Shamgar son of Anath by Daniel Block (3:31)

The name of this deliverer is a riddle. Since the Hebrew vocabulary (like that of most Semitic languages) is based on triliteral roots, the presence of four strong consonants š-m-g-r suggests he was not an Israelite.[i] The presence of analogous forms of the name in Nuzi texts suggests he may have been a Hurrian mercenary.[ii] Equally puzzling is his characterization as ben Anat (“son of Anath”).[iii] In the past interpreters have assumed this meant Shamgar was a resident of Beth-Anath in Galilee.[iv] Now it seems more likely this is a dedicatory expression: Shamgar was devoted to the service of Anath.[v]

What this means can be learned from extrabiblical sources. In Canaanite mythology Anath was at the same time the consort of Baal and Canaanite goddess of war.[vi] But the fame of Anath extended far beyond Palestine. At the beginning of the nineteenth dynasty, she was accepted into the Egyptian pantheon, functioning particularly as the goddess of war and personal protectress of the pharaoh.[vii]

Of special interest is an inscription from the Wadi Hammâmaât dated in the third year of Ramesses IV (1166–60 b.c.), which reads, “’prw of the troop of ‘An[ath] eight hundred men.”[viii] On the assumption that the same Egyptian troop had fought against the Sea Peoples during the reign of Ramesses III (1198–1166 b.c.), Shupak suggests that Shamgar may have been one of these ‘prw (habiru), among whom were found a variety of ethnic elements, including Hurrians. As a member of an Apiru troop of mercenaries in Pharaoh’s army named after the Canaanite goddess of war and as a man of valor, Shamgar bore the widely used military cognomen, Ben Anath.[ix] Since at first the Sea Peoples’ base of land operations in Palestine was located in northern Lebanon and the Song of Deborah associates Shamgar with problems in northern Israel, the latter’s confrontation with the Philistines probably occurred in the north at the beginning of the twelfth century b.c. As an officer under the command of the Egyptian Pharaoh, Shamgar ben Anath was not intentionally serving Israelite interests.[x]

  Bible Backgrounds is a series of weekly blog posts leading up to the fall 2009 release of the Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary: Old Testament. Each post is written by John H. Walton, the general editor for the five volumes. ZIBBCOT is the product of thirty international specialists; their work and expertise will also be represented throughout this series.