Abdi-Heba Explained

Abdi-Ḫeba (Abdi-Kheba, Abdi-Ḫepat, or Abdi-Ḫebat) was a local chieftain of Jerusalem during the Amarna period (mid-1330s BC). Egyptian documents have him deny he was a mayor (ḫazānu) and assert he is a soldier (we'w), the implication being he was the son of a local chief sent to Egypt to receive military training there.^[1]

Also unknown is whether he was part of a dynasty that governed Jerusalem or whether he was put on the throne by the Egyptians. Abdi-Ḫeba himself notes that he holds his position not through his parental lineage but by the grace of Pharaoh, but this might be flattery rather than an accurate representation of the situation. At this time the area he administered from his garrison may have had a population of fifteen hundred people and Jerusalem would have been a 'small highlands stronghold' in the fourteenth century BC with no fortifications or large buildings.^[2]

Origin

Abdi-Ḫeba's name can be translated as "servant of Ḫebat", a Hurrian goddess. Whether Abdi-Ḫeba was himself of Hurrian descent is unknown. There is a mix of Canaanite and Hurrian influences (cf. Mitanni Empire) in this region.

Correspondence with Egypt

During Abdi-Ḫeba's reign the region was under attack from marauding bands of Habiru.^[3] Abdi-Ḫeba made frequent pleas to the Pharaoh of Egypt (probably Amenhotep III), for an army^[4] or, at least, an officer to command.^[5] Abdi-Ḫeba also made other requests for military aid in fighting off his enemies, both Canaanite warlords and bands of Apiru:

As a result, conspiracy charges are made against Abdi-Ḫeba, who defended himself strenuously in his correspondence with Pharaoh.^[6]

Abdi-Ḫeba's ultimate fate is unknown.

Letters (6) from Abdi-Ḫeba's to the King of Egypt

Abdi-Ḫeba was the author of letters EA 285–290.^[7]

1. EA 285—title: "The soldier-ruler of Jerusalem"

1. EA 286—title: "A throne granted, not inherited"

1. EA 287—title: "A very serious crime"

1. EA 288—title: "Benign neglect"

1. EA 289—title: "A reckoning demanded"

1. EA 290—title: "Three against one"

Letters mentioning Abdi-Heba

Gath

EA 366 by Shuwardata to the King of Egypt. He states he defeated the Habiru. All his brothers (equals) had abandoned him, so that only he and Abdi-Heba were hostile to the Habiru. Surata of Akko and Intaruta of Aksapa, came to assist Suwardata with 50 chariots. He ask for the commissioner Yanḥamu.

EA 280 by Shuwardata to the King of Egypt. Šuwardata states that he with the king's permission had retaken Keilah. But Abdi-Heba had sent a message to the Men of Qiltu to follow him. Thus, the city had been captured again. Lab'aya is reported as dead, but Abdi-Heba is considered as a new Lab'aya by Suwardata for capturing his cities. EA 280 should be later than EA 366, when both of them were fighting the Habiru.

References

1. Donald B. Redford, Egypt, Canaan, and Israel in Ancient Times, Princeton University Press, 1992 p. 270.
2. Finkelstein, Israel & Silberman, Neil Asher The Bible Unearthed: Archaeology's New Vision of Ancient Israel and the Origin of Its Sacred Texts, 2001, The Free Press, New York City, p. 239
3. EA 179.
4. EA 179–83.
5. EA 182
6. EA 179.
7. Moran, op. cit., pp.325–334

Resources

Sources

Translations adapted from

• Moran, William (ed. and trans.) The Amarna Letters. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins Univ. Press, 1992.

Other works

• Baikie, James. The Amarna Age: A Study of the Crisis of the Ancient World. University Press of the Pacific, 2004.
• Cohen, Raymond and Raymond Westbrook (eds.). Amarna Diplomacy: The Beginnings of International Relations. Johns Hopkins University Press, 2002.