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David Beatty 23 February 2016

BI 216 – Biblical Analysis and Exegesis

Exegetical Analysis of te !ebre" #ord !wo dyKi   kiydown

The Hebrew term kiydown or kidun has confounded linguists and military historians since

the translators of the Septuagint were unable to come to a common definition. It is Strong’s 3591and 359! "something to stri#e with! i.e. a dart $perhaps smaller than 595%& ' lance! shield! spear!target.(1 It deri)es from the root 35*9 kiyd to stri#e or to crush! so it was something to stri#e orcrush with! apparently smaller than chaniyth $Strong+s 595% a lance or spear used with athrusting motion li#e raising a tent! itself from chanah $Strong+s 5*3% to pitch a tent. Somescholars hold that kiydown would be something li#e a dart or small ,a)elin- hence mosttranslations render it ,a)elin.’ /f interest! modern Hebrew uses the term for a modern bayonet  but care must be ta#en when attempting to liguistically cast bac# 3000 years.

In 1 Samuel 1&25 oliath+s weapons are listed as chereb $cutting implement i.e. sword%!chaniyth $spear% and kiydown $4% so there is a notable difference between what the latter twoloo#ed li#e and what they were used for. In 1 Samuel 1& oliath+s kiydown was apparently

smaller than his chaniyth which had a point of iron weighing 00 she#els ' although his kiydown was bron6e its weight was unremar#able. oliath’s chaniyth has a shaft whereas none ismentioned for his kiydown. The bron6e kiydown is carried between his shoulders i.e. on his bac#and listed immediately after his bron6e mitschah $grea)es% leading some to belie)e kiydown iseither a form of armor or a shield $although oliath is specifically said to be e7uipped with scalearmor in 1 Samuel 1&5 and appears not to be carrying a shield as "his shield bearer went aheadof him( in 1 Samuel 1&%.

 Kiydown differs from the macca of 8ob 21& $dart or arrow%! and from towthach of 8ob21&9 $mace or club although some translations call this a dart or ,a)elin%. 8ob 21&9 reads "asstraw they: rec#on a towthach $Strong+s *255! bludgeon or club% and ridicule the smiting of akeylaph( $Strong+s 359! a club or hammer ; note the similarity to kiydown%.

1 Samuel 0&33 specifically notes that Saul threw his chaniyth at

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significance relati)e to its si6e or utility. It is probably $certainly4% not used as an arrow fitted toa bow- that term is chet  and clearly different in utility to kiydown. Some then belie)e thatkiydown is a light spear! ,a)elin or large dart that oliath might logically carry on his bac#!perhaps in a 7ui)er.

In 8oshua *&1*! 8oshua holds his kiydown aloft to signal the attac# of the ambush behind

Ei $cf 8ob 15&2%. 8oshua held his kiydown aloft for 7uite some time! until the town was sac#edand burned and all 1!000 inhabitants were #illed so it could not ha)e been a )ery hea)y weapon."8oshua+s holding his kidun aloft as a signal can be seen in two contets&

1% The e7uipping of the Hebrews with Lgyptian weaponry following the Med Seacrossing $8osephus! Enti7uities II.1.& Nn the ne!t day "oses #athered to#ether the weaponsof the $#yptians% which were brou#ht to the camp of the Hebrews by the current of the sea .N%

% The use of the mace as the status weapon of a commander $note traditionalportrayals of ?haraoh smiting enemies(2 i.e. the >armer ?allette and compare the >armermacehead engra)ed with that #ing’s name and the Scorpion macehead. The Lgyptian term for arounded stone mace was hed& and the more elongated mace mnw' which are no help as cognates$the Lgyptian term for a bron6e mace does not appear to be differentiated from a stone mace! or

has not yet been learned%.Encient E##adian has three terms for mace& #i( a((uḫ  meaning a wooden club or mace-nam )ruṣ ! sword! s7uared stic# or perhaps mace- and patarru perhaps meaning a battle mace ofcopper or bron6e. >one of these appear to be etymologically related to kiydown.

"E weapon carried between the shoulders suggests a two'handed sword or an ae. E two'handed sword would presumably still be a chrb! cf. the weaponry of the cherubim in enesis3&2 and of Cahweh himself in

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its own loop or sling for easy carriage $some Lgyptian mace hieroglyphs seem to ha)e thisfeature%.(11

So! while still a mystery! the balance of e)idence would point to the actual translation ofkiydown! Strong’s 3591 and 359 $and e)en 3593% to be a "mace( perhaps used as a symbol ofleadership.

11 Ibid.