90 THEO. G. PINCHES : ON CERTAIN INSCRIPTIONS^ ETC. 



At the Meeting of the Victoria Institute at whicli the investi- 

 gation of this subject was commenced the discussion was of a 

 conversational character. Proof copies of the first eight pages of 

 the paper were sent to members, especially known Assyriologists, 

 among these Professors Hommel, Sayce, and others whose co- 

 operation was desired. 



The following letter, written by the Rev. Professor A. H. Sayce, 

 D.D., refers to one of the very interesting points involved in the 

 matter investigated. 



Assuan, February 18, 1896. 



I believe that we have at last an explanation of the enig- 

 matical title given to Tidal in the 14th chapter of Genesis, " Tidal 

 King of Nations." Mr. Pinches read a very interesting paper on 

 the important Babylonian texts recently discovered by him wliich 

 relate to Kndur-Lagamar or Chedor-laomer, Tiidkhula or Tid'al, 

 and Eri-Aker or Arioch. They are, unfortunately, all more or 

 less mutilated; but one of them states that Kudnr-Lagamar 

 " assembled the Umman-Manda " or " nomad hordes " of the East 

 when he " did evil " to the people and land of Bel. The Biblical 

 Goyyim " nations " would be the Hebrew equivalent of the Baby- 

 lonian Umman-Manda ; and in Tidal, therefore, 1 see a king of the 

 nomad hordes who adjoined Elam on the north. This throws light 

 upon a passage in the great Babylonian work on astronomy which 

 runs as follows : 



" The Umman-Manda come and rule the land ; the mercy-seats 

 of the great gods are removed ; Bel goes to Elam. It is prophesied 

 that after thirty years the vanquished (?) shall be restored, and 

 that the great gods shall return with them. " 



As Kudur-Lagamar was King of Elam, we can understand why 

 the consequence of the incursion of the Umman-Manda was that 

 Bel should go to Elam. I inay add that the texts discovered by 

 Mr. Pinches seem to be oracles addressed to the Babylonian King 

 Khammurabi. 



