franklinmonroe
Active Member
In 2007 Dr. Michael Jursa deciphered an inscription on a clay cuniform artifact at the British Museum which is now known as the Nebo-Sarsekim Tablet. The museum had acquired it in 1920, but it had remained in storage unpublished; archaeologists had in the 1870s unearthed the clay document in the ancient city of Sippar (near modern Baghdad); it is dated to 595BC, the 10th year of Nebuchadnezzar II --
The transliterated foreign word "rabsaris" is rab-cariyc (Strong's #7249) meaning the chief eunuch, a high ranking Babylonian official; this term is also found in 2 Kings 18:17 and Jeremiah 39:13.
Wycliffe (and Coverdale, Geneva, Bishop's, Darby) seems to list eight princes; the KJV and LXX translation gives the appearance of six names; Young's rendering gives the impression of four named officers; the NIV indicates only three persons (the NIV's footnote is: Or Nergal-Sharezer, Samgar-Nebo, Sarsekim). Josephus would to seem to believe there was five men --
Dr Jursa’s translation of the Babylonian tablet proves that his name was really pronounced as Nabu-sharrussu-ukin, and gives the same title, ‘chief eunuch’, in cuneiform script, thereby confirming the accuracy of the Biblical account." (read more at http://www.24hourmuseum.org.uk/nwh_gfx_en/ART48827.html )
Irving Finkel, assistant keeper in the British Museum's Middle East Department, was very excited: "This is a fantastic discovery," he told The Telegraph, "a world-class find. If Nevo-Sarsekim existed, [then] which other lesser figures in the Old Testament existed? A throwaway detail in the Old Testament turns out to be accurate and true. I think that it means that the whole of the narrative [of Jeremiah] takes on a new kind of power."
(read more at http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/123041)
Jeremiah 39:3 --Irving Finkel, assistant keeper in the British Museum's Middle East Department, was very excited: "This is a fantastic discovery," he told The Telegraph, "a world-class find. If Nevo-Sarsekim existed, [then] which other lesser figures in the Old Testament existed? A throwaway detail in the Old Testament turns out to be accurate and true. I think that it means that the whole of the narrative [of Jeremiah] takes on a new kind of power."
(read more at http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/123041)
and alle the princes of the kyng of Babiloyne entriden, and saten in the myddil yate, Veregel, Fererer, Semegar, Nabusarrachym, Rapsaces, Neregel, Sereser, Rebynag, and alle othere princes of the kyng of Babiloyne. (Wycliffe)
And all the princes of the king of Babylon came in, and sat in the middle gate, [even] Nergalsharezer, Samgarnebo, Sarsechim, Rabsaris, Nergalsharezer, Rabmag, with all the residue of the princes of the king of Babylon. (KJV)
And all the leaders of the king of Babylon went in, and sat in the middle gate, Marganasar, and Samagoth, and Nabusachar, and Nabusaris, Nagargas, Naserrabamath, and the rest of the leaders of the king of Babylon, (Brenton's translation of Jeremiah 46:3, Septuagint)
and come in do all the heads of the king of Babylon, and they sit at the middle gate, Nergal-Sharezer, Samgar-Nebo, Sarsechim, chief of the eunuchs, Nergal-Sharezer, chief of the Mages, and all the rest of the heads of the king of Babylon. (Young)
Then all the officials of the king of Babylon came and took seats in the Middle Gate: Nergal-Sharezer of Samgar, Nebo-Sarsekim a chief officer, Nergal-Sharezer a high official and all the other officials of the king of Babylon. (NIV)
Notice that (in three of the above versions) there seems to be two persons with the same "Nergal-Sharezer" name; but isn't also possible that there could have been more than one Babylonian named "Nebo-Sarsekim"? So, the one named in Jeremiah could be a different person than the one mentioned on the tablet.And all the princes of the king of Babylon came in, and sat in the middle gate, [even] Nergalsharezer, Samgarnebo, Sarsechim, Rabsaris, Nergalsharezer, Rabmag, with all the residue of the princes of the king of Babylon. (KJV)
And all the leaders of the king of Babylon went in, and sat in the middle gate, Marganasar, and Samagoth, and Nabusachar, and Nabusaris, Nagargas, Naserrabamath, and the rest of the leaders of the king of Babylon, (Brenton's translation of Jeremiah 46:3, Septuagint)
and come in do all the heads of the king of Babylon, and they sit at the middle gate, Nergal-Sharezer, Samgar-Nebo, Sarsechim, chief of the eunuchs, Nergal-Sharezer, chief of the Mages, and all the rest of the heads of the king of Babylon. (Young)
Then all the officials of the king of Babylon came and took seats in the Middle Gate: Nergal-Sharezer of Samgar, Nebo-Sarsekim a chief officer, Nergal-Sharezer a high official and all the other officials of the king of Babylon. (NIV)
The transliterated foreign word "rabsaris" is rab-cariyc (Strong's #7249) meaning the chief eunuch, a high ranking Babylonian official; this term is also found in 2 Kings 18:17 and Jeremiah 39:13.
Wycliffe (and Coverdale, Geneva, Bishop's, Darby) seems to list eight princes; the KJV and LXX translation gives the appearance of six names; Young's rendering gives the impression of four named officers; the NIV indicates only three persons (the NIV's footnote is: Or Nergal-Sharezer, Samgar-Nebo, Sarsekim). Josephus would to seem to believe there was five men --
The names of these generals who ravaged and subdued Jerusalem, if any one desire to know them, were these: Nergal Sharezer, Samgar Nebo, Rabsaris, Sorsechim, and Rabmag. (W. Whiston's English translation of Antiquities of the Jews, Book 10, section 135)
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