Today, we're diving into a fascinating slice of ancient history from the Book of Jasher, a non-canonical Jewish text filled with captivating stories and alternative perspectives on biblical narratives.
We're looking at Chapter 17, which tells us about a war between the children of Chittim and the children of Tubal, descendants of Noah's sons. According to the Book of Jasher, this all went down in the ninety-first year of Abram's life.
The children of Chittim, we're told, settled in the plain of Canopia, building cities by the river Tibreu. Meanwhile, the children of Tubal resided in Tuscanah, their territory also bordering the Tibreu. They even built a city called Sabinah (Understanding), named after Sabinah, the son of Tubal.
Then, BAM! Conflict erupts. The children of Chittim attack the children of Tubal, inflicting a heavy blow. As a result, the children of Tubal make the children of Chittim swear an oath: no intermarriage. Why such a drastic measure? Well, apparently the daughters of Tubal were renowned for their beauty. The text explicitly states: "...no women were then found in the whole earth so fair as the daughters of Tubal." Kings and princes from far and wide sought them as wives. Talk about high demand!
But oaths, as we know, can be tricky. Three years pass, and some twenty men from Chittim try to snatch some Tubal daughters, but they find none. The children of Tubal are sticking to their word. Frustrated, the men of Chittim wait for harvest time. While the Tubal men are out in the fields, the young men of Chittim sneak into the city of Sabinah and kidnap some of the daughters of Tubal. Scandalous. Enraged, the children of Tubal try to retaliate, but the Chittim have holed up in a well-defended mountain. A year later, the children of Tubal hire ten thousand mercenaries to bolster their forces and launch a full-scale war. They begin to gain the upper hand, and the children of Chittim, desperate, pull a rather… interesting move. They place the children born from the kidnapped daughters of Tubal on the city walls. "Are you going to war with your own children?" they cry. It works! The children of Tubal, seeing their own flesh and blood, cease fighting and return home.
The children of Chittim, now consolidating their gains, build two cities by the sea, Purtu and Ariza. And where is Abram in all this? He’s ninety-nine years old, minding his own business.
But then, a pivotal moment: God appears to Abram! God establishes a covenant with him: brit milah, circumcision, as a sign of the everlasting covenant between God and Abraham and his descendants. And, God changes his name from Abram to Abraham, and his wife Sarai becomes Sarah. God promises to bless them both and multiply their seed, so they will become a great nation, and kings will come forth from them. This moment, described toward the end of the chapter, marks a crucial turning point in the narrative, shifting focus from the battles of nations to the foundation of a lineage that would shape history.
So, what can we take away from this whirlwind of ancient skirmishes and divine encounters? The Book of Jasher, while not part of the biblical canon, offers a unique lens through which to view the world of the patriarchs. It paints a vivid picture of a world in flux, where alliances shift, conflicts erupt, and divine promises are forged amidst the chaos. It reminds us that even in the midst of war and political maneuvering, the seeds of faith and covenant can take root and blossom.
Sacred-texts Apocrypha Index Previous Next Book of Jasher, Chapter 17 1 And in those days, in the ninety-first year of the life of Abram, the children of Chittim made war with the children of Tubal, for when the Lord had scattered the sons of men upon the face of the earth, the children of Chittim went and embodied themselves in the plain of Canopia, and they built themselves cities there and dwelt by the river Tibreu. 2 And the children of Tubal dwelt in Tuscanah, and their boundaries reached the river Tibreu, and the children of Tubal built a city in Tuscanan, and they called the name Sabinah, after the name of Sabinah son of Tubal their father, and they dwelt there unto this day. 3 And it was at that time the children of Chittim made war with the children of Tubal, and the children of Tubal were smitten before the children of Chittim, and the children of Chittim caused three hundred and seventy men to fall from the children of Tubal. 4 And at that time the children of Tubal swore to the children of Chittim, saying, You shall not intermarry amongst us, and no man shall give his daughter to any of the sons of Chittim. 5 For all the daughters of Tubal were in those days fair, for no women were then found in the whole earth so fair as the daughters of Tubal. 6 And all who delighted in the beauty of women went to the daughters of Tubal and took wives from them, and the sons of men, kings and princes, who greatly delighted in the beauty of women, took wives in those days from the daughters of Tubal. 7 And at the end of three years after the children of Tubal had sworn to the children of Chittim not to give them their daughters for wives, about twenty men of the children of Chittim went to take some of the daughters of Tubal, but they found none. 8 For the children of Tubal kept their oaths not to intermarry with them, and they would not break their oaths. 9 And in the days of harvest the children of Tubal went into their fields to get in their harvest, when the young men of Chittim assembled and went to the city of Sabinah, and each man took a young woman from the daughters of Tubal, and they came to their cities. 10 And the children of Tubal heard of it and they went to make war with them, and they could not prevail over them, for the mountain was exceedingly high from them, and when they saw they could not prevail over them they returned to their land. 11 And at the revolution of the year the children of Tubal went and hired about ten thousand men from those cities that were near them, and they went to war with the children of Chittim. 12 And the children of Tubal went to war with the children of Chittim, to destroy their land and to distress them, and in this engagement the children of Tubal prevailed over the children of Chittim, and the children of Chittim, seeing that they were greatly distressed, lifted up the children which they had had by the daughters of Tubal, upon the wall which had been built, to be before the eyes of the children of Tubal. 13 And the children of Chittim said to them, Have you come to make war with your own sons and daughters, and have we not been considered your flesh and bones from that time till now? 14 And when the children of Tubal heard this they ceased to make war with the children of Chittim, and they went away. 15 And they returned to their cities, and the children of Chittim at that time assembled and built two cities by the sea, and they called one Purtu and the other Ariza. 16 And Abram the son of Terah was then ninety-nine years old. 17 At that time the Lord appeared to him and he said to him, I will make my covenant between me and thee, and I will greatly multiply thy seed, and this is the covenant which I make between me and thee, that every male child be circumcised, thou and thy seed after thee. 18 At eight days old shall it be circumcised, and this covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant. 19 And now therefore thy name shall no more be called Abram but Abraham, and thy wife shall no more be called Sarai but Sarah. 20 For I will bless you both, and I will multiply your seed after you that you shall become a great nation, and kings shall come forth from you. Next: Chapter 18 Sacred Texts | Christianity « Previous: Book of Jasher, Chapter 16 Index Next: Book of Jasher, Chapter 18 »
