Dudu or David -Joseph in Egypt

These letters were written in the Babylonian language and was found at El-'Amarna in egypt. Many were written to Amenophis III and Amenophis IV, Kings of Egypt, 1411-1357 b.c. Many were written by Egyptian vasals in Palestine and Syria. Two were written to a Semite named Dudu (David),. He held a position much like that of Joseph in Genesis 41:39f; 50:26)

Letter I
  1. To Dudu, my lord, my father,
  2. Speaks Aziru, thy son, they servant:
  3. at the feet of my father I fall.
  4. Unto my father may there b health!
  5. O Dudu, truly I have given (i.e., done)
  6. the wish of thy king, my lord,
  7. And whatever is the wish
  8. of the king, my lord, let him send
  9. and I will give (do) it.
  10. Further: see, thou art there,
  11. my father, and whatever is the wish
  12. of Dudu, fy father, send it
  13. and I will indeed give (do) it.
  14. Behold, thou art my father and my lord
  15. and I am thy son. The lands of the Amorites
  16. are thy lands, and my house is thy house,
  17. and whatever thy wish is,
  18. send, and I
  19. shall behold, and verily will give (do) iut.
  20. Anbd see, thou in the presence of
  21. the king, my lord, sittest.
  22. .....enemies
  23. words of slander
  24. before my father, before
  25. the king, my lord, have spoken,
  26. but do thou not count them just!
  27. and behold thou in the presence
  28. of they king, my lord, as a dignitary
  29. sittest......
  30. and the words of slander
  31. against me do not count true.
  32. Also I am a servant of the king, my lord,
  33. and from the words of the king, my lord,
  34. and from the words of Dudu, my father,
  35. I shall not depart forever.
  36. but when the king, my lord, does not love me,
  37. but hates me,
  38. then I -- what shall I say?
 
Letter II
 
  1. To Dudu, my lord, my father,
  2. Speaks Aziru, thy servant;
  3. at the feet of my lord I fall.
  4. Khatib has come
  5. and has brought the words
  6. of the king, my lord, important and good,
  7. and I am very, very glad,
  8. and my land and my brethren,
  9. the servants of the king, my lord,
  10. and the servants of Dudu, my lord,
  11. are very, very glad,
  12. when there comes
  13. they breath of the king, my lord,
  14. unto me. From the words
  15. of my lord, my god, my sun-god.
  16. and from the words of Dudu,
  17. my lord, I hall not depart.
  18. My lord, truly Khatib
  19. stands with me.
  20. I and he will come.
  21. My lord, the king of the Hittites
  22. has come intu Nukhashshi,
  23. so that I cannot come.
  24. Would that the king of the Hittites would depart!
  25. The truly I would come,
  26. I and Khatib.
  27. May the king, my lord, my words,
  28. hear! My lord, I fear
  29. on account of the face of the king, my lord,
  30. and on account of the face of Dudu.
  31. And now by my gods
  32. and my angels verily I have sworn,
  33. O Dudu and nobles
  34. of the king, my lord, that truly I will come.
  35. And so, Dudu
  36. and the king, my lord, and the nobles,
  37. "Truly we will not conceive anything
  38. against Aziru that is unfovorable,"--
  39. even thus may ye swear
  40. by my gods and the God A!
  41. And truly I
  42. and Khatib are faithful servants of the king.
  43. O Dudu, thou shalt truly know
  44. that I will come to thee.
The Aziru of these letters was the chieftain or petty king of the Amorites, who were living eastward of Phoenicia, between the Lebanon and the Anti-Lebanon mountains. Dudu is classed continually with the king. Aziru fears to offend Dudu as he fears to offend the king. Dudu occupoed a powerful role with the king of Egypt similar to that ascribed to Joseph in Genesis 41. Dudu is semitic, vocalized much like David.
 
 
Source: George A Barton, Archaeology and the Bible, 7th edition, p. 368-370
 
 

 
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