Introduction
In modern culture, certain terms, customs, and cultural norms are fashionable for a while and then fade into disuse. This is often handy for identifying the time period in which an article was written or when a film was made. Interestingly, the same is true of the book of Genesis, and the discovery of the Mari and Nuzi tablets has proven very enlightening.
The Mari Tablets
A huge archive of about 25,000 Akkadian cuneiform tablets from the Middle Bronze Age was discovered in Mari, a prominent city in the Amorite region from about 2000 – 1600 BC – the time of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph. Most of the tablets date from the 18th century BC, and many specifically from the reign of the Amorite king Zimrilim around 1760 BC. The tablets include references to various customs and names unique to the period. Let’s look at a few.
Customs
Some of the tablets found at Mari describe a covenant practice that was recorded in Genesis during the life of Abraham employing animal slaughter when finalizing a land covenant, to show the solemnity of the contract.
Names
The 18th Century Mari tablets also contain many personal names that match or are similar to names in Genesis during the time of the patriarchs. The names include Abram, Laban, Jacob, and Mare-Yamina, which appears to be a form of Benjamin.
Cities
Two important cities from the patriarchal narratives are also mentioned in the Mari archive – Haran, one of the cities where Abraham lived, and Laish, which Abraham visited as he journeyed to settle in Canaan. (Laish was renamed Dan in the 12th Century BC during the conquest of the land of Canaan, which further helps situate the book of Genesis during the historical period it claims to describe.)
Take-aways (so far)
While the Mari Tablets do not speak to the events described in Genesis, they do provide strong demonstration that the customs, names, and cities recorded in Genesis were in use during the Middle Bronze Age in Mesopotamia.
The Nuzi Tablets
Nuzi was a prominent ancient city near the Tigris River in northern Mesopotamia, and the tablets found there date from about 1500 BC. Many social and cultural customs documented at Nuzi show a match between customs found in the patriarchal narratives of Genesis that were particular to the culture of Mesopotamia around this time. Five references are of particular interest.
Adoption of Indirect Heirs
A few known tablets from Nuzi show customs of adoption of indirect heirs for childless couples, similar to when Abram adopted Eliezer of Damascus as his heir because he and Sarah could not have children of their own.
Selling One’s Birthright
This practice is described in the Nuzi tablets. Just as Esau sold his birthright to Jacob for a bowl of soup, the Nuzi archive tells of a transaction between two family members, one of whom sold their inherited share of an orchard for the price of three sheep.
Having Children by Proxy
This custom is recorded in the Nuzi tablets, and is remarkably similar to both Sarah and Rachel when they used their respective maidservants as surrogates when they, themselves, were unable to produce children.
Deathbed Blessings
The Nuzi tablets likewise contain a custom of deathbed blessing, which is likewise found in Genesis when Isaac blesses Jacob from his deathbed, and Jacob blesses his grandsons Ephraim and Manasseh. Interestingly, this practice is not recorded in later periods.
Withholding a Dowry
The Nuzi tablets also contain the phrase, “consumed my money,” (or “our money”) a practice of a father withholding a dowry for various reasons. This practice is also found in Genesis, and was in fact the complaint of Leah and Rachel as they prepared to depart with their husband Jacob. (Some have suggested that this was the motivation for Rachel’s theft of her father’s teraphim: to obtain something of monetary value from her father.)
Summary
The discoveries at Mari and Nuzi shed light on the customs, names, and practices of the time of the Middle Bronze Age and the region of the greater Mesopotamian region, and confirm a close match with the accounts set forth in the book of Genesis. This strongly suggests that the narratives about the patriarchs in Genesis accurately reflect the historical period in which they are set.
