Tuesday, February 9, 2021

Chedorlaomer might be Gilgamesh?


The tentative case for Gilgamesh being the Kedorlaomer of Genesis 14.

Chedorlaomer/Kedorlaomer is one of the 4 kings who Abraham beats in Genesis 14 in the bible.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chedorlaomer
Gilgamesh/Izdubar is an ancient king of the 1st dynasty of Uruk in the Sumerian king list and the Epic of Gilgamesh.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gilgamesh

Firstly we will consider Gilgamesh.

Gilgamesh's name has these possible different readings/renderings:
Gishbilgames/Gishgimash/Gilgamesh/Bilgames/Thilgamos
/ Izzaxgamesh
/ Gisdhubar/Ghizdubar/Isdhubhar/Izdubar/Izzubarili
/ Namrudu/Anamarutu/Numarad/Namrasit.

If Gilgamesh is mentioned anywhere in the bible then the candidate matches for Gilgamesh in the bible are:
Lamech? Ham? Shem (via Shamash)? Gomer (r/sh interchange)? Elam? Girgashite? Nimrod? Kedorlaomer? Isaac? James/Jacob?

The best candidate is Kedorlaomer.

Secondly we consider Kedorlaomer.

Kedorlaomer was king of Elam.
Elam is suggested to mean either "age, eternity" or "to ascend, highlands" or "house of strife" or "house of seats".
Candidates for Elam in ancient near east history are:
Haltamti (Elam)? Elamtu (Elam)? Elymais? Hilmu? Iran (r/l & n/m interchange)? UruEgalmes/Ekallatum (on left of the Euphrates in Syria)? Dilmun/Dilman? Meslam? Eanna? Ebla? Ahlamu (Aramean)? Gilgames (minus the 2 Gs and -es)?

The name Kedorlaomer/Chedorlaomer is variously spelt/spelled Kedorlaomer/Chedorloamer/Chodorlaomer/Chodollogomor / Kedarela'omer/Kedarla'omer/keder'leiemer/Kedarelagomer.

We searched all the kinglists of the ancient near east area (including Syria, Iraq, Iran) and we found very few possible matches for the 4 kings of Genesis 14.
(Though a difficulty is that Sumerian names have a number of possible renderings eg Gilgamesh/Izdubar/Namrasit, Shamugin/Shulgi/Dungi, etc.)

These are the only main candidate matches for Gilgamesh that we found in the Near East king lists etc:

The Elamite who had dethroned Gilgamesh's father?
Gilgames/Izdubar (Uruk 1 dyn)?
Enkidu/Eabani (Uruk 1 dyn)?
Utulkalamma (Uruk 1 dyn, same number of years)?
Uruash-khad/Uruash-khud/Urnina/Urnanshe (Lagash 1 dyn)?
Lakhmadgal(gut) (Urnina plaque, Lagash 1 dyn)?
Urusag-khaddu/Urusag-khaddi (Kish, Sumer inscriptions)?
Lamgi-mari (Mari)?
Shudurul/Shuturul (Akkad dyn)?
Kudurlagamar(u)/Kudur-lagamar(i) / Kutir-lakamar/Kutir-lagamar/Kuder-lagamar / Kudur-lugkgamar/Kudur-nuchgamar / Kudur-ku-k(k)umal / Kudu_ulu_ / _ul_i- kudur of Awan/Susa?
('Kedorlaomer texts' of Pinches? Spartoli tablets?)
Kuder-Lagomer of Elam (tablet from Hammurabi)?
The unnamed king of Awan 2580?
Unknown king of Kuti 2550?
The unnamed king of Der 2350/2006/819 bc?
Unnamed king of Marnasi 2325/2080?
The unnamed prince/king of Zakhara 2315/2254?
The unnamed king of Anshan 2305/2041-2037/2017?
The unnamed king of Khukhnur 2100/2041/2017?
The unnamed king of Simashki 2100?
Unnamed king of Zabum 2064?
Unknown king of Zabshali 2024?
The unnamed king of Bashimi 1930?
Gayomart (Persian)?
Herakles/Hercules?
Laomedon (Trojan/Greek)?
(Horus) Normer/Narmer(za) (0/1st dyn of Egypt)?
Shudur-kip/Qa'a (1st dyn of Egypt, Waddell)?
Sheddad & Luqman (Arabian)?
Himyar (South Arabia)?

The best candidate match in name, place, date, etc is Gilgamesh.
We will now look at the possible details matches between Gilgames and Kedorlaomer.

Matches between Kedorlaomer of Abraham's time and Gilgamesh:

Names match?
Gilgamesh may be the original of Hercules. The names Kedorla(g)omer/Chedorlaomer and Gilgames/Izdubar (& Hercules) have in common:
Both start  with similar K/Ch- & G- (& H-).
Both end with -mer & -mes/bar (& -les).
Both have similar -l-(g)-m-r & -l-g-m-s.
Both have -do- & -du-.
Chedor- (& Izdu(bar)?) & Her- are similar?
Since Sumerian names have a number of possible renderings Kedorlaomer might be an intermediate blend/conflation of Izdubar & Gilgamesh?
Alternatively, possibly only the -la(g)omer matches Gilgamesh, and the Chedor "servant" (or priest? or lord?) is a prefixed title? Compare "lord Giszax"? Or the Chedor/Kudur/Kutir might be another name for him in one of the other cities king lists such as Uruash-khad of Lagash?
(The name of Gilgamesh's 2nd successor Utulkalamma is also similar to Kedorlaomer, though it is not likely to match.)

Meanings match? &/or servant/priest match?
Kedorlaomer is suggested to mean either "handful of sheaves" or kudur/kutir lagamar "servant of goddess Lagamar" or al ahmar/himyar "the red" or kudurru "boundary stone" or "firstborn son".
Gilgamesh is suggested to mean either "lord of oxen" or "the ancestor/elder is a young-man" or "difficulty". Bil/Bel- means "lord/master". Mash/Masu/Bar means "hero".
Gilgamesh is said to mean or Gilgamesh is said to have been (called) "the fire priest" or "the buffalo (fire) priest" or a high priest.

Elam match:
Kedorlaomer was king of Elam.
Gilgamesh has a number of connections with Elam:
His father was dethroned/overthrown by a king of Elam who then ruled Uruk.
"Then Izdubar slew the Elamite who had dethroned his father, and put the royal diadem on his own head."
Gilgamesh himself has been suggested to be an Elamite or Kassite (or foreign usurper/tyrannt).
Gilgames fought Humbaba who was "either Syrian or Anatolian or Elamite".
Gilgamesh had a "bow of Anshan".
Gilgamesh went to Dilmun/Dilman which minus the D- is similar to Elam?
Enmebaragesi who made the land of Elam submit was a contemporary of Gilgamesh's father/predecessor Dumuzi, and a source says he fought Gilgamesh, and his son/successor Ag(g)a/Aka/Sha-gin/Sha-kin/Sha-gur was a contemporary of Gilgamesh.
The name Gilgamesh minus the 2 Gs and minus the -esh is similar to Elam.
[The name Egalmes/Ekallatum is similar to both Elam & Gilgames?]

Hobah match:
Gilgamesh fought Humbaba/Huwawa who was "either Syrian or Anatolian or Elamite". He was also lord of Kubabba/Kulaba/Zirabba.
Abraham beat Kedorlaomer at Hobah north of Damascus (Syria).

End of longevity match:
Gilgamesh comes at the end of extreme longevity in the Sumerian king list.
Abraham comes at the end of longevity in Genesis 11.

Arioch match:
There is one theory that the 4 kings of Genesis 14 may be 4 names of 1 king. In this scenario Arioch has been suggested to derive from Uru_ki "(in charge of) this place here". Arioch/Uru_ki might match Uruk/Erech which city Gilgamesh was king of?

Famine match:
The 7 yrs famine in the Bull of Heaven section of the Gilgamesh/Izdubar & Ishtar chapter of the Epic of Gilgamesh might match the famine of either Abraham or Isaac or Joseph?

Similar overlordship?
The 4 kings & 5 kings were under Kedorlaomer's overlordship for 14 years.
Gilgamesh was "a brutal & oppressive ruler".

Sodomy match?
Chedorlaomer came against the king of Sodom.
Gilgamesh "sexually oppresses all his subjects"?

Early in history match:
Abraham the contemporary of Kedorlaomer is early in overall biblical history. He is in the 1st book of the bible. He is the 10th generation after the Flood. He is only 290/350/420 yrs after the Flood in the Massoretic text. He is at the end of longevity.
Gilgamesh is the 5th king of the 2nd city after the Flood in the Sumerian king list. He was supposedly a contemporary of the 22nd & 23rd king of the 1st dynasty after the Flood. He visited Ziusudra/Utnapishtim the Sumerian/Akkadian equivalent of Noah. "Gligmos/Gmigmos/Gamigos was the last of a line of 12 kings who were contemporaries of the patriarchs."

Abraham match?
Kedorlaomer: He was a king of Elam who was beaten in a battle by Abraham.
Gilgamesh: Enme-baragesi/baraginma who made the land of Elam submit was a contemporary of Gilgamesh's father/predecessor Dumuzi, and one source says Enme-baragesi fought Gilgamesh, and Gilgamesh was a contemporary of Enme-baragesi's son/successor Ag(g)a/Aka/Sha-gin/Sha-kin/Sha-gur.
Enme-baragima & Abraham are both similar (similar abr-a-(h)-m & bar-a-(g)-m names, both beat Elam, both fought similar king Kedorlaomer/Gilgames).
And/or, Gilgamesh also fought Humbaba. Humbaba & Abraham are maybe similar?

Abraham & Chedorlaomer contemporaries match?
Abraham: Abraham was a contemporary of Kedorlaomer the king of Elam.
Gilgamesh: Enme-baragesi/baraginma who made the land of Elam submit was a contemporary of Gilgamesh's father/predecessor, and a source also says he fought Gilgamesh, and his son/successor Ag(g)a/Aka/Sha-gin/Sha-kin/Sha-gur was a contemporary of Gilgamesh. (Enme-baraginma is similar to Abraham.)
Theodore bar Konai in 600 ad mentions a king Gligmos/Gmigmos/Gamigos who was the last of a line of 12 kings who were contemporaries of the patriarchs from Peleg to Abraham (making Gilgamesh contemporary with Abraham).

Same names mentioned in both sources:
The Epic of Gilgamesh 'the fall of Erech' mentions Elam, Goim, Larsa, Shem, Rim-sin (Eriaku), Humbaba (ref 'Babylonian and Assyrian Literature').
Genesis 14 mentions Elam, Goiim, Ellasar, Melchizedek (Shem), Arioch, Hobah.

We still have to find the other 3 kings Amraphel of Shinar, Arioch of Ellasar and Tidal of Goiim/Nations to confirm this match of Chedorlaomer with Gilgamesh.

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