Who Were the Hapiru?

Alice C. Linsley

My friend Salamatou Naino Idi has asked if the Hapiru are related to the ancient Hebrews. This is a perfect question for a biblical anthropologist!

Probably the Hapiru were those who attended the deity in the temple. A temple was considered the mansion—hâît, or the house—pirû—of the god, so Ha-piru would mean those who served at the temple or water shrine of their god. In the case of Abraham's people this term would apply to the caste of Horite priests. The word is found among the ancient Dravidians who referred to their East-oriented temples as Opiru, meaning "Sun House."

Some scholars believe that the Hapiru or Habiru are related to the proto-Hebrews or Canaanites who are listed in the Amarna Letters. In these 14th century B.C. letters, written in the language of Nimrod's city of Akkad, the name Habiru is found among the names of other Canaanite peoples. Akkadian is an Afro-Asiatic language and Nimrod was a Kushite kingdom builder.  The name Hapiru probably doesn't designate a tribal group, but rather a caste of priests who were dispersed among Afro-Arabian and Afro-Asiatic peoples.

In the ancient Egyptian nibit piru means lady of the house. However, in the proto-Saharan languages p is replaced by b so that Hapiru also appears as Habiru.

Another explanation involves the predynastic name for the Nile: hapi. Hapi-ru may corresponds to the Egyptian word for the priest who works at Nile temples. The Egyptians called the Hapiru pr.w.  The w represents the Egyptian plural suffix. The priests of Horus - called "Horites" - were hapiru. They spread their worldview and their devotion to Horus, the son of God, across the ancient Afro-Asiatic Dominion.  So it is very possible that the priests among Abraham's Horite people were also called Hapiru.

Priests had certain requirements to meet while they were on duty. They wore only linen or clothing made from plants. Clothing made from animals was not permitted. (Here we see another difference between the priest and the shaman.) They shaved their heads and bodies daily. Cold water baths were taken several times a day. They practiced sexual abstinence while performing their duties at the temple.

Because the piru housed the deity, only the high priest was allowed to enter the most sacred area of the temple and approach the statue representing the god. The people prayed at the gate or in the court. They directed their prayers to their ruler who acted as a mediator between his people and the deity.


Related reading:  Who Were the Horites?; The Afro-Asiatic Dominion; The Spread of the Afro-Asiatic Dominion; Horite Priests and the Hapiru