Post by CowboysDad on Oct 9, 2018 9:10:44 GMT -6
I have been having trouble tracing the route of Saul's donkey hunt in 1 Samuel 10, particularly because of the reference to Rachel's tomb at Zelzah. I wrote to ABR, Associates for Biblical Research, and received this wonderful reply, which I wanted to share with members:
Your question highlights the long-debated question regarding the actual location of Rachel's tomb. The traditional site marking her tomb is a medieval structure located near the city Bethlehem south of Jerusalem. Some scholars have suggested that Rachel's Tomb is actually to be found north of Jerusalem.
Sifting through the clues in Scripture allows us to make a few observations:
1. Rachel's tomb is near Ephrath/Bethlehem. Gen 35:19-20 says, "So Rachel died, and she was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem), and Jacob set up a pillar over her tomb. It is the pillar of Rachel's tomb, which is there to this day."
2. Rachel's tomb is in the territory of Benjamin at Zelzah. In 1 Sam. 10:2, in the verse you mention describing Saul's search for his donkeys, we read, "When you depart from me today, you will meet two men by Rachel's tomb in the territory of Benjamin at Zelzah, and they will say to you, 'The donkeys that you went to seek are found, and now your father has ceased to care about the donkeys and is anxious about you, saying, "What shall I do about my son?"'"
Given that Bethlehem is located in Judah, south of Bethlehem, not in the territory of Benjamin, north of Jerusalem, there appears to be a contradiction.
Part of the difficulty in making a positive identification is that the location of Zelzah is unknown (although some have suggested it was at Beit Jala [note: Lambert Dolphin is one--CowboysDad], about 3 miles southwest of Jerusalem). We do know that Jerusalem was on the southern border of the territory of Benjamin (Josh 18:16) which would mean that Rachel's Tomb would be located north of Jerusalem, not south of it where the traditional tomb of Rachel is marked. In fact, the prophet Jeremiah seems to indicate that Rachel's Tomb was in the territory of Benjamin, near Ramah (north of Jerusalem) in Jer. 31:15, "Thus says the LORD: 'A voice is heard in Ramah, lamentation and bitter weeping. Rachel is weeping for her children; she refuses to be comforted for her children, because they are no more.'"
Another difficulty is that there were multiple towns called Ephrath/Bethlehem in the Old Testament. In addition to Bethlehem in Judah (1 Sam. 17:12), there was also a Bethlehem in Zebulun/New Testament Galilee (Joshua 19:15) and there may have been another one located in the territory of Benjamin (see Neh. 7:26 where a Bethlehem is listed among towns in the territory of Benjamin). If there was a town of Bethlehem in Benjamin, as opposed to the more famous Bethlehem in Judah, then this would indicate the actual location of Rachel's Tomb is north of Jerusalem in the territory of Benjamin and there is no contradiction between the texts.
Some might raise the objection that Micah 5:2 clearly places Bethlehem Ephrathah in the territory of Judah. This is true. However Todd Bolen at Bibleplaces.com has pointed out that, "the 'Ephrath' of Genesis could well be a reference to the Benjamite site of 'Parah' in Joshua 18:23 (though these words look significantly different in English, they are very similar in Hebrew). The prophet Jeremiah describes going to 'Parat' to hide a belt, and it is reasonable that this is the site in Benjamin not far from Jeremiah's hometown of Anathoth (Jer. 13:4-7)," Footnote 1. If this is the case, then there was a Bethlehem Ephrath north of Jerusalem in Benjamite territory to which Gen. 35:19-20 refers which was different than the Bethlehem Eprhathah of Micah 5:2. This northern location would make the details of Saul's journey in search for his father's donkeys make more sense geographically.
In the region of Benjamin between Jerusalem and Khirbet el-Maqatir is the Parat Valley which extends west to Ramah. On Route 60 just north of Hizme, near the Parat spring is a series of stone monuments known as Kubr Benei Israel, the "Tombs of the sons of Israel." Local tradition says that Rachel is buried there. Interestingly, acoustic experiments performed by Israeli soldiers have shown that sound can travel far in the Parat Valley and that a loud lamenting voice of bitter weeping at Rachel's Tomb could actually be heard in Ramah (Jer. 31:15).
Another possible solution to the mystery is proposed by the Archaeological Study Bible: "Where then was Rachel buried? One possible solution is that she was actually buried in Bethlehem of Judah, but that her tomb in Benjamin was a cenotaph, an empty tomb intended to serve as a memorial to a deceased ancestor. Cenotaphs were common in the ancient world, and the Benjamites had a particular reason to so honor Rachel: The matriarch of the tribe, she had died giving birth," Footnote 2. Thus Gen. 35:19-20 refers the Rachel's Tomb near Bethlehem in Judah and 1 Sam. 10:2 would refer to a centopah located in Benjamite territory.
We may never know the precise spot where Jacob buried his wife, but both of these solutions harmonize the verses in Scripture which describe the general location of Rachel's Tomb.
ENDNOTES:
1 blog.bibleplaces.com/2010/11/rachels-tomb-bible-vs-tradition.html
2 NIV archaeological study Bible: An illustrated walk through biblical history and culture: New International Version. (2005). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan. p. 411
Your question highlights the long-debated question regarding the actual location of Rachel's tomb. The traditional site marking her tomb is a medieval structure located near the city Bethlehem south of Jerusalem. Some scholars have suggested that Rachel's Tomb is actually to be found north of Jerusalem.
Sifting through the clues in Scripture allows us to make a few observations:
1. Rachel's tomb is near Ephrath/Bethlehem. Gen 35:19-20 says, "So Rachel died, and she was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem), and Jacob set up a pillar over her tomb. It is the pillar of Rachel's tomb, which is there to this day."
2. Rachel's tomb is in the territory of Benjamin at Zelzah. In 1 Sam. 10:2, in the verse you mention describing Saul's search for his donkeys, we read, "When you depart from me today, you will meet two men by Rachel's tomb in the territory of Benjamin at Zelzah, and they will say to you, 'The donkeys that you went to seek are found, and now your father has ceased to care about the donkeys and is anxious about you, saying, "What shall I do about my son?"'"
Given that Bethlehem is located in Judah, south of Bethlehem, not in the territory of Benjamin, north of Jerusalem, there appears to be a contradiction.
Part of the difficulty in making a positive identification is that the location of Zelzah is unknown (although some have suggested it was at Beit Jala [note: Lambert Dolphin is one--CowboysDad], about 3 miles southwest of Jerusalem). We do know that Jerusalem was on the southern border of the territory of Benjamin (Josh 18:16) which would mean that Rachel's Tomb would be located north of Jerusalem, not south of it where the traditional tomb of Rachel is marked. In fact, the prophet Jeremiah seems to indicate that Rachel's Tomb was in the territory of Benjamin, near Ramah (north of Jerusalem) in Jer. 31:15, "Thus says the LORD: 'A voice is heard in Ramah, lamentation and bitter weeping. Rachel is weeping for her children; she refuses to be comforted for her children, because they are no more.'"
Another difficulty is that there were multiple towns called Ephrath/Bethlehem in the Old Testament. In addition to Bethlehem in Judah (1 Sam. 17:12), there was also a Bethlehem in Zebulun/New Testament Galilee (Joshua 19:15) and there may have been another one located in the territory of Benjamin (see Neh. 7:26 where a Bethlehem is listed among towns in the territory of Benjamin). If there was a town of Bethlehem in Benjamin, as opposed to the more famous Bethlehem in Judah, then this would indicate the actual location of Rachel's Tomb is north of Jerusalem in the territory of Benjamin and there is no contradiction between the texts.
Some might raise the objection that Micah 5:2 clearly places Bethlehem Ephrathah in the territory of Judah. This is true. However Todd Bolen at Bibleplaces.com has pointed out that, "the 'Ephrath' of Genesis could well be a reference to the Benjamite site of 'Parah' in Joshua 18:23 (though these words look significantly different in English, they are very similar in Hebrew). The prophet Jeremiah describes going to 'Parat' to hide a belt, and it is reasonable that this is the site in Benjamin not far from Jeremiah's hometown of Anathoth (Jer. 13:4-7)," Footnote 1. If this is the case, then there was a Bethlehem Ephrath north of Jerusalem in Benjamite territory to which Gen. 35:19-20 refers which was different than the Bethlehem Eprhathah of Micah 5:2. This northern location would make the details of Saul's journey in search for his father's donkeys make more sense geographically.
In the region of Benjamin between Jerusalem and Khirbet el-Maqatir is the Parat Valley which extends west to Ramah. On Route 60 just north of Hizme, near the Parat spring is a series of stone monuments known as Kubr Benei Israel, the "Tombs of the sons of Israel." Local tradition says that Rachel is buried there. Interestingly, acoustic experiments performed by Israeli soldiers have shown that sound can travel far in the Parat Valley and that a loud lamenting voice of bitter weeping at Rachel's Tomb could actually be heard in Ramah (Jer. 31:15).
Another possible solution to the mystery is proposed by the Archaeological Study Bible: "Where then was Rachel buried? One possible solution is that she was actually buried in Bethlehem of Judah, but that her tomb in Benjamin was a cenotaph, an empty tomb intended to serve as a memorial to a deceased ancestor. Cenotaphs were common in the ancient world, and the Benjamites had a particular reason to so honor Rachel: The matriarch of the tribe, she had died giving birth," Footnote 2. Thus Gen. 35:19-20 refers the Rachel's Tomb near Bethlehem in Judah and 1 Sam. 10:2 would refer to a centopah located in Benjamite territory.
We may never know the precise spot where Jacob buried his wife, but both of these solutions harmonize the verses in Scripture which describe the general location of Rachel's Tomb.
ENDNOTES:
1 blog.bibleplaces.com/2010/11/rachels-tomb-bible-vs-tradition.html
2 NIV archaeological study Bible: An illustrated walk through biblical history and culture: New International Version. (2005). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan. p. 411
