The Last Battle of Hadadezer

Abstract

The recently discovered stele at Tel Dan consists of three fragments that join together to present thirteen partial lines of Old Aramaic text.1 Most interpreters classify it as a memorial inscription and ascribe it to Hazael, king of Aram-Damascus ca. 844-800 B.C.E. The text divides into two sections, (1) Lines l-4a review events during reign of a previous Aramean king, whom Hazael calls The reference presumably is to Hadadezer, who is attested repeatedly in Assyrian inscriptions of Shalmaneser III.2 (2) Lines 4b-13 report Hazael's rise to kingship and his subsequent campaign against Jehoram of Israel and Ahaziah of the House of David, that is, Judah. Biblical scholars have concentrated on second section, since it appears to contradict 2 Kgs 9:15-27. The text in 2 Kings 9 claims that Israelite general Jehu, commissioned by prophet Elisha, executed Jehoram and Ahaziah in vicinity of Jezreel and Iblearn. In contrast, Tel Dan stele asserts in lines 7-9 that Hazael killed two kings in battle. In a separate article, I have argued for historical reliability of inscription's report over against pro-Jehu account in 2 Kings 9.3 The present essay concerns first section of stele. It is of equal historical interest, since it also appears to bear on question of Aramean-Israelite relations during mid-ninth century B.C.E,, as well as issue of Hazael's background and manner of his ascendance to throne in Damascus.4 I will focus specifically on meaning and historical value of statements about military conflicts in lines 2 and 3b-4a. Avraham Biran and Joseph Naveh published editio princeps of inscription, and following translation rests largely on their transcription of Aramaic text.5 Since very little of line 1 is preserved, any restoration of text here is highly conjectural.6 I begin, accordingly, with line 2. 2. ... aga[inst] my father, he went up7 [against him when] he fought at Ab[el].8 3. my father lay down, he went to his [ancestors]. Now king of I[s]rael had entered 4. previously into land of my father. [And] Hadad made me king.9 If last word of line 2 is restored correctly, text here reports a battle at Abel between Hadadezer and a certain enemy whose name is lost. Several scholars assume that enemy was a king of Israel, and they identify Abel as Abel-Beth-Maacah (Abil al-Qamh), just west of biblical Dan (Tell al-Qadi) in border area between Aram-Damascus and Israel.10 Presumably Jehoram, Ahab, or Omri encroached on southern fringe of Hadadezer's kingdom. After a notice on death of Hadadezer (line 3a), inscription refers to an Israelite invasion of Aramean territory (lines 3b-4a). The Aramaic reads: wy'l.mlky[s].qdm.b'rq.'by. The meaning of qdm in line 4a is crucial. Following Biran and Naveh, most scholars render term as a temporal adverb, formerly, previously. Lines 3b-4a thus appear to describe an attack by a king of Israel during Hadadezer's time, presumably same attack as one noted in line 2.11 Nadav Na'aman recently has challenged this interpretation, arguing that, as a temporal adverb, qdm does not fit immediate context.12 He asks: Why should Hazael report [in lines 3b-4a] what he already said about Israelite aggression (line 2)? To eliminate repetition, Na'aman construes qdm as a verb specifying preceding verb wy'l.13 He thus translates sentence: And king of Israel invaded, advancing in my father's land. The report supposedly explains that Israel's aggression began during Hadadezer's reign (line 2) and subsequently resumed between king's death and Hazael's enthronement (lines 3b-4a). Although this proposal is not impossible, there is good reason to doubt it. Among Northwest Semitic inscriptions, qdm as a verb does not occur in Old Aramaic. It is attested in Official Aramaic, but its meanings there are precede (in time), rise, stand up, present oneself, be brought. …