jan 1, 1492 BC - Amarna Tablets Joshua, Judges

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The Amarna Letters: Proof of Israel’s Invasion of Canaan?
The ancient Habiru battled their way through Canaan during the 14th century b.c.e. Who were these people?
By Christopher Eames


Below is a list of content from the Amarna Letters, arranged alphabetically by city/region (with either the letter having come from the city in question, or the city/region being described in letters from rulers of other cities). A brief summary is given for each as described in the Amarna Letters (sometimes contained in more than one letter—EA citations provided) and then compared with the biblical account. (A map is provided for reference to the regions described.)



1. Acco

Amarna: Acco helps the Canaanite war effort against the Habiru but apparently later sides with them and is allowed favor (EA 88, 366).
Bible: The Israelites fail to drive out the inhabitants of Acco, allowing them to remain in the land (Judges 1:31).

2. Achshaph

Amarna: The king of Achshaph comes to fight in coalition against the Habiru (EA 366).
Bible: The king of Achshaph joins a coalition to fight a staged battle against the Israelites, but is killed (Joshua 11:1; 12:20).

3. Aijalon

Amarna: The enemy has control in the countryside of Aijalon (EA 287).
Bible: Aijalon features in a major staged land battle, where Israel conquers “Aijalon with the open land about it” (Joshua 10:12; 21:24).

4. Ashkelon

Amarna: The land of Ashkelon is now in league with the enemy (EA 287).
Bible: Ashkelon is taken by the Israelites (Judges 1:18).

5. Beth-Shean

Amarna: A strong garrison is prepared and stationed at Beth-Shean—no indication that it is conquered (EA 289).
Bible: The Israelites fret about iron chariots stationed at Beth-Shean and fail to drive out the inhabitants (Joshua 17:16; Judges 1:27).

6. Gezer

Amarna: The king of Gezer fights against the Habiru, but it seems there is a movement by his own people (including his own brother) against him, who appear to overthrow him and end up aiding the enemy (EA 271, 287, 298, 299).
Bible: The king of Gezer is killed, but for some untold reason the Canaanites of this area are allowed to remain and give tribute to Israel (Joshua 10:33; 12:12; 16:10).

7. Gebal (Byblos)

Amarna: The king of Gebal worries about the potential of the Habiru attacking the city. However, there is no evidence that it was (EA 68, 73, 74, 76, 77, 88, 90, 121, 188).
Bible: Joshua informs the Israelites that the northern lands, including Gebal, still need to be conquered (Joshua 13:5). However, there is no statement that they ever were.

8. Hazor

Amarna: The king of Tyre, writing about neighboring Sidon, notes that Hazor is turned over to the Habiru (EA 148, 228).
Bible: Joshua conquers Hazor and chases the enemy all the way to Sidon (Joshua 11:1-13).

9. Hebron

Amarna: Hebron, in league with Jerusalem and Lachish, is at war with the Habiru (EA 271, 284, 366).
Bible: The king of Hebron, in league with the king of Jerusalem and the king of Lachish, attends a staged land battle where all are defeated (Joshua 10:5). The territory of Hebron is later attacked and conquered (verses 33, 36-37).

10. Jerusalem

Amarna: Jerusalem and its territory is apparently one of the last remaining places to be attacked (EA 286, 287, 288). Also note a similar-style, burned Canaanite tablet fragment discovered in Dr. Eilat Mazar’s Jerusalem excavations (speculated to be the work of the same scribe of Abdi-Heba’s letters, thus dating to the same period).
Bible: Jerusalem is one of the last places to be attacked and conquered (Judges 1:8). When the city is eventually conquered at the start of the judges period, it is burned (same verse).

11. Lachish

Amarna: The Habiru killed a leader of Lachish and gained control of the city (EA 287, 288, 329, 330, 333).
Bible: The Israelites killed the king of Lachish in a separate land battle and later conquered the city (Joshua 10:23-26, 31-32).

12. Megiddo

Amarna: Megiddo is attacked and defeated by a group allied with the Habiru (EA 243, 244, 246).
Bible: The king of Megiddo is killed, but Canaanites maintain hold of the city (Joshua 12:21; Judges 1:27).

13. Shechem

Amarna: The Habiru are handed the land of Shechem by its ruler, Labayu (EA 289).
Bible: There is no description of an attack on Shechem, yet the Israelites are described as having full control over it (Joshua 24:1).

14. Shiloh

Amarna: The Habiru attacked Shiloh (EA 288).
Bible: There is no description of an attack on Shiloh, but the Israelites evidently acquired it and established it as the site of the tabernacle (Joshua 18:1).

15. Sidon

Amarna: The king of Sidon writes that his surrounding cities have joined themselves to the Habiru (EA 144).
Bible: While battle did reach as far north as the borders of Sidon, the Canaanite inhabitants remained in that city (Joshua 11:8; Judges 1:31).

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