Tidal (king)
| Tidal | |
|---|---|
| King of Goiim | |
| House | Goiim[1] |
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Tidal (Hebrew: תִּדְעָל, Modern: Tīdʿal, Tiberian: Tīḏʿāl), king of Goyim, possibly a Hittite king, was a monarch mentioned in Genesis 14:1. Genesis describes Tidal as one of the four kings who fought Abraham in the Battle of Siddim.
The word goyim in biblical Hebrew can be translated as "nations" or "peoples" or "ethnic groups" (in modern Hebrew it means "Gentiles"), although biblical scholars suggest that in this verse it may instead be a reference to the region of Gutium.[2] According to Genesis Apocryphon(col. 21), Goyim was located in the land between the two rivers (i.e., Mesopotamia). In modern academia, Tidal is considered to be a literary figure, not a historical figure, but in the case of Goyim, it might be related to the island kingdoms in Mediterranean Sea. In the case of Ellasar, it is related to the name of Elishah in Genesis 10:4, which is why it is presumed to have referred to Alashiya, an ancient kingdom on the island of Cyprus today. Just as the case of Ellasar, Goyim could be related to the Goyim appearing in Genesis 10:5.[3]
Theories about the name[edit]
- The name Tidal is considered equivalent to Tudhaliya,[4] the name both of a Proto-Hittite king and a Hittite king. The name continued as "Tudal" down to the Neo-Hittite period.
- The name Tidal could be originated from the foreigner or foreign story that jewish people learnt from the foregin diaspora community, which included Elamites and many other foreigners, as mentioned in Ezra 4.[5]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ "Genesis 14 NIV - Abram Rescues Lot - At the time when". Bible Gateway. Retrieved 2015-07-28.
- ^ Frank Moore Colby; Talcott Williams (1917). The New International Encyclopædia. Dodd, Mead and Company. p. 264.
- ^ Gard Granerød (26 March 2010). Abraham and Melchizedek: Scribal Activity of Second Temple Times in Genesis 14 and Psalm 110. Walter de Gruyter. pp. 118-121. ISBN 978-3-11-022346-0.
- ^ Adam Simon van der Woude; Adrianus van Selms (1968). Adhuc Loquitur. E. J. Brill. p. 36.
- ^ Gard Granerød (26 March 2010). Abraham and Melchizedek: Scribal Activity of Second Temple Times in Genesis 14 and Psalm 110. Walter de Gruyter. pp. 118-121. ISBN 978-3-11-022346-0.