[1] See the pioneering study of Gordon, C. H., ‘Belt-Wrestling in the Bible World’, HUCA 23 (1950), 131–40Google Scholar, and note statuary shown in Frankfort, H., More Sculpture from the Diyala Region (Chicago, 1943)Google Scholar, plate 54 et seq. Ancient statuary from the Mediterranean region often depicts heroes wearing (only) the wrestling belt even though not engaged in combat.

[2] See Sukenik, Y., ‘Let the young men, I Pray Thee, Arise and Play before Us’, JPOS 21 (1948), 110–16Google Scholar. As observed by Gordon, op. cit. 132 and idem, Ugaritic Literature (Rome, 1949), p. 124Google Scholar, the word with the technical meaning of ‘warrior’ appears not only as a Canaanite loanword in Egyptian, but in the Ugaritic tablets as well, where signifies a class of warriors.

[3] On the blood feud, cf. bibliography in Levine, E., ‘On Intra-Familial Institutions of the Bible’, Bib. 57:4 (1976), 554–9.Google Scholar

[4] On etymology of the wrestling belt, cf. infra, n. 6, 9 and 10. In the statuary referred to supra, contestants are shown grasping their opponents' belts, and victors are depicted holding aloft their prostrate foe's belt. For mythological references, see Gordon, ‘Belt Wrestling in the Bible World’, 131, citing the Enûma Eliš, where Ea vanquishes Apsu by removing his warrior belt and crown.

[5] Abner's subsequent death at the hands of Joab is recorded in 2 Sam. 3. 27.

[6] See Brown, F., Driver, S. R., Briggs, C. A., A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (Oxford, 1959), pp. 25Google Scholar, 291 f. and 322 f. Also note usages in Jastrow, M., A Dictionary of the Targumim, The Talmud Babli and Yerushalmi, and the Midrashic Literature (New York, 1950), pp. 38 and 424.Google Scholar

[7] See Nu. 31. 5 and 32. 21, Josh. 4. 13 and 6. 7 and Is. 15.4.

[8] Gordon, op. cit. 133 relates, ‘I first observed the phenomenon on Mesopotamian seal cylinders (Iran 6, 1939, 4–5)Google Scholar. It was not until 1948, however, that I realized (JNES 7, 264) that ‘…’ (2 Kg. 3. 21) ‘and there were mobilized from all girding a belt and above’ (i.e. every man above minimum fighting age was called to the colours) presupposes belt-wrestling. In the course of time, to be sure, came to apply to the putting on of swords and other equipment of war; just as may possibly have developed into ‘a soldier's battle gear’. But the original meaning of ‘wrestling-belt is unmistakable’. What Gordon did not mention is that both in Biblical Hebrew and in Aramaic, the verb signifies ‘to plunder’, or ‘to despoil’ (see 2 Sam. 2. 21 and Ju. 14. 9) i.e. ‘to seize the wrestling belt’, which lends further weight to his conclusive observations.

[9] On the court usage reflected in Job 38. 3 and 40. 7, cf. Gordon, C. H., ‘The Dialect of the Nuzu Tablets’, Orientalia 7 (1938), 32–63 and 215–32Google Scholar. Although belt-wrestling appears to be part of Nuzu jurisprudence, in the Bible itself it appears to be no more than a figure of speech.

[10] διò àναζωσáμενοι τàςòøύας τῇς διανοíας ùμ⋯ν.

[11] Similarly, the idea of girding for action is found in Luke's charge to be on guard and ever-watchful, ‘Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning (Lk. 12. 35).’ The faithful servants are to be rewarded in kind, for when the Lord returns, he shall gird on his own belt, and shall protect and serve them: ‘Blessed are those servants whom the Lord when he cometh shall find waiting; verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them (v. 37).’

[12] Note the extra-biblical personal name found on a Judean seal (Reifenberg, A., IEJ 4 (1954), 140).Google Scholar See in Unquad, A., Aramaische Papyrus aus Elephantine (Leipzig, 1911)Google Scholar, nr. 85 line 19, and the Punic pi'el form meaning ‘deliver’ or ‘save’, in Hoftijzer, C. J., Dictionnaire des Inscriptiones Semitiques d'Ouest (Leiden, 1965)Google Scholar. Finally, see various usages contained in von Soden, W., Akkadisches Handworterbuch (Weisbaden, 1959)Google Scholar, 311a, 312a and 313b, and discussion in Heltzer, M., ‘Eighth Century B.C. Inscriptions from Kalakh (Nimrud)’, PEQ 1978, 3–9.CrossRefGoogle Scholar

[13] καì περιεζωσμένοι τà σγήθη ζώνας χρυοāς.

[14] For extremely precious wrestling-belts in mythology, cf. Gordon, C. H., Ugaritic Mythology, p. 134Google Scholar, and idem, ‘Belt-Wrestling in the Bible World’, 133, q. Gilgamesh Epic (VII, iv, 5). Note Old Testament reference in 2 Sam. 18. 11, where precious wrestling belts are used as gifts. A possible New Testament reference may be the description of ‘One like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle (Rev. 1. 13).’ That the ‘girdle’ may be an article of battle dress is suggested by the battle-gear mentioned subsequently, viz., ‘… and out of his mouth went a sharp two-edged sword (v. 16)’.

[15] σγ⋯γε ο⋯ν περιζωσ⋯μενοι τἱν ⋯σøἱν ἱμ⋯ν έν άληθεία, καᾳ κνδυσάμενοι το⋯ θώρακα τῇς δικαιοσύνης.

[16]

[17] See again Gordon, op. cit., p. 134 for insight into the Isaiah passage.

[18] κaì τlθησιν τá ίμáτια, καì λαβών λέντιον διέζωσεν èαυτόν.

[19] See note 1, and cases where the hero wears only the belt. (As a parenthetic aside, the significance of Jesus' act is further enhanced when it is recognized that according to the Talmud, a disciple may be required to perform all services for his master that a slave may perform, except for ‘the removing of the sandal’ (TB Ketûbôt 96A).)

[20] I note some related usage in classical Jewish texts: the talmudic prayer contains the phrase, ‘And gird thyself with thy mercy (TB Berakôt 16B).’ The midrash speaks of ‘girding his loins in bold prayer’ (Gen. Rabbah ad Gen. 25. 21) and ‘he girt himself in prayer’ (Ex. Rabbah, 43).