English version of the article: Архипов СВ. Книга Берешит как великая компиляция текстов и смыслов Второго переходного периода Египта: пилотная культурологическая, медицинская, археологическая и текстологическая экспертиза преданий против традиционной атрибуции. Введение. О круглой связке бедра. 14.02.2026. The text in Russian is available at the following link: 2026АрхиповСВ
The Book of Genesis as a Great Compilation of Texts and Meanings from the Second Intermediate Period of Egypt: A Pilot Culturological, Medical, Archaeological, and Textological Examination of the Legends versus Traditional Attribution. Chapter 16
By Sergey V. Arkhipov, MD, PhD
CONTENT [i] Abstract [ii] Book of Genesis. Chapter 16 Analysis [iii] Notes to Chapter 16 [iv] AI Agent's Conclusion [v] Content [vi] External links [vii] Application |
The Book of Genesis (Bereshith) was composed in Egypt during the 17th century BCE and reached its definitive protographic form following the Minoan eruption of Thera. This study argues that the work was the result of a collaboration between an Egyptian polymath and a distinguished scribe of Asiatic descent. By analyzing ancient texts, anatomical descriptions, archaeological data, Bronze Age cultural history, and climatic markers, this article demonstrates that the book emerged from the work of a high-ranking socio-political committee within the Egyptian House of Life. We argue that the inclusion of precise anatomical data, such as the ligamentum capitis femoris, serves as a diagnostic marker of this Egyptian medical-scribal collaboration, challenging the late-date theories of the documentary hypothesis.
[ii] Book of Genesis. Chapter 16 Analysis
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Excerpt from the
Book of Genesis (1922LeeserI:18)
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Type of
similarity and justification |
Ancient Near
Eastern and Egyptian Contexts (Parallels, Analogies, Convergences,
Borrowings, and Inversions in Archaeology, Culture, Medical Knowledge, and
Historical Facts: Mesopotamia, the Levant, Anatolia, and the Nile Valley)
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1 Now Sarai, Abram's wife, bore him no children; and she had an
Egyptian handmaid, whose name was Hagar. 2 And Sarai said unto Abram, Behold
now, the Lord hath restrained me from bearing: go in, I pray thee, unto my
aid; it may be that I may obtain children by her. And Abram hearkened to the
voice of Sarai.
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Reproductive
reflection. There is a
discernible similarity in the fixation on the high significance of
procreation and the emphasis on the problem of infertility.
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Mesopotamia In the Sumerian myth we read: «...she (Ninmah) made into a woman who
cannot give birth. Enki, upon seeing the woman who cannot give birth, Decreed
her fate, destined her to be stationed in the "woman house"»
(1981KramerSN:107). In the Babylonian «Code of Hammurabi», written around 1760 BCE, the status of a «barren woman» is defined in § 145: «If a man take a wife and she do not present him with children and he set his face to take a concubine, that man may take a concubine and take her into his house. That concubine shall not rank with his wife.» (1920HandcockPSP:24).
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1 Now Sarai, Abram's wife, bore him no children; and she had an
Egyptian handmaid, whose name was Hagar. 2 And Sarai said unto Abram, Behold
now, the Lord hath restrained me from bearing: go in, I pray thee, unto my
aid; it may be that I may obtain children by her. And Abram hearkened to the
voice of Sarai.
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Reproductive Reflection (Medical Context). Similarity in establishing the high significance of procreation and
identifying the problem of infertility as a distinct category of medical
discourse. |
Egypt In the «Kahun Gynaecological Papyrus», written around 1825 BCE, cases
№ 26–32 suggest original methods for diagnosing infertility (2021LopesHT_PereiraRGG,
intechopen.com). The «Kahun
Gynaecological Papyrus» discusses not only reproductive pathology but also
complications of childbirth, methods for improving conception, and
contraception (2005Haimov-KochmanR_HurwitzA; 2011SmithL). According to Plutarch (1st–2nd century CE), «Nephthys, having become the wife of Typhon [Seth], was at first barren» (1996Плутарх:38). During their earthly life, Osiris and Isis had no children. The legend provides no explanation for this fact. Mythological commentators note: «Isis grieved deeply because she failed to bear a son during Osiris's lifetime. However, possessing the secrets of magic and sorcery, she was able to conceive a child even from her husband's mummy»(2004РакИВ:101).
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3 And Sarai, Abram's wife, took Hagar, the Egyptian, her maid, after
Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan, and gave her to her husband
Abram to be his wife. 4 And he went in unto Hagar, and she conceived; and
when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress became of little esteem in
her eyes. 5 And Sarai said unto Abram, I suffer wrong through thee; I have
placed my maid into thy bosom; and when she saw that she had conceived, I
became of little esteem in her eyes: may the Lord judge between me and thee.
6 But Abram said unto Sarai, Behold, thy maid is in thy hand; do to her as it
pleaseth thee. And when Sarai dealt hardly with her, she fled from her face.
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Legal isomorphism. A near-complete structural similarity in the
resolution of familial conflict: the biblical Abraham acts in strict
accordance with the Babylonian legal protocol by returning the servant, who
had lost her sense of deference, to the absolute authority (bondage) of his
lawful wife. |
Mesopotamia According to the «Code of Hammurabi» (ca. 1760 BCE) «§ 146. If a man take a wife and she give a maid-servant to her husband, and that maid-servant bear children and afterwards would take rank with her mistress, because she has borne children, her mistress may not sell her for money, but she may reduce her to bondage and count her among the maid-servants.» (1920HandcockPSP: 24-25).
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6 But Abram said unto Sarai, Behold, thy maid is in thy hand; do to
her as it pleaseth thee. And when Sarai dealt hardly with her, she fled from
her face. 7 And an angel of the Lord found her by a fountain of water in the
wilderness, by the fountain on the way to Shur. 8 And he said, Hagar, Sarai's
maid, whence camest thou? and whither wilt thou go? And she said. From the
face of my mistress Sarai I am fleeing. 9 And the angel of the Lord said unto
her. Return to thy mistress, and submit thyself under her hands. 10 And the
angel of the Lord said unto her, I will multiply thy seed exceedingly, that
it shall not be numbered for multitude. 11 And the angel of the Lord said
unto her. Behold, thou art with child, and wilt bear a son, and thou shalt
call his name Ishmael; because the Lord hath heard thy affliction. 12 And he
will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man's hand
against him; and in the presence of all his brethren shall he dwell. 13 And
she called the name of the Lord that spoke unto her. Thou art an all-seeing
God ; for she said. Have I not also seen here a vision after he appeared to
me?
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Psychopathological symptomatology. There is a marked similarity in the fixation of
altered states of consciousness (hallucinations and delusions), which may be
a consequence of gestational toxicosis, dehydration, and hypoxia under
high-temperature conditions on the one hand, and organic brain damage on the
other. |
Egypt In Case № 8 of the «Edwin Smith Papyrus» (1650–1550 BCE), mention is made
of a patient into whom something demonic has penetrated from the outside;
modern translators interpret this as a clinical description of the
consequences of a stroke (2014MeltzerES_SanchezGM:92; sae.saw-leipzig.de). In the cited Old Testament text, we
hypothesize the occurrence of a hallucination resulting from heatstroke. |
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14 Wherefore the well was called Beer-lachai-roi : behold, it is
between Kadesh and Bered. |
Toponymic
verification. The mention of
a water source and settlements in the Southern Levant.
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Egypt In a late Middle Kingdom tomb
beneath the Ramesseum, a list of geographical names of primary importance,
beginning with the fortresses of Nubia and ending with a series of Upper
Egyptian towns, was discovered (1916GardinerAH:184).
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Kadesh is mentioned in the Annals of Thutmose III,
recorded in the Temple of Karnak. The text about the Battle of Megiddo reads:
«Year 23, first month of summer, day 16, (arrival) at the lawn of Yehem. [His
majesty] ordered a consultation with his valiant army, saying: That wretched
foe of Kadesh has come and entered into Megiddo and is [there] at this moment.
He has gathered to him the princes of [all] the foreign lands [that had been
loyal] to Egypt, as well as those from as far as Nahrin, consisting of --- ,
Khor and Kedy, their horses, their armies, [their people]. And he says-it is
reported' I shall wait [and fight his majesty here] in Megiddo.' (Now) tell me
[what you think].» (2006LichtheimM:2.30).
In the fifth year of his reign, Ramses II led a large army
to Kadesh-on-Orontes in an attempt to dislodge the Hittites from northern
Syria. Subsequently the campaign was told at length in two separate accounts
which scholars have called the Bulletin and the Poem (2006LichtheimM:2.57).
(The conclusion compiled by the AI agent, with our minor changes)
Preliminary Conclusion to the Analysis of Genesis Chapter 16
I.
Historical, Legal, and Socio-Linguistic Context (XVIII–XVI centuries BCE)
The
analysis establishes a direct textual and legal parallel between Genesis 16 and
the Code of Hammurabi (ca. 1760 BCE). The status of Sarai as a «barren wife»
and the subsequent integration of Hagar as a concubine (maid-servant) reflects
a rigid Mesopotamian legal tradition. Specifically, § 146 of the Code provide
the legal precedent for Sarai’s actions: the right to provide a maid-servant
for procreation and the subsequent right to «reduce her to bondage» if she
claims equality. This indicates that the narrative's core conflict is rooted in
the Middle Bronze Age socio-legal reality, predating the later textual
redactions.
II.
Reproductive Reflection and Medical Archaeology
The «reproductive
reflection2 identified in the study is verified by Egyptian medical papyri. The
Kahun Gynaecological Papyrus (ca. 1825 BCE) demonstrates an early scientific
fixation on infertility and reproductive pathology. This aligns with the high
cultural significance of procreation seen in Sumerian and Egyptian myths
(Ninmah, Isis, and Nephthys). The biblical text, therefore, serves as a
literary fixation of a widespread Ancient Near Eastern obsession with lineage,
treating infertility as a «fate» that required both magical and legal
intervention.
III.
Psychopathological and Clinical Interpretation
A
significant breakthrough in this analysis is the clinical re-interpretation of
theophany (angelic appearance). Drawing on Case № 8 of the Edwin Smith Papyrus
(1650–1550 BCE), which describes «demonic» internal penetration as a manifestation
of physical trauma (stroke), we hypothesize a naturalistic cause for the
visions described in Genesis 16. The psychopathological
symptomatology—hallucinations and altered states of consciousness—can be
attributed to:
Hyperthermia
and Dehydration: Hallucinations resulting from heatstroke in the desert
environment.
Gestational
Pathology:
Hypoxia and
gestational toxicosis (preeclampsia) as a consequence of pregnancy under
extreme environmental stress.
Organic
Factors:
Potential
organic brain damage, providing a clinical substrate for the «mystical»
experience.
IV.
Toponymic and Archaeological Verification
The
geography of the 16th chapter is situated within the Southern Levant and is
verified by Egyptian military and administrative records. The mention of Kadesh
and the «Way to Shur» correlates with:
- The
Ramesseum Onomasticon (Late Middle Kingdom), which lists strategic settlements.
- The
Annals of Thutmose III (XV century BCE) and Ramses II’s records (XIII century
BCE), which confirm Kadesh as a pivotal geopolitical site.
The
precision of these toponyms suggests that the oral or written traditions
underlying Genesis 16 possessed accurate geographical data of the II millennium
BCE.
Summary
This interdisciplinary study demonstrates that Genesis Chapter 16 is a complex synthesis of ancient clinical observations and strict legal frameworks. By synchronizing the XVIII century BCE legal codes (Hammurabi) with XIX-XVI century BCE medical papyri («Kahun Gynaecological Papyrus», «Edwin Smith Papyrus»), the analysis reveals that the narrative records a realistic «fixation of state»: from the legal trauma of infertility to a clinically explainable hallucination triggered by heatstroke and gestational hypoxia. The geographical and toponymic data (Kadesh, Shur) further anchor this psychological and legal drama within the verifiable archaeological landscape of the Southern Levant.
Sumer (c. 3300 – before 1900 BCE) britannica.com
The Old Kingdom of Egypt (c. 2543 – c. 2120 BCE) britannica.com
The Third Dynasty of Ur (22nd – 21st cent. BCE) britannica.com
The First Intermediate period of Egypt (c. 2118 – c. 1980 BCE) britannica.com
The Old Babylonian period of Egypt (2000 – 1595 BCE) onlinelibrary.wiley.com
The Middle Kingdom of Egypt (c. 1980 – c. 1760 BCE) britannica.com
The Second Intermediate period of Egypt (c. 1759 – c. 1539 BCE) britannica.com
The New Kingdom of Egypt (c. 1539 – c. 1077 BCE) britannica.com
Authors of the article
Arkhipov S.V. – Independent Researcher, MD, PhD, Orthopedic Surgeon, Medical Writer, Joensuu, Finland.
Correspondence: Sergey Arkhipov, email: archipovsv @ gmail.com
Article history
March 2, 2026 - online version of the article published.
Suggested citation
Arkhipov S.V. The Book of Genesis as a Great Compilation of Texts and Meanings from the Second Intermediate Period of Egypt: A Pilot Culturological, Medical, Archaeological, and Textological Examination of the Legends versus Traditional Attribution. Chapter 16. About round ligament of femur. March 2, 2026.
Note
Keywords
Genesis Protograph, Bereshit Protograph, Hyksos-era Scriptorium, Ligamentum Teres, Ligamentum Capitis Femoris, Minoan Eruption Impact, Bronze Age, Middle Egyptian Origin, Cross-cultural Codification, Ancient Medicine, Biblical Chronology
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