The Torah focuses on Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, on Joseph and his brothers. But the world didn't stop spinning just because the Israelites were having family drama, right?
According to Ginzberg's sweeping narrative in Legends of the Jews, the ancient world was a hotbed of conflict, alliances, and betrayals, all swirling around the central figures we know and love.
Take Hadad, the king of Edom. He wasn't exactly a star in Egypt, but he found his stride in a war against Moab. The Moabites, clever strategists as they were, teamed up with the Midianites. But when things got tough, they bailed, leaving their allies to face Hadad's wrath. The Edomites, with Hadad at the helm, decimated the Midianites.
Of course, the Midianites weren't too happy about this. They rallied their kin, the sons of Keturah (Abraham's other wife, as some traditions tell it), and sought revenge. But Hadad, ever the opportunist, stepped in to help Moab again, crushing the Midianites' hopes. Thus began a deep-seated hatred between the Moabites and Midianites. Ginzberg states that "If a single Moabite is caught in the land of Midian, he is killed without mercy, and a Midianite in Moab fares no better."
After Hadad's death, the Edomites crowned Samlah of Masrekah. He wanted to help Agnias, an old Edomite ally, against Zepho, but his own people wouldn't let him harm their kinsman. Speaking of Zepho, he died in the fourteenth year of Samlah's reign, after ruling Kittim (often associated with Cyprus or other Mediterranean locales) for fifty years. His successor, Janus, also enjoyed a lengthy reign.
And what of Balaam? Remember him, the non-Jewish prophet hired to curse the Israelites but who ended up blessing them instead? Well, after Zepho's death, he fled to Egypt, where he became a royal counselor thanks to his "exceeding great wisdom."
Back in Edom, Samlah was followed by Saul of Pethor, a handsome fellow who ruled for forty years. Then came Baal Hamon, whose thirty-eight-year reign saw the Moabites revolt and throw off the Edomite yoke. Talk about a turbulent time! According to Legends of the Jews, it was a time of trouble everywhere.
Agnias, the king of Africa, passed away, as did Janus of Kittim. Their successors, Asdrubal and Latinus, plunged into a long and bloody war. At first, Latinus had the upper hand, invading Africa by sea and defeating Asdrubal, who died in battle. Latinus even destroyed a canal built by Agnias and took Asdrubal's beautiful daughter, Ushpiziwnah, as his wife. Her beauty was so great that her countrymen wore her likeness on their garments.
But Latinus's victory was short-lived. Anibal, Asdrubal's younger brother, launched a series of attacks on Kittim, killing eighty thousand people, including nobles and princes, over eighteen years. Finally, he returned to Africa and ruled in peace.
Meanwhile, the Edomites weren't having an easy time either. Hadad, successor to Baal Hamon, tried to subdue the Moabites again, but a new Moabite king, supported by the Ammonites, proved too strong. These wars were followed by conflicts between Hadad of Edom and Abimenos of Kittim. Abimenos invaded Seir, defeated the Edomites, captured Hadad, and executed him. Seir became a province of Kittim, ending Edom's independence. They had to pay tribute to Kittim until Abimenos died in his thirty-eighth year.
So, what do we take away from this glimpse into the wider world of our ancestors? It's a reminder that history is complex and interconnected. Even as the story of the Israelites unfolds, other nations are rising and falling, engaging in their own power struggles, and shaping the world around them. It's a tapestry of human experience, woven with threads of war, ambition, and the enduring quest for power. It also reminds us that the story of the Jewish people is not one lived in isolation, but always in conversation and conflict with our neighbors.