31 mayo 1347 año aC - Barack Kills Sisera

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Noah and the Deluge Chronological, Historical and Archaeological Evidence
Gérard GERTOUX

Barak killed Sisera the chief of army of Jabin II in his 20th year of reign after the 40 years of Ehud. Sisera is mentioned in the El-Amarna letters just before the war of Apiru in southern Syria which is dated year 6 of Shuppiluliuma I.
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Jg 4:2-3, 22- 24

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THE AKHENATEN'S REIGN: AN EGYPTOLOGICAL DELIRIUM by Gerard Gertoux

Suppiluliuma's 1-year war (April 1347 BCE) against the powerful kingdom of Mitanni ruled by Tusratta (1353-1339), an ally of Egypt, to the end of the reign of Amenhotep III, triggered a profound destabilization of the entire Middle East, especially in Canaan. Thus Abdi-A!irta (1370-1347) the king of Amurru, a former ally of Egypt, took advantage of the disorder to conquer several small kingdoms in the north of Canaan which were vassals of Egypt. Similarly, Labayu, the powerful mayor of Shechem, conducted a series of raids against the other Canaanite mayors in his region. It is worth noting that Barak, an Israelite judge, took this opportunity to get rid of the authority exerted by Jabin II (1366-1346), the great king of Hazor, through Sisera (1370-1345) an army chief Phoenician ruler (Judges 4:1-25) of U!natu.


King of Hazor's death coincides with the appointment of Barak, a Hebrew judge who fought Jabin II, the king of Hazor, killed at that time (Judges 4:1-24). Although Jabin is presented as king of Canaan, in fact it was Sisera who controlled the north of Palestine. The title "king of Canaan" was honorary (using a former title "king" in a honorific way was a current Eastern practice), it was already used at the time of the conquest of Joshua as it is specified about Jabin I: Jabin king of Hazor heard about this (...) Joshua then turned back and captured Hazor, putting its king to the sword. Hazor in olden days was the capital of all these kingdoms (Joshua 11:1,10). Jabin II's death early in the conflict explains his "absence" among Amarna letters. This king ruled Palestine not because of numerical superiority but thanks to his weapons (Judges 4:3; 5:8). At that time a garrison of 400 men and pairs of horses was enough to control a whole territory (letter EA 76). Thus, after the disappearance of his "900 iron chariots," the kingdom of Hazor did not played any major role in the region.
The role of Sisera as prince of the army of Jabin II is paramount (Psalms 83:9), as it is then the only one to be quoted (1Samuel 12:9). The Hebrew word sar "prince/leader" is used instead of rosh "head/chief" (1Samuel 15:17). This character must be important because it is mentioned in a treaty of alliance between two kings of the region113: As from today, Niqmaddu, king of Ugarit, and Aziru, king of the Amurru, did between them (an agreement) by oath (...) If bunchs of Hapiru make raids in my country Aziru will fight against my enemy with chariots and soldiers. If there are troubles in my country Aziru will come to my rescue <with> his chariots and his troops. On the other hand, Sisaruwa (si-sa-ru-wa) is a subject of the king and the city of U"natu is his residence. If Sisaruwa behaves as an enemy to the king, Aziru will fight against Sisaruwa with his chariots and his troops. According to the biblical text, Sisera (Sisara in the LXX) is dead just before the end of the rulership of Jabin II over Israel, whereas this treaty must be concluded to this date, and therefore early in the reigns of Niqmaddu III and Aziru. Former area of the king of Hazor therefore came under the control of ‘Apiru (in fact Hapiru). According to the text of Judges 4:24-25, Jabin II, initially at peace with the Hebrews was defeated gradually. Despite the crucial role of the Hapiru in Palestine114, the Amarna letters never mention their ruler, which could be explained by the fact that Barak was only a judge or a counsellor.


If Palestine has played no role in the events at that time, the kingdom of Hazor was a notable exception, in full accordance with the biblical account. This venerable kingdom of Canaan was stuck between Mitanni to northeast, Amurru to northwest and Palestine to the south. Depending on synchronisms, we know133 that at the time of Artatama I (1390- 1373) the Mitannian power has increased tax burden on its vassals. In these circumstances, the fact that the king of Hazor had wanted to increase his resources by partnering with Sisera, another ruler (near to Amurru) in the same situation, in order to loot Palestine, a defenseless country (Judges 5:8), is quite likely. In addition, the fact that Judge Barak decided to attack the powerful kingdom of Hazor (archaeology confirms that Hazor was one of the most powerful city-state during the 14th century BCE)134 and its Army General (Sisera) at the very moment when the Hittite empire triggered its formidable attack against the Mitanni and its Syrian kingdoms, his choice proved to be providential. Indeed, the military disorganization throughout all the region of Canaan (under Egyptian control) allowed the Hebrews to prevail easily over their mighty oppressors. God, who has the sense of humor, even chose a woman (Judges 4:9,22) to realize this stunning victory.

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MOSES AND THE EXODUS: HISTORICAL AND ARCHAEOLOGICAL EVIDENCE by Gerard Gertoux

If Palestine played no role in the events at that time, the kingdom of Hazor was a notable exception. The venerable kingdom of Canaan was stuck between Mitanni to the northeast, Amurru to the northwest and Palestine to the south. The king of Hazor's death coincided with the appointment of Barak (in -1346), an Israelite judge from Kedesh (Tell Qades) who fought Jabin II who was killed at that time (Jg 4:1-24). Although Jabin is presented as king of Canaan, in practice, Sisera was controlling the north of Palestine (Israel). It is noteworthy that the south of Palestine (Judah) was at peace, consequently, this part of Canaan was a “no man’s land” for Egyptians’ chancery. The title “king of Canaan” was honorary548, it was already used at the time of the conquest of Joshua as is specified about Jabin I (1510-1490?): Jabin king of Hazor heard about this (...) Joshua then turned back and captured Hazor, putting its king to the sword. Hazor in olden days was the capital of all these kingdoms (Jos 11:1,10). Jabin II's death early in the conflict explains his absence among Amarna letters (except letter EA 227). This king was able to control the north of Palestine not because of a numerical superiority but thanks to the “900 war chariots of iron” (Jg 4:3; 5:8) belonging to Sisera, his general of army: They [the Israelites] chose new gods; then the cities of the rulers [mayors] fought; a shield could not be seen, nor lance, among 40,000 in Israel (Jg 5:8 LXX). Thus, after the disappearance of Sisera, as well as his army, the kingdom of Hazor no longer played a major role in Canaan. In addition, Barak’s choice to attack the powerful kingdom of Hazor and its commander-in-chief (Sisera) at the very moment when the Hittite empire triggered its attack against the Syrian kingdoms proved to be providential. Indeed, the military disorganization throughout the whole region of Canaan (under Egyptian control) allowed the Hebrews to prevail easily over their mighty oppressors.


In the Bible, the role of Sisera as prince of the army of Jabin II is paramount (Ps 83:9) as he is the only one to be cited (1Sa 12:9). The Hebrew word sar “prince/leader” is used instead of rosh “head/chief” (1Sa 15:17). This character must have been important because he was mentioned in a treaty of alliance (RS 19.68) between two kings of the region551: As from today, Niqmaddu, king of Ugarit, and Aziru, king of the Amurru, did between them (an agreement) by oath (...) If bunchs of Hapiru make raids in my country Aziru will fight against my enemy with chariots and soldiers. If there are troubles in my country Aziru will come to my rescue <with> his chariots and his troops. On the other hand, Sisaruwa (si-sa-ru-wa) is a subject of the king and the city of Uštanu is his residence (principality). If Sisaruwa behaves as an enemy to the king, Aziru will fight against Sisaruwa with his chariots and his troops. The Sisera (Sisara in the LXX) of this treaty between two important kings is the same as the one from the Bible for the following reasons: 1) Both have the same name (Si-sa-ru-wa in Babylonian552), which is extremely rare and unique in the whole Bible and also in the whole onomastic corpus553; 2) Both have exactly the same title: Prince and army general; 3) Both died in the same year: 1347 BCE (after Sisera's death his principality (Uštanu)554 was annexed to Siyannu555); 4) Both lived in the same place. Haroshet-ha-Goiim was the residence of Sisera (Jg 4:13), if this locality remains unknown up till now, this name means “Wooded place (1Sa 23:15) of nations”; “Wooded place in Lebanon (Ezk 31:3)”; “Forest of Lebanon (1Ki 7:2)”. The city of Uštanu was the residence of Sisera and was indeed situated south of Siyannu in Lebanon between Ugarit and Amurru.

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