Abdi-Heba

One of the Amarna letters. A letter from Abdi-Ḫeba of Jerusalem to the Egyptian Pharaoh Amenhotep III. 1st half of the 14th century BCE. From Tell el-Amarna, Egypt. Vorderasiatisches Museum, Berlin

Abdi-Ḫeba (Abdi-Kheba, Abdi-Ḫepat, or Abdi-Ḫebat) was a local chieftain of Jerusalem during the Amarna period (mid-1330s BC). Egyptian documents have him deny he was a mayor (ḫazānu) and assert he is a soldier (we'w), the implication being he was the son of a local chief sent to Egypt to receive military training there.

Also unknown is whether he was part of a dynasty that governed Jerusalem or whether he was put on the throne by the Egyptians. Abdi-Ḫeba himself notes that he holds his position not through his parental lineage but by the grace of Pharaoh, but this might be flattery rather than an accurate representation of the situation. At this time the area he administered from his garrison may have had a population of fifteen hundred people and Jerusalem would have been a 'small highlands stronghold' in the fourteenth century BC with no fortifications or large buildings.

Origin Abdi-Ḫeba's name can be translated as "servant of Ḫebat", a Hurrian goddess. Whether Abdi-Ḫeba was himself of Hurrian descent is unknown. There is a mix of Canaanite and Hurrian influences (cf. Mitanni Empire) in this region.

Correspondence with Egypt During Abdi-Ḫeba's reign the region was under attack from marauding bands of Habiru. He made frequent pleas to the Pharaoh of Egypt, for an army or, at least, an officer to command. He also made other requests for military aid in fighting off his enemies, both Canaanite warlords and bands of Apiru:

As a result, conspiracy charges are made against Abdi-Ḫeba, who defended himself strenuously in his correspondence with Pharaoh.

Abdi-Ḫeba's ultimate fate is unknown.

Letters (6) from Abdi-Ḫeba's to the King of Egypt Abdi-Ḫeba was the author of letters EA 285–290.

EA 285—title: "The soldier-ruler of Jerusalem" EA 286—title: "A throne granted, not inherited" EA 287—title: "A very serious crime" EA 288—title: "Benign neglect" EA 289—title: "A reckoning demanded" EA 290—title: "Three against one"