The Nuzi Tablets are a collection of over 5,000 clay tablets inscribed in the Akkadian language, discovered in the 1920s and 1930s. These tablets provide valuable insights into the social, economic, and legal customs of the Hurrians, an ancient civilization that lived in the region of Nuzi (modern-day Yorghan Tepe, Iraq) around the 15th-14th centuries BCE. The Nuzi Tablets are considered significant for Biblical studies, as they offer a glimpse into the daily life and culture of the people living in the area during the time of the Patriarchs. The tablets discuss the activities of roughly six generations of its citizens over a little less than a 100 year period (1440-1340) BCE.
Discovery
The Nuzi Tablets were discovered during a series of archaeological excavations conducted by American and British teams in the 1920s and 1930s at the site of Yorghan Tepe, near the modern city of Kirkuk in Iraq. The majority of the tablets were found in private homes and public archives, indicating their widespread use in ancient Nuzi.
Notable Aspects
The Nuzi Tablets are considered an essential source for understanding the daily life and culture of the ancient Hurrians. They contain records of various transactions, legal disputes, and family affairs. Some of these records have parallels with the Biblical narratives of the Patriarchs, such as the story of Abraham and his wife Sarah. While the tablets do not directly mention any Biblical figures, their content sheds light on the customs and practices that would have been familiar to the characters in the Old Testament.
For example, some Nuzi texts describe practices similar to those found in the story of Jacob and Laban, including the use of household idols (teraphim) and the custom of marrying a deceased brother’s wife (levirate marriage). These similarities help scholars better understand the cultural and historical context in which the Biblical narratives took place.
Year of Creation
The Nuzi Tablets date back to the 15th-14th centuries BCE, during the Late Bronze Age. This dating is based on several factors, including the archaeological context in which the tablets were found, the stratigraphic layers at the site of Yorghan Tepe, and the historical chronology of the Hurrian civilization. The tablets contain references to certain rulers and historical events, which helps in determining their age. For example, some Nuzi Tablets mention the names of Hurrian kings and their interactions with neighboring powers, such as the Hittite and Assyrian empires. By comparing these references to other historical sources and chronologies, scholars have been able to establish a more accurate timeline for the creation of these tablets.
Relevant Quotations
Although the Nuzi Tablets do not directly quote from the Bible, they contain passages that reference customs that align with the stories in the Biblical narratives. Some examples of these include:
The adoption of a slave to secure inheritance rights: This resembles the situation of Abraham and his slave Eliezer (Genesis 15:2-4):
“The adoption tablet of Nashwi son of Arshenni. He adopted Wullu son of Puhishenni. As long as Nashwi lives, Wullu shall give (him) food and clothing. When Nashwi dies, Wullu shall be the heir. Should Nashwi beget a son, (the latter) shall divide equally with Wullu but (only) Nashwi’s son shall take Nashwi’s gods. But if there be no son of Nashwi’s, then Wullu shall take Nashwi’s gods. And (Nashwi) has given his daughter Nuhuya as wife to Wullu. And if Wullu takes another wife, he forfeits Nashwi’s land and buildings. Whoever breaks the contract shall pay one mina of silver (and) one mina of gold.”
[Source: “Selected Writings of Cyrus H. Gordon”| https://ia801008.us.archive.org/7/items/GordonStudies19331982/Gordon_Studies_1933-1982.pdf}
The use of a maidservant as a surrogate mother: This resembles the situation found between Sarah, Abraham, and Hagar (Genesis 16:1-4):
“If Gilimninu bears children, Shennima shall not take another wife. But if Gilimninu fails to bear children, Gilimninu shall get for Shennima a woman from Lullu country (a slave girl) as concubine. In that case, Gilimninu herself shall have authority over her offspring.”
[Source: Footnote on Genesis 16:2 | John H. Walton, Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible, Zondervan, 2016}
“Tablet of daughtership and brideship of Akiptilla, the son of Aripharpa; his daughter Wishelli, into daughtership and into brideship he gave to Takku, the son on Ennamati. Takku, if he wishes, shall give Wishelli as wife to his slave ___ and if he chooses she shall be given to a slave that has been taken into sonship. Or, if he so desires, Takku himself may take her as wife”
[Source: “Selected ‘Kirkuk’ Documents” by Edward Chiera and Ephraim A. Speiser | https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/593240.pdf}
The marriage custom of the bride-price: This resembles the practices seen in the story of Jacob, Leah, and Rachel (Genesis 29:18-30):
“Aripeya, the son of La ______ gave his daughter, Mushatil, into daughtership and into brideship to Tehiptilla. And as for Tehiptilla, Mushatil unto (one of) his slaves ______ shall be a wife. As long as Mushatil lives, she shall not leave the
house of Tehiptilla. Whoever withdraws shall supply one mina of silver and one mina of gold. Twenty shekels of pure silver Tehiptilla gave to Aripeya as a bridal price, and for these twenty shekels he (Aripeya) gave away his daughter.”
[Source: “Selected ‘Kirkuk’ Documents” by Edward Chiera and Ephraim A. Speiser | https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/593240.pdf}