh Golan, one of its cities, became a city of refuge

Bashan just northeast of Chinnereth, the Golan heights.

Argob, in Bashan, was one of Solomon's commissariat districts . The cities of Bashan were taken by Hazael but were soon after reconquered by Jehoash who overcame the Syrians in three battles, according to the prediction of From this time Bashan almost disappears from history, although we read of the wild cattle of its rich pastures the oaks of its forests and the beauty of its extensive plains Soon after the conquest, the name "Gilead" was given to the whole country beyond Jordan. After the Exile, Bashan was divided into four districts

3. ARAM-BETH-REHOB, translated 'Syrians of Beth-rehob: cf. a district in the north, near Dan.

4. ARAM-ZOBAH, translated 'Syrians of Zoba,' a district between and Damascus, but not definitely recognised.

5. ARAM-NAHARAIM signifying 'Aram of two rivers,' mistranslated by some Greeks as 'Mesopotamia.' The two rivers were speculated by some misinformed greek translators to be the Euphrates and the Tigris but going to the geographic defitions the territory would be the highlands from whence the Orantes and Jordan rivers issue to the plain, and the region between the two rivers without extending to the far south.

4 out of 5 ARAM usages are generally south west of Damascus in and around Bashan.

Genesis 24:10 refers to Nahor

Deut. 23:4 refers to Pethor in Aram of the two rivers (between the Orontes and Euphrates

Judges 3:8 Cushhan-rishatham king of Edom

1 Chr. 19: 6 refers to Maccah and Zobah

Aram a region mentioned in the Bible containing Damascus.

Aram-Naharaim (Aram of two Rivers) a region mentioned in the Bible as containing the town of Haranis a speculation that since a place is named after rivers the rivers would naturally be the Tigris and Euphrates. Aram Naharaim is mentioned in the Amarna letters and the Egyptan campaign literature as near the great bend of the Litani river bordering Lebanon.

References to towns in ARAM

And Segub begat Jair, who had three and twenty cities in the land of Gilead.

And he took Geshur, and Aram, with the towns of Jair, from them, with Kenath, and the towns thereof, even threescore cities. All these belonged to the sons of Machir the father of Gilead.

And Jair the son of Manasseh went and took the small towns thereof, and called them Havoth-jair.

Jair the son of Manasseh took all the country of Argob unto the coasts of Geshuri and Maachathi; and called cthem after his own name, Bashan-havoth-jair, unto this day.

And their coast was from Mahanaim, all Bashan, all the kingdom of Og king of Bashan, and all the towns of Jair, which are in Bashan, threescore cities:

The son of Geber, in Ramoth-gilead; to him pertained the towns of Jair the son of Manasseh, which are in Gilead; to him also pertained the region of Argob, which is in Bashan, threescore great cities with walls and brasen bars:

And the children of Gad abuilt Dibon, and Ataroth, and Aroer,

And Atroth, Shophan, and Jaazer, and Jogbehah,

And Beth-nimrah, and Beth-haran, afenced cities: and folds for sheep.

And the children of Reuben built Heshbon, and Elealeh, and Kirjathaim,

And Nebo, and Baal-meon, and Shibmah: and gave other names unto the cities which they builded.

And the children of Machir the son of Manasseh went to Gilead, and took it, and dispossessed the Amorite which was in it.

And Moses gave Gilead unto Machir the son of Manasseh; and he dwelt therein.

And Jair the son of Manasseh went and took the small towns thereof, and called them Havoth-jair.

And Nobah went and took Kenath, and the villages thereof, and called it Nobah, after his own name.

References to Hamath bordering Damascus and Hazor

Hamath, Berothah, Sibraim, which is between the border of Damascus and the border of Hamath; Hazar-hatticon, which is by the coast of Hauran.

And the border from the sea shall be Hazar-enan, the border of Damascus, and the north northward, and the border of Hamath. And this is the north side.

The west side also shall be the great sea from the border, till a man come over against Hamath. This is the west side.

He restored the coast of Israel from the entering of Hamath unto the sea of the plain, according to the word of the LORD God of Israel, which he spake by the hand of his servant Jonah, the son of Amittai, the prophet, which was of Gath-hepher.

Now the rest of the acts of Jeroboam, and all that he did, and his might, how he warred, and how he recovered Damascus, and Hamath, which belonged to Judah, for Israel, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?

And the king of Assyria brought men from Babylon, and from Cuthah, and from Ava, and from Hamath, and from Sepharvaim, and placed them in the cities of Samaria instead of the children of Israel: and they possessed Samaria, and dwelt in the cities thereof.

And the men of Babylon made Succoth-benoth, and the men of Cuth made Nergal, and the men of Hamath made Ashima,

And David smote Hadarezer king of Zobah unto Hamath, as he went to stablish his dominion by the river Euphrates.

Now when Tou king of Hamath heard how David had smitten all the host of Hadarezer king of Zobah;

Then they took the king, and carried him up unto the king of Babylon to Riblah in the land of Hamath; where he gave judgment upon him.

And the king of Babylon smote them, and put them to death in Riblah in the land of Hamath. Thus Judah was carried away captive out of his own land.

Now these are the names of the tribes. From the north end to the coast of the way of Hethlon, as one goeth to Hamath, Hazar-enan, the border of Damascus northward, to the coast of Hamath; for these are his sides east and west; a portion for Dan.

So they went up, and searched the land from the wilderness of Zin unto Rehob, as men come to Hamath.

From mount Hor ye shall point out your border unto the entrance of Hamath; and the goings forth of the border shall be to Zedad:

And the land of the Giblites, and all Lebanon, toward the sunrising, from Baal-gad under mount Hermon unto the entering into Hamath.

Namely, afive lords of the Philistines, and all the Canaanites, and the Sidonians, and the Hivites that dwelt in mount Lebanon, from mount Baal-hermon unto the entering in of Hamath.

When Toi king of Hamath heard that David had smitten all the host of Hadadezer,

And at that time Solomon held a feast, and all Israel with him, a great congregation, from the entering in of Hamath unto the river of Egypt, before the LORD our God, seven days and seven days, even fourteen days.

Where are the gods of Hamath, and of Arpad? where are the gods of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivah? have they delivered Samaria out of mine hand?

Where is the king of Hamath, and the king of Arpad, and the king of the city of Sepharvaim, of Hena, and Ivah?

And Pharaoh-necho put him in bands at Riblah in the land of Hamath, that he might not reign in Jerusalem; and put the land to a tribute of an hundred talents of silver, and a talent of gold.

And the king of Babylon smote them, and slew them at Riblah in the land of Hamath. So Judah was carried away out of their land.

Also at the same time Solomon kept the feast seven days, and all Israel with him, a very great congregation, from the entering in of Hamath unto the river of Egypt.

And he built Tadmor in the wilderness, and all the store cities, which he built in Hamath.

Is not Calno as Carchemish? is not Hamath as Arpad? is not Samaria as Damascus?

And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the cremnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and fromCush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea.

Where are the gods of Hamath and Arphad? where are the gods of Sepharvaim? and have they delivered Samaria out of my hand?

Where is the king of Hamath, and the king of Arphad, and the king of the city of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivah?

But the Chaldeans’ army pursued after them, and overtook Zedekiah in the plains of Jericho: and when they had taken him, they brought him up to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon to Riblah in the land of Hamath, where he gave judgment upon him.

Concerning Damascus. Hamath is confounded, and Arpad: for they have heard evil tidings: they are fainthearted; there is sorrow on the sea; it cannot be quiet.

Pass ye unto Calneh, and see; and from thence go ye to Hamath the great: then go down to Gath of the Philistines: be they better than these kingdoms? or their border greater than your border?

And Hamath also shall border thereby; Tyrus, and Zidon, though it be very wise.

Is not Calno as Carchemish? Is not Hamath as Arpad? Is not Samaria as Damascus?

And it shall come to pass in that day that the Lord shall set his hand again the asecond time to recover the remnant of his people which shall be left, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea.

Myth

A Myth exists to the effect that Aram-Naharaim, land of the two rivers, is synonomous with Mesopotamia therefore the two rivers are the Tigris and Euphrates. Despite this we can observe that most references to Aram are to places located south of Damascus.

Aram-Naharaim is mentioned many times in the Bible. It is commonly identified with Nahrima mentioned in three tablets of the Amarna correspondence as a geographical description of the kingdom of Mitanni. It was the land in which the city of Haran lay. According to one rabbinical Jewish tradition, Ur Kasdim, said to be the birthplace of Abraham, was also situated in Aram-Naharaim.

Misidentification of the rivers

The actual rivers referred to in the plural are not explicitly named in the Bible, although it was assumed by Greek translators and repeated often that the first was the Upper Euphrates (called N-h-r-n by the Egyptians). The name Nahrima in the Amarna letters denoted the region between Dan and Damascus.

The confusion stems from the fact that both Josephus and the Septuagint mistakenly translate the name as Mesopotamia. Ancient writers elsewhere used the name "Mesopotamia" for the land between the Tigris and Euphrates. According to the Book of Jubilees, when the entire Earth was divided among the sixteen grandsons of Noah, Aram, the son of Shem received as an inheritance for his offspring, lands bordered by the Euphrates and the Tigris (Jubilees 9:5); it also associates the city of Ur Kesed not with the descendants of Aram, but rather with those of Arphaxad, his brother, who was Abram's ancestor.

However the usage of the name "Aram-Naharaim" does not match the general usage of "Mesopotamia", the former being used exclusively for a northern region. The translation of the name as "Mesopotamia" was not consistent - the Septuagint also uses a more precise translation "Rivers of Syria". Josephus refers to the subjects of Chushan, king of Aram Naharaim, as "Assyrians".

Location unknown

Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible PADDAN-ARAM Web. paMan-'4rim) (also PADDAN) An area around Haran in upper Mesopotamia Usually translated "Field of Aram" (cf. Hos ]2:12[MT 13)), Paddan-.aram is generally regarded as an alternate designation for Aram-naharaim. the territory encompassed by the great bend of the Euphrates River. A few scholars have argued that the term was an Aramaic rendering of the city name Haran. The exact location of Paddan-aram is not known. but also:

Aram-naharaim: Western part of Paddan-aram (cf. Gen. 24:10) and areas along the great bend of the Euphrates (cf. DeuL 23:4[MT 5|; )udg. 3:8). In Num. 23:7; |udg. 3:10: Hos. 12:12(13) the general term Aram designates this area.

The Book of Judges By Yaira Amit, Jonathan Chipman published by Brill

"The location of Aram Naharaim is not clear either according to the Bible (Gen 24:6 and Deut 23:5), nor according to the early sources; cf. Loewensiamm [1950], 581-582. In this case too it would seem that the tendency to glorify Judith and David took priority over historical accuracy."[3]And more here: [4] - sources explicitly discussing the location. dougweller (talk) 20:17, 9 February 2009 (UTC)

Assessment comment

The comment(s) below were originally left at Talk:Aram-Naharaim/Comments, and are posted here for posterity. Following several discussions in past years, these subpages are now deprecated. The comments may be irrelevant or outdated; if so, please feel free to remove this section.

The in-line links "Aram", which are intended to link to a map available at Gutenberg.org, no longer work - Gutenberg wants other sites to download the appropriate images to their own site for reference. This needs to be fixed by someone who knows what to do. Christian424 (talk) 03:06, 29 August 2008 (UTC)

Last edited at 03:06, 29 August 2008 (UTC). Substituted at 08:09, 29 April 2016 (UTC)

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Merge

The term Aram-Naharaim is the biblical term for Aram (region) These pages should be merged and the term Aram-Naharaim could be added in the intro and etymology of Aram (region)Reldex (talk) 02:20, 2 February 2021 (UTC)

• Terms like Aram-Naharaim, Aram-Damascus and Paddan Aram, have very specific territorial and historical meanings. Non of those articles should be incorporated in general article Aram (region), or any other general article that covers those regions in terms of history and geography. Sorabino (talk) 03:10, 2 February 2021 (UTC)

I agree, after my request I saw scholarly sources indeed talking about it having different historical meanings, my fault.Reldex (talk) 22:44, 2 February 2021 (UTC)

Sorabino, I have looked at the pages again and actually these names do refer to one and the same region. When the Aramean states were dominating over Mesopotamia, historians started to refer to the region as Aram-Naharaim. So I again recommend to move this page to Aram (region) and to mention Aram-Naharaim in its ethymology and intro to make it clear. Reldex (talk) 16:55, 28 July 2021 (UTC)