As early as 4,000 years ago, the Canaanite people developed sophisticated urban centers, with waterways and irrigation systems. Perhaps this crucial knowledge is what’s alluded to in yesterday's chapter in which a young woman - who is either an Israelite, a Canaanite or both - demands her rights for water access - and gets her way.
Not too far from her estate is be the one archeological site in modern day Israel that’s got solid proof of the Canaanite building acumen, including the remains of 3,000 years old cisterns, irrigation tunnels, watch towers and walls. The site,Tel Gezer or Tell el-Jezari in Arabic, may support the story that’s told in today’s chapter: Gezer, like quite a few other Canaanite towns, was not conquered by Joshua but remained independent. Or not?
A closer look at the conquest reveals that Gezer was far from alone in resisting occupation - other cities defied the conquest, including Jerusalem, despite the story in earlier chapters in which its king was slain. The conflicting narratives of what happened to the cities and its people of Canaan are woven through this book and the ones that follow, likely echoing not only different historical versions but also different ways of looking at reality on the ground: Over time the mingling between people and the cultural-religious-ethnic blending was seen as curse by some and blessing by others, recorded to represent the often very different fates and attitudes. Just like in today’s complex histories of long term national projects and the persistent resistance to them, some stories survive to tell us more. Take Gezer for instance:
וְלֹ֣א הוֹרִ֔ישׁוּ אֶת־הַֽכְּנַעֲנִ֖י הַיּוֹשֵׁ֣ב בְּגָ֑זֶר וַיֵּ֨שֶׁב הַֽכְּנַעֲנִ֜י בְּקֶ֤רֶב אֶפְרַ֙יִם֙ עַד־הַיּ֣וֹם הַזֶּ֔ה וַיְהִ֖י לְמַס־עֹבֵֽד׃
However, they failed to dispossess the Canaanites who dwelt in Gezer; so the Canaanites remained in the midst of Ephraim, as is still the case. But they had to perform forced labor.
Gezer survives. But: Did the people of Gezer become slaves to Israel, performing ‘forces labor’ as did the people of Gibeon? Or were they just forced to pay taxes, as some scholars say is a better transition of this expression ‘Mas Oved’ - worker’s tax - or tax through labor? Were they slaves, or neighbors, others or brothers? Did these relationships change over time?
Gezer’s rich archeological findings, including the oldest proto-hebrew calendar on a small stone tablet,
offer a wealth of information about what those centuries may have been about for the wellbeing of people and their socio-political co-existence.
It’s not all about politics and power. One thing our ancestors shared with their neighbors, however they got along, is a problem we still share today: Lice.
A recent archeological finding in Lachish, another Canaanite city not far from Gezer, that is mentioned in yesterday’s chapter as part of the tribe of Judah’s new territory, contains the oldest proto-hebrew full sentence to be found. Experts at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem just released their findings about a tiny ivory object, dating back to 1,700 BCE, within the first two centuries of the known use of the earliest alphabet.
The object seems to have been a lice comb. The tiny teeth on both sides are still visible, the microscopic remains of lice eggs were found, and the words inscribed on it in tiny letters spell a spell against the even tiniest of troubles:
‘May this tusk root out the lice from hair and beard.’
‘This is a landmark in the history of the human ability to write’ said Prof. Garfinkel who heads the team.
The enduring problem of head lice apart, and the surprising spell that gives us a glimpse into our ancestral attitude to how to treat them, this is also a glimpse into the complex and rich cultural exchange and interaction between the people of the land, the evolution of shared language, fusions of religious attitudes, shared challenges and solutions. The people of Lachish, like those at Gezer, were heirs of a formidable civilization who were not only resistant to Josh and the Israelites - they managed to stay and survive, impacting the new arrivals and likely adding quite a bit to the story and history that was later edited to be seen as unified. It’s unclear which of them resisted, which became enslaved to Israel and which ones became part of the national story over time.
Lice may be an enemy all people agree is worth fighting and defeating. But when it comes to local populations, the invading tribes that try and take over - it’s more complicated.. And may only be unraveled and exposed over very long periods of time that even tiny combs can’t untangle. But at least these ancient objects help us to appreciate the rich tapestry hidden within these stories and still so echoed in our own complicated lives of co-existence.
Ready to wrap up the journey with Joshua? Almost there.. Join me on November 21 2022, 1pm ET for a one hour Zoom conversation, exploring what we’ve discovered, what are we curious about. I'll be taking time to answer your questions - so please bring one!
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/85448738911?pwd=dmRIRndNNDhjaXZsVjh5K3dSYUdLQT09
Meeting ID: 854 4873 8911
Below the Bible Belt: 929 chapters, 42 months, daily reflections: Join Rabbi Amichai’s 3+ years interactive online quest to question, queer + re-read between the lines of the entire Hebrew Bible, with daily reflections, weekly videos and monthly learning sessions. January 2022-July 2025
#Joshua #Neviim #theprophets #JoshuaBenNun #slavery #forcedlabor #Joshua16 #Gezer #Telgezer #Lachish #licecomb #magicspells #whowrotethebible? #conquestofcanaan #Israel # #hebrewmyth #929 #torah #bible #hiddenbible #sefaria #labshul #hebrewmythlogy #belowthebiblebelt #postpatriarchy #bibleandpolitics #war #colonialism #biblicalarcheology