Endnote 32 – From the Land of the Bow

Ziony Zevit, citing Greenfield in support, argues that ebed in Jeremiah should be translated as “vassal.” Zevit notes an Ugaritic letter (UT 2062) from the king to an official named Yadan, who is referred to as ‘bd.mlk (ebedmelech). See Zevit, “The Use of db[ as a Diplomatic Term in Jeremiah,” Journal of Biblical Literature 88 (1969), pp. 74–77; and Jonas Greenfield, “Some Treaty Terminology in the Bible,” Fourth World Congress of Jewish Studies: Papers Vol. I (1967), pp. 117–119.