Amraphel
In the Hebrew Bible, Amraphel Template:IPAc-en (Template:Langx; Template:Langx; Template:Langx) was a king of Shinar (Hebrew for Sumer) in Book of Genesis Chapter 14,<ref>Template:Bibleverse and Template:Bibleverse</ref> who invaded Canaan along with other kings under the leadership of Chedorlaomer, king of Elam. Chedorlaomer's coalition defeated Sodom and the other cities in the Battle of the Vale of Siddim.
Modern identificationsEdit
Beginning with E. Schrader in 1888,<ref>Cuneiform Inscriptions and the Old Testament, vol II (1888), pp 299ff</ref> Amraphel was usually associated with Ḫammurabi, who ruled Babylonia from 1792 BC until his death in 1750 BC. This view has been largely abandoned in recent decades.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref name="Granerød2010">Template:Cite book</ref>
David Rohl has argued for an identification with Amar-Sin, the third ruler of the Ur III dynasty.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Some suggest that Amraphel is a Semitic name that is composed of two elements, "Amar", which was also used by Sumerian King, Amar-Sin, and "a-p-l".<ref>Walton, John H., and Craig S. Keener. NRSV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible: Bringing to Life the Ancient World of Scripture. Zondervan, 2019. p. 39.</ref> John Van Seters, in Abraham in History and Tradition, rejected the historical existence of Amraphel.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> According to Stephanie Dalley, Amraphel was "[e]ither Hammurabi with an unexplained suffix -el, or Amud-piʾel, king of Qatna, with the common misreading of the letter r for d; possibly a confusion of the two names."<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
In Rabbinic traditionEdit
Rabbinic sources such as Midrash Tanhuma Lekh Lekhah 6, Targum Yonatan to Exodus 14:1, and Eruvin 53a<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>Template:Rp identify Amraphel with Nimrod. This is also asserted in the 11th chapter of the Sefer haYashar, attested from the early 17th century:
Genesis Rabbah 42 says Amraphel was called by three names: Cush, after his father's name (Gen. 10:8), Nimrod, because he established rebellion (mrd) in the world, and Amraphel, as he declared (amar) "I will cast down" (apilah).