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 25
By Sergey V. Arkhipov, MD, PhD
CONTENT [i] Abstract [ii] Book of Genesis. Chapter 25 Analysis [iii] Notes to Chapter 25 [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 25 Analysis
|
Excerpts from the
Book of Genesis (1922LeeserI:29-30)
|
Type of
Similarity and Justification |
Ancient Near
Eastern and Egyptian Contexts (Parallels,
Analogies, Similarity, Borrowings, Inversions)
|
|
1 Then Abraham
took again a wife, and her name was Keturah. 2 And she bore him Zimran, and
Yokshan, and Medan, and Midian, and Yishbak, and Shuach. 3 And Yokshan begat
Sheba, and Dedan. And the sons of Dedan were Asshurim, and Letushim, and
Leiimmim. 4 And the sons of Midian : Ephah, and Epher, and Chanoch, and
Abida, and El-daah. All these were the children of Keturah. 5 And Abraham
gave all that he had unto Isaac. 6 But unto the sons of the concubines that
Abraham had, Abraham gave gifts; and he sent them away from Isaac his son,
while he was yet living, eastward, unto the east country. |
Regulation of
Collateral Heir Status The texts exhibit
a similarity in the employment of inter vivos acts (such as gifting or formal
recognition) to strictly demareate inheritance rights and mitigate potential
claims from the offspring of concubines against the primary heir. |
Mesopotamia According to the
«Code of Hammurabi» (ca. 1760 BCE): «§ 170. If a man's wife bear him children
and his maid-servant bear him children, and the father during his life time
say to the children which the maid-servant bore him : «My children», and
reckon them with the children of his wife, after the father dies the children
of the wife and the children of the maid-servant shall divide the goods of
the father's house equally. The child of the wife shall have the right of
choice at the division. §171. But if the father during his lifetime have not
said to the children which the maid-servant bore him : «My children», after
the father dies, the children of the maid-servant shall not share in the
goods of the father's house with the children of the wife. The maid-servant
and her children shall be given their freedom. The children of the wife may
not lay claim to the children of the maid-servant for service. The wife shall
receive her dowry and the gift which her husband gave and deeded to her on a
tablet, and she may dwell in the house of her husband and enjoy (the property)
as long as she lives. She cannot sell it, however, for after her (death) it
belongs to her children.» (1920HandcockPSP:28). The Nuzi archive contained a contract (H67), according to which «As for (the
concubine's) offspring, Gilimninu shall [not] send (them) away. Any sons that
out of the womb of Gilimninu [to She]nnima may be bor[n, all the] lands,
buildings, [whatever their description,] to (these) sons are given.» (1928SpeiserEA:32). The cuneiform tablets from Nuzi date back to
the mid-second millennium BCE (1976SelmanMJ:114).
|
|
3 And Yokshan
begat Sheba, and Dedan. And the sons of Dedan were Asshurim, and Letushim,
and Leiimmim. … 19 And these are the generations of Isaac, the son of
Abraham: Abraham begat Isaac.
|
Genealogical
Model Similarity in
the application of a linear principle for listing male-line descendants,
wherein the process of reproduction is described as a direct action of the
masculine principle without mentioning the female. |
Egypt The first pair of gods were Shu and Tefnut. «At the beginning of
creation, they were born of Ra-Atum» (2007РакИ:45). According to the
Heliopolitan cosmogony recorded in the «Bremner-Rhind Papyrus», specifically
in the text known as the «Book of Knowing the Creations of Ra», it appears
that the creator god of the universe, Ra-Atum, was male (2007РакИ:28–29). The
«Pyramid
Texts» (2350–2175 BCE), Utterance № 527 (1248a-c), state: «To say: Atum created by his masturbation in
Heliopolis. He put his phallus in his fist, to excite desire thereby.» (1952MercerSAB:325).
In the Pyramid
of Pepi I (6th Dynasty, ca. 2289–2255 BCE), Recitation № 522, regarding the butchering of a
sacrificial bull, it is said: «what is in his scrotum is for the four gods
that Horus gave birth to and desired, Hapi, Imseti, Duamutef, and
Qebehsenuef;» (2007AllenJP:185).
|
|
6 But unto the
sons of the concubines that Abraham had, Abraham gave gifts; and he sent them
away from Isaac his son, while he was yet living, eastward, unto the east
country.
|
The Borrowing of the Word «Concubine»
|
Regarding etymology, the specific nature of this ancient term likely
indicates an Anatolian origin (2021NoonanBJ:176–177). |
|
7 And these are
the days of the years of Abraham's life which he lived, one hundred seventy
and five years. 8 Then Abraham departed this life, and died in a good old
age, an old man, and full of years, and was gathered to his people.
|
Chronological
Hyperbolization The use of anomalously large
numbers serves as a literary device to denote the antiquity of the era and
the sacred status of the described characters in both traditions.
|
Mesopotamia In Mesopotamia,
historical figures were attributed legendary longevity. There existed a list
of kings compiled by Sumerian scribes at the end of the second millennium
BCE. For example, the kings of «the first dynasty after the deluge also
reigned for an average of a thousand years, and subsequently for two hundred
years each» (1961ВуллиЛ:15).
|
|
9 And his sons
Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah, in the field of Ephron
the son of Zochar the Hittite, which is before Mamre; |
Memorial-legal
consolidation A profound structural
similarity in the existential priority placed upon the acquisition of a
permanent, legally recognized funerary estate to ensure the continuity of
memory and the preservation of sacred burial space. |
Egypt In the «Story of Sinuhe» (Middle Kingdom), it is stated: «The dance of
the mrow-dancers is done at the door of your tomb; the offering-list is read
to you; sacrifice is made before your offering-stone. Your tomb-pillars, made
of white stone, are among (those of) the royal children.» (2006LichtheimM:1:229–230). Furthermore,
the text continues: «A stone pyramid was built for me in the midst of the
pyramids. The masons who build tombs constructed it. A master draughtsman
designed in it. A master sculptor carved in it. The overseers of construction
in the necropolis busied themselves with it. All the equipment that is placed
in a tomb-shaft was supplied. Mortuary priests were given me. A funerary
domain was made for me.» (2006LichtheimM:1:233);
|
|
16 These are the
sons of Ishmael, and these are their names, by their towns, and by their
castles; twelves princes according to their nations.
|
Ethnogenetic Verification Fixation of the presence of Indo-European
groups (Hittites) in the Levant as a consequence of a migratory wave element.
|
Levant In approximately 1800 BCE, a
case of the presence of a Lycian [Hittite] from Western Asia Minor was
recorded in Byblos, Phoenicia (1966KitchenKA).
|
|
16 These are the
sons of Ishmael, and these are their names, by their towns, and by their
castles; twelves princes according to their nations. |
Numerological Canon The similarity in the use of the
number 12 serves as a tool for organizing chaos, transforming biological
offspring or body fragments into a complete, sacred structure.
|
Egypt According to Egyptian legend, «The search for the parts of Osiris’s dismembered body
continued for twelve days» (2004РакИВ:81). In particular, the «Papyrus Jumilhac» (1st century BCE) reports
twelve days of searching for the body parts of Osiris, the duration of the
following is also associated with this number: «the twelve days of the
plowing festival, celebrated throughout the country: these are the days when
the members of the god, found in the cities and nomes, were gathered
together» (1983ЛипинскаяЯ_МарцинякМ:60).
|
|
17 And these are
the years of the life of Ishmael, one hundred and thirty and seven years :
and he departed this life and died ; and was gathered unto his people.
|
Chronological
Hyperbolization The use of anomalously large
numbers serves as a literary device to denote the antiquity of the era and
the sacred status of the described characters in both traditions. |
Mesopotamia In Mesopotamia,
historical figures were attributed legendary longevity. There existed a list
of kings compiled by Sumerian scribes at the end of the second millennium
BCE. For example, the kings of «the first dynasty after the deluge also
reigned for an average of a thousand years, and subsequently for two hundred
years each» (1961ВуллиЛ:15). |
|
20 And Isaac was
forty years old when he took Rebekah, the daughter of Bethuel the Syrian, of
Padiin-aram, the sister to Laban the Syrian, to himself as wife.
|
Toponymic Verification Reference to a specific settlement
in Northern Syria that emerged prior to the appearance of the Aramean tribes.
|
Mesopotamia The toponym Aram appears among the toponyms of Northern Syria
nearly 3000 years before the common era as «A-ra-muki», while the
Mesopotamian settlement «Arame» (A-ra-meki) is recorded in cuneiform inscriptions
dating to the 22nd century BCE (2000LipińskiE). |
|
20 And Isaac was
forty years old when he took Rebekah, the daughter of Bethuel the Syrian, of
Padiin-aram, the sister to Laban the Syrian, to himself as wife. See note! |
Family Endogamy A cultural parallel in the
preference for marriages between close relatives as a tradition of preserving
kinship ties in ancient cultures.
|
Egypt From the history
of the 4th Dynasty, the marriage of Meresankh III, daughter of Prince Kewab,
to her brother Khafre — also a son of King Khufu, though likely by a
different wife — is well-documented (2002BunsonMR:197,198,242). As noted by Campagno, «We have
no evidence for the existence of rules of preference in the choice of
marriage partners. Marriage between cousins, between uncles and nieces, and
between half-siblings is known from various periods in Egyptian history» (2009CampagnoMP:3). According to Feucht, «The
Egyptians usually married within the same social class. Late period archives
indicate that marriage between cousins or uncle and niece was allowed, as
well as between half-brothers and half-sisters with the same father but
different mothers.» (2001FeuchtE:501). See note!
|
|
21 And Isaac
entreated the Lord in behalf of his wife, because she was barren : and the
Lord was entreated of him, and Rebekah his wife conceived. |
Reproductive Reflection Convergence in recording the high significance
of procreation and the categorization of infertility as a distinct subject
within 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). This 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. However, 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). Finally, in the «Tale of the Shipwrecked Sailor» (Middle Kingdom), we
read: «I was here with my brothers and there were children with them. In all
we were seventy-five serpents, children and brothers, without mentioning a
little daughter whom I had obtained through prayer.» (2006LichtheimM:1.213).
|
|
21 And Isaac
entreated the Lord in behalf of his wife, because she was barren : and the
Lord was entreated of him, and Rebekah his wife conceived. |
Reproductive Reflection Similarity in the fixation on the
profound importance of childbearing and the identification of infertility as
a specific problem.
|
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). Similarly, in the Babylonian «Code of
Hammurabi» (ca. 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). Furthermore, the Nuzi archive contained a contract (H67), according to
which: «If Gilimninu bears (children,) Shennima shall not take another wife;
and if Gilimninu does not bear, Gilimninu a woman of the Lullu as wife for
Shennima shall take.» (1928SpeiserEA:32). The cuneiform tablets
from Nuzi date back to the mid-second millennium BCE (1976SelmanMJ:114). |
|
22 And the
children struggled together within her ; and she said, If it be so, why did I
desire this ? And she went to inquire of the Lord. |
Prenatal Diagnostics Both sources document
the existence of specialized medical and magical knowledge directed toward
the monitoring and management of pregnancy.
|
Egypt In the «Kahun Gynaecological
Papyrus» (ca. 1825 BCE), Case № 19 refers to the detection of a child in the
mother's womb, which implies the diagnosis of pregnancy
(2021LopesHT_PereiraRGG, intechopen.com).
|
|
22 And the
children struggled together within her ; and she said, If it be so, why did I
desire this ? And she went to inquire of the Lord. 23 And the Lord said unto
her, Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated
from thy bowels ; and one people shall be stronger than the other people ;
and the elder shall serve the younger 24 And when her days to be delivered
were fulfilled, behold, there were twins in her womb. |
The Dialectics of Multiple
Gestation Both sources employ the birth of
twins as a fundamental act of bifurcating a unified origin into two
conflicting or complementary forces. The shift from opposite-sex twins in one
instance to same-sex twins in the other likely serves as a redactional
technique to obscure intertextual borrowing.
|
Egypt The appearance of
the first twins is narrated in the «Pyramid Texts» (2350–2175 BCE).
Specifically, according to Utterances № 527 (1248d) and № 600 (1652c), Atum
spat out (sneezed) Shu and expectorated Tefnut (1952MercerSAB:325,410). Similarly,
in Utterance № 475 of the tomb of Pepi I (6th Dynasty, ca. 2289–2255 BCE), it
is explicitly stated that for Atum «the two twins were born, Shu and Tefnut.»
(2007AllenJP:164). Subsequently, Shu married his sister Tefnut, which is also
evident from Utterance № 206 of the tomb of Unas (5th Dynasty, ca. 2353–2323
BCE), where mention is made of «Shu and Tefnut, who made the gods, begot the
gods, and set the gods.» (2007AllenJP:55). The conclusion regarding the
natural emergence of other gods can be drawn from Recitation № 519 of the
tomb of Pepi II, constructed during the 6th Dynasty or around 2246–2152 BCE
(2007AllenJP:219). They gave birth to a second pair of gods: the earth god
Geb and the sky goddess Nut (2004РакИВ:25).
Consequently, the first and second pairs of divine twins were of different
sexes. Furthermore, since
the 5th Dynasty, a conception emerged that the god «Thoth appears to the
queen and foretells the birth of a son» (1920ТураевБА:44). Finally, the
«Three Tales of Wonder» (Papyrus Westcar, Hyksos period) tells of the birth
of three sets of twins (2006LichtheimM:1.220–221). |
|
24 And when her
days to be delivered were fulfilled, behold, there were twins in her womb. 25
And the first came out red, all over like a hairy garment; and they called
his name Esau. … 30 And Esau said to Jacob, Let me swallow down, I pray thee,
some of that yonder red pottage, for I am faint; therefore was his name
called Edom.
|
Chromatic Dualism There is a notable convergence in the use of the color red to encode a
character as a vessel of chaotic and aggressive energy, positioned in direct
opposition to the ordered cultural domain. |
Egypt With the passage
of time, the ancient thunder god Set was transformed into a «representative
of every evil (all red things), a true Satan, whose name was best left
unspoken» (2021МюллерМ:116). By the end
of the Middle Kingdom, Set came to be considered the «opposite» of Osiris—the
god of the desert, the personification of the evil principle—and began to be
associated with war, drought, and other calamities (2007РакИ:370). Plutarch (1st–2nd
century CE), commenting on the myth of Isis and Osiris, writes: «The
Egyptians relate that Hermes [Thoth] had short arms, Typhon [Set] was red,
Horus [Hor] was white, and Osiris was dark-skinned» (1996Плутарх:22). Further on, the ancient author adds:
«during festivals, the Egyptians mock, humiliate, and insult red-haired
people, and the inhabitants of Coptos, for example, knock a donkey down
because Typhon [Set] was red-haired and this is a donkey's color» (1996Плутарх:30). «Red or brown animals and reptiles
particularly symbolized Set» (2021МюллерМ:207). According
to Plutarch, «The Egyptians, believing that Typhon [Set] was red, also
sacrifice red bulls» (1996Плутарх:30). Furthermore, it is said that «On the third day, Set (Egypt. Seth) was
born, the son of Geb, a god in the form of a man with a beast’s muzzle, with
eyes red as the scorching desert sand and a red mane of the same color, the
lord of natural disasters and wars. He emerged from the side of his mother
Nut before the appointed time» (2007РакИ:94). The
«Metternich Stela» or «Stela of Horus on the Crocodiles» (approximately
378–360 BCE) narrates: «Know not the Black, speak not to the Red, make no
distinction between the son of a noble and a poor man» (1983ЛипинскаяЯ_МарцинякМ:169). Here,
«Black is Osiris (the color of fertile earth); Red is Set (the color of the
dead desert sands with which Set was associated)» (2007РакИ:176).
|
|
24 And when her
days to be delivered were fulfilled, behold, there were twins in her womb. 25
And the first came out red, all over like a hairy garment; and they called
his name Esau.
|
Iconographic Hypertrichosis The shared utilization of the image
of congenital hypertrichosis as a visual marker of power, intended to guard
the threshold of life and ward off chaos.
|
Egypt Bes was a
protective deity depicted as a shaggy dwarf. «From the 12th Dynasty onward,
the cult of Bes spread throughout Egypt» (2004РакИВ:259). «Shaggy dwarf-monsters known as Bes-gods, and their wives—the
goddesses Besit», were part of the retinue of the goddess Meskhenet, the
patroness of childbirth and assistant to midwives (2004РакИВ:125). It was believed that «the shaggy dwarfs Bes
and Besit would beat tambourines and, by making terrifying grimaces, drive
away snakes and scorpions that appeared in the home» (2004РакИВ:226).
|
|
24 And when her
days to be delivered were fulfilled, behold, there were twins in her womb. 25
And the first came out red, all over like a hairy garment; and they called
his name Esau. |
Congenital Hypertrichosis Both sources record a rare genetic anomaly (excessive body hair) as a
defining attribute of a character who symbolizes the potent, yet uncivilized,
forces of nature. |
Mesopotamia The Akkadian «Epic of Gilgamesh» describes the appearance of Enkidu with signs of
hypertrichosis: «In the wilderness(?) she created valiant Enkidu, born
of Silence, endowed with strength by Ninurta. His whole body was shaggy with
hair, he had a full head of hair like a woman, his locks billowed in
profusion like Ashnan.» (1989KovacsMG:6). The standard version of the «Epic
of Gilgamesh» was first written in the Old Babylonian period (1800–1600 BCE)
(1989KovacsMG:xxii).
|
|
26 And after that
came his brother out, his hand holding on to Esau's heel ; and his name was
called Jacob: and Isaac was sixty years old when she bore them. |
Mythopoetic Inversion The narrative arc of Jacob and Esau structurally replicates the
Egyptian dualism of Osiris and Set; consequently, it implies a paradigmatic
struggle between the protagonists.
|
Egypt We suggest that
Jacob is presented in the narrative as an analogue of Osiris. He is
contrasted with the «red» Esau, who personifies Set. At the same time, we
have formed the view that Joseph, son of Jacob, was intended by the author to
claim an analogy with Horus. Notably,
«The cult of Osiris achieved its broadest development only from the
time of the Middle Kingdom», while «every pharaoh acted as Horus in his
coronation mysteries» (1940МатьеМВ:62). Gradually,
there emerged a «deeply human and universally understandable image of a good
king, treacherously destroyed by an evil and cunning brother, who was then
avenged by the slain man's loving son, as well as the touching story of the
unfortunate wife and mother, Isis» (1983ЛипинскаяЯ_МарцинякМ:49). The legends of Osiris circulated in the
Nile Valley since deep antiquity and were reflected in the «Pyramid Texts» of
the 5th and 6th Dynasties (1980GriffithsJG).
|
|
26 And after that
came his brother out, his hand holding on to Esau's heel ; and his name was
called Jacob: and Isaac was sixty years old when she bore them. |
Obstetric Trauma The texts reflect an understanding
of abnormal labor mechanics; specifically, the presentation of fetal
extremities poses a risk of skeletal trauma, such as a humeral fracture—a
complication the probability of which was clearly recognized.
|
Egypt In the described abnormal
fetal position during childbirth, the upper limb is inevitably pressed by the
fetal head against the inner walls of the birth canal, which sometimes leads
to a fracture of the humerus (1994КоржАА_БондаренкоНС). Such an injury almost
certainly causes radial nerve palsy (1952Watson-JonesR). A fracture of the
humerus is mentioned in Case № 36 of the «Edwin Smith Papyrus», written in
1650–1550 BCE (1930BreastedJH:354; sae.saw-leipzig.de). Furthermore, the «Ebers Papyrus»
provides a remedy (Eb 800) intended for «extracting a child from a woman's
womb» (1889EbersG; sae.saw-leipzig.de). The «Ebers Papyrus» is dated to
1553–1550 BCE (1947CastiglioniA:49).
|
|
27 And the boys
grew up: and Esau was an expert hunter, a man of the field; and Jacob was a
plain man, dwelling in tents. 28 And Isaac loved Esau, because he did eat of
his venison ; but Rebekah loved Jacob. |
Archetypal Dualism The literary portraits of the
brothers in the Book of Genesis represent a direct anthropomorphic adaptation
of the Egyptian «Seth–Osiris» dichotomy, wherein Jacob’s meekness replicates
Osiris’s epithet, «The Benevolent Being» (Wennefer). |
Egypt According to the
myth, the god Set even went «on a night hunt in the River Delta» (2004РакИВ:80). Osiris was perceived as the «good king of the
deceased», while «his name Un(en)-nofer or Unnofru (Greek «Onuphris») — «The
Benevolent Being» — characterizes him as a very mild and the most benevolent
of all the gods» (2021МюллерМ:103–104). We suggest that
from the perspective of the author of the Genesis protograph, Jacob is the
earthly incarnation of Osiris, Esau is that of Set, and Rachel is an analogue
of Isis. In contrast to our view, T. Mann (1968) saw a resonance between the
misfortunes of Joseph, son of Jacob, and the fate of Osiris. Notably, «Initially, the
Egyptians perceived Osiris as a man who lived, like them, on earth, required
food and water, suffered a violent death, but with the help of the gods
overcame it and achieved eternal life. ... by the time of the 12th Dynasty
(ca. 2000 BCE), the worship of Osiris became almost universal» (2000БаджЭАУ). «Isis is a goddess of unknown origin,
usually appearing in anthropomorphic form. ... In myths, she figures as the
sister and wife of Osiris and the mother of Horus» (1983ЛипинскаяЯ_МарцинякМ:196).
|
|
27 And the boys
grew up: and Esau was an expert hunter, a man of the field; and Jacob was a
plain man, dwelling in tents. |
Socio-Economic Archetypes Both sources distinguish the figure
of the hunter as a specific personality type, positioned in opposition to the
sedentary lifestyle of urban or tent-based civilizations.
|
Mesopotamia
|
|
28 And Isaac
loved Esau, because he did eat of his venison ; but Rebekah loved Jacob. |
Legitimatization of
Parental Preference A similarity in their
recognition of the parental right to distinguish a «favored child», which,
within the Ancient Near Eastern context, served as a formal basis for
altering the social and patrimonial status of an heir. |
Mesopotamia The «Code of Hammurabi» (ca. 1760 BCE) defines the advantage of a «loved child»»: «§ 150. If a man give to his wife field, garden, house, or goods, and he
deliver to her a sealed deed, after (the death of) her husband, her children
cannot make claim against her. The mother after her (death) may will to her
child whom she loves, but to a brother she may not. <…> § 165. If a man present field, garden, or house to his
favourite son, and write for him a sealed deed ; after the father dies, when
the brothers divide, he shall take the present which the father gave him, and
over and above they shall divide the goods of the father's house equally.» (1920HandcockPSP:25,27).
|
|
30 And Esau said
to Jacob, Let me swallow down, I pray thee, some of that yonder red pottage,
for I am faint; therefore was his name called Edom. |
Liturgical Gastronomy Both sources document the use of specific red-colored foodstuffs as a
marker of a character's connection to either terrestrial (Geb, Osiris, Jacob)
or elemental (Seth, Esau) energies.
|
Egypt In Spell № 213 of
the «Coffin Texts» (ca. 2134–2040 BCE), we read: «I eat of red emmer, and
seven loaves are in the sky in On with Re, seven portions are [on earth] with
Geb, seven portions are with Osiris.» (1973FaulknerRO:170). Similarly, in Chapter CXXIV,
Plate № 23 of the «Book of the Dead» (New Kingdom), it is said of beer that
it is «brewed from the red barley of the Nile» (2003БаджЭАУ:260). Porridge made from this ancient cereal
could have a reddish tint.
|
|
31 And Jacob
said. Sell me this day thy right of first-born. 32 And Esau said. Behold, I
am going to die ; and what profit then can the right of first born be to me?
33 And Jacob said, Swear to me this day; and he swore unto him : and he sold
his right of first-born unto Jacob. 34 Then Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage
of lentiles, and he did eat and drink, and he rose up, and went his way; thus
Esau despised the birthright.
|
Juridical
Substitution There is a
convergence in the depiction of «birthright» (primogeniture) as an alienable
yet strictly regulated legal asset that dictates the hierarchical structure
of the lineage.
|
Egypt In Utterance №
641 (1814a-b) of the «Pyramid Texts» (2350–2175 BCE), it is stated: «Osiris
N., thou art the eldest son of Geb, his primogeniture, his heir.» (1952MercerSAB:445).
|
|
31 And Jacob
said. Sell me this day thy right of first-born. 32 And Esau said. Behold, I
am going to die ; and what profit then can the right of first born be to me?
33 And Jacob said, Swear to me this day; and he swore unto him : and he sold
his right of first-born unto Jacob. 34 Then Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage
of lentiles, and he did eat and drink, and he rose up, and went his way; thus
Esau despised the birthright.
|
Juridical
Substitution There is a
convergence in the depiction of «birthright» (primogeniture) as an alienable
yet strictly regulated legal asset that dictates the hierarchical structure
of the lineage. |
Mesopotamia
The Nuzi archive contained a contract (H67), according to which: «If Shurihil has a
son (of his own,) firstborn (he shall be;) a double share he shall take.
Shennima shall then be second and according to his allotment his inheritance
share he shall take.»
(1928SpeiserEA:32). The
cuneiform tablets from Nuzi date back to the mid-second millennium BCE
(1976SelmanMJ:114).
|
Rebecca
is Abraham's grandniece and Isaac's first cousin once removed:
11:27 Now
these are the generations of Terach : Terach begat Abram, Nachor, and Haran ;
and Haran begat Lot.
11:28 And
Haran died before his father Terach in the land of his nativity, in Ur of the
Chaldees.
11:29 And
Abram and Nachor took themselves wives; the name of Abram's wife was Sarai; and
the name of Nachor's wife was Milcah, the daughter of Haran, the father of
Milcah, and the father of Yiscah.
22:20 And
it came to pass after these things, that it was told to Abraham, saying.
Behold, Milcah, she also, hath born children unto Nachor thy brother;
22:21 Uz
his first born, and Buz his brother, and Kemuel the father of Aram,
22:23 And
Bethuel begat Rebekah ; these eight did Milcah bear to Nachor, Abraham's
brother.
24:15 And
it came to pass, before he had yet finished speaking, that, behold, Rebekah
came out, who was born to Bethuel, the son of Milcah, the wife of Nachor,
Abraham's brother, with her pitcher upon her shoulder,
24:24 And
she said unto him, I am the daughter of Bethuel the son of Milcah, whom she
bore unto Nachor.
24:29 And
Rehekah had a brother, and his name was Laban ; and Laban ran out unto the man,
unto the well.
25:20 And
Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah, the daughter of Bethuel the
Syrian, of Padiin-aram, the sister to Laban the Syrian, to himself as wife.
(The conclusion compiled by the AI agent, with our minor changes)
Preliminary Conclusion to the Analysis of Genesis Chapter 25
This study provides a comparative analysis of Genesis 25 against the corpus of Mesopotamian and Egyptian records from the 1800–1200 BCE period (Bronze Age). The findings categorize the identified parallels into specific disciplinary domains:
1. Juridical Demarcation of Inheritance (Mesopotamia, 18th–15th centuries
BCE)
Regulation of Collateral Heir Status: The practice of inter vivos
«gifting» (Gen. 25:6) to the sons of concubines for the purpose of alienating
them from the primary ancestral estate (land) is identical to the legal
mechanisms found in the Code of Hammurabi (§170–171) and the Nuzi Archives
(Contract H67).
Juridical Substitution (Primogeniture): The depiction of the «birthright» as an alienable asset subject to transaction or redistribution finds direct corroboration in Nuzi contract law regarding the «double share» of the heir.
2. Clinical Medicine and Obstetrics (Egypt, 18th–17th centuries BCE)
Prenatal Diagnostics: Methods for pregnancy verification and fetal
pathology identification in the text correlate with cases in the Kahun
Gynaecological Papyrus (~1825 BCE).
Obstetric Realism and Trauma: The description of abnormal labor
mechanics and the presentation of fetal extremities corresponds to the clinical
risks of humeral fractures, as documented in the Edwin Smith Surgical Papyrus.
This indicates the integration of empirical medical knowledge of the period
into the narrative.
Congenital Hypertrichosis: The recording of a rare genetic anomaly (excessive body hair) as a defining morphological trait finds a literary parallel in the description of Enkidu in the Epic of Gilgamesh (Old Babylonian version).
3. Archetypal and Structural Dualism (The Seth–Osiris Adaptation)
Mythopoetic Inversion: The literary portraits of the brothers function
as an anthropomorphic adaptation of the Egyptian Seth–Osiris dichotomy. Jacob’s
attributes replicate the «meekness» of Osiris (the Un-nefer or «Benevolent
Being»), while Esau embodies the characteristics of Seth.
Chromatic and Elemental Dualism: The use of the color red as a marker of
chaotic, aggressive energy and arid zones (the desert) is a direct adaptation
of the Egyptian code for «Red Seth», positioned in opposition to the ordered
cultural domain of Osiris.
Liturgical Gastronomy: The consumption of red foodstuffs (red emmer/barley) as a marker of connection to terrestrial or elemental energies is documented in the Coffin Texts and the Book of the Dead, explaining the specific choice of the «red pottage» in the plot.
4. Funerary Culture and Property Rights (Egypt/Levant)
Memorial-Legal Consolidation: The emphasis on the acquisition of a permanent funerary estate as a legally recognized real estate asset (the Cave of Machpelah) reflects the Egyptian tradition of «houses of eternity». The «Tale of Sinuhe» (Middle Kingdom) defines the ownership of a tomb as a marker of high socio-juridical status.
5. Ethno-Geographical and Chronological Verification
Toponymic and Ethnogenetic Markers: References to Northern Syrian
settlements (A-ra-muki) and the presence of Hittite (Indo-European) groups in
the Levant align with the migratory waves and cuneiform records of the early
2nd millennium BCE.
Chronological Hyperbolization: The use of anomalously high ages (175, 137) as a literary device to denote antiquity and legitimacy is identical to the Sumerian King List.
Summary
The comparative analysis of legal precedents (Nuzi, Hammurabi), medical papyri (Kahun, Edwin Smith), and mythological structures identifies the formative interval of the core information in Genesis 25 as the 18th–15th centuries BCE. The similarity in obstetric mechanics, the legal status of concubines, and funerary property rights indicates that the text is synchronous with the High Bronze Age. This excludes a late (post-exilic) origin for the primary source, as the specific medical and juridical realism of that era would have been inaccessible to later redactors.
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 8, 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 25. About round ligament of femur. March 8, 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
NB! Fair practice / use: copied for the purposes of criticism, review, comment, research and private study in accordance with Copyright Laws of the US: 17 U.S.C. §107; Copyright Law of the EU: Dir. 2001/29/EC, art.5/3a,d; Copyright Law of the RU: ГК РФ ст.1274/1.1-2,7
Comments
Post a Comment