The word hippodrome appears twice in the following OG LXX passage of the Torah; and being that this is the Torah we can be quite sure this passage was rendered some two hundred years before Herod "the great" was even born. Therefore it does not speak of a literal horse racing track built by any of the Herodians, but rather, quite clearly speaks simply concerning the circle roundabout the circumjacent region found on the map, which is the hippodrome circle roundabout the Yabbok ford where Yaakob crossed the Yarden River.
Genes 48:7 OG LXX
48:7 εγω δε ηνικα ηρχομην εκ μεσοποταμιας της συριας απεθανεν ραχηλ η μητηρ σου εν γη χανααν εγγιζοντος μου κατα τον ιπποδρομον χαβραθα της γης του ελθειν εφραθα και κατωρυξα αυτην εν τη οδω του ιπποδρομου αυτη εστιν βαιθλεεμ
http://bibledatabase.net/html/septuagint/01_048.htm
Genesis 48:7 LXX-Septagint Brenton Translation
7 And as for me, when I came out of Mesopotamia of Syria, Rachel, thy mother, died in the land of Chanaan, as I drew night to the horse-course of Chabratha of the land of Chanaan, so as to come to Ephratha; and I buried her in the road of the course; this is Bethlehem.
Original Wiki-Commons Credit
Mahanaim is the southern tip of the cities of Yair or Havoth-Yair, (Joshua 13:29, 30).
And therefore it is Yhudah beyond Yarden, (because of 1 Chronicles 2:21, 22).
And yet again from Judges 2:1 we find a curious mention of Bethel in the LXX-Septuagint, which does not appear in the Hebrew Masorete text, as follows:
Judges 2:1 LXX-Septagint Brenton Translation
1 And an angel of the Lord went up from Galgal to the place of weeping, and to Baethel, and to the house of Israel, and said to them, Thus says the Lord, I brought you up out of Egypt, and I brought you into the land which I sware to your fathers; and I said, I will never break my covenant that I have made with you.
Why does Bethel not appear in the Hebrew text?
Judges 2:1 KJV
1 And an angel of the LORD came up from Gilgal to Bochim, and said, I made you to go up out of Egypt, and have brought you unto the land which I sware unto your fathers; and I said, I will never break my covenant with you.
More importantly where is Gilgal or Galgal on the map in relationship to the Bethel of which this speaks? There are more than one place called Bethel, and the same is true for many cities of ancient Yisrael, including Beth-Lehem. Even more importantly what does Bochim mean? It is clear that this means weeping but is used as a name. The reference to Rachel weeping for her children is lost in the Hebrew text because Bethel has been removed from the text. Bochim is within the hippodrome-circle of the Yabbok crossing wherein is also Bethel.
Jeremiah 31:15-17 KJV
15 Thus saith the LORD; A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation, and bitter weeping; Rahel weeping for her children refused to be comforted for her children, because they were not.
16 Thus saith the LORD; Refrain thy voice from weeping, and thine eyes from tears: for thy work shall be rewarded, saith the LORD; and they shall come again from the land of the enemy.
17 And there is hope in thine end, saith the LORD, that thy children shall come again to their own border.
The above passage is a cryptic reference to Bochim, the place of weeping, not only where Rachel must have died but likewise the statement of Jeremiah, Rachel weeping for her children, which is quoted in Matthew 2:18 concerning these things. The OP is therefore blind as a bat, and cannot even be sure of his own understanding of Josephus, that is, when Josephus uses the word hippodrome. :chuckle:
Genes 48:7 OG LXX
48:7 εγω δε ηνικα ηρχομην εκ μεσοποταμιας της συριας απεθανεν ραχηλ η μητηρ σου εν γη χανααν εγγιζοντος μου κατα τον ιπποδρομον χαβραθα της γης του ελθειν εφραθα και κατωρυξα αυτην εν τη οδω του ιπποδρομου αυτη εστιν βαιθλεεμ
http://bibledatabase.net/html/septuagint/01_048.htm
Genesis 48:7 LXX-Septagint Brenton Translation
7 And as for me, when I came out of Mesopotamia of Syria, Rachel, thy mother, died in the land of Chanaan, as I drew night to the horse-course of Chabratha of the land of Chanaan, so as to come to Ephratha; and I buried her in the road of the course; this is Bethlehem.
Original Wiki-Commons Credit
Mahanaim is the southern tip of the cities of Yair or Havoth-Yair, (Joshua 13:29, 30).
And therefore it is Yhudah beyond Yarden, (because of 1 Chronicles 2:21, 22).
And yet again from Judges 2:1 we find a curious mention of Bethel in the LXX-Septuagint, which does not appear in the Hebrew Masorete text, as follows:
Judges 2:1 LXX-Septagint Brenton Translation
1 And an angel of the Lord went up from Galgal to the place of weeping, and to Baethel, and to the house of Israel, and said to them, Thus says the Lord, I brought you up out of Egypt, and I brought you into the land which I sware to your fathers; and I said, I will never break my covenant that I have made with you.
Why does Bethel not appear in the Hebrew text?
Judges 2:1 KJV
1 And an angel of the LORD came up from Gilgal to Bochim, and said, I made you to go up out of Egypt, and have brought you unto the land which I sware unto your fathers; and I said, I will never break my covenant with you.
More importantly where is Gilgal or Galgal on the map in relationship to the Bethel of which this speaks? There are more than one place called Bethel, and the same is true for many cities of ancient Yisrael, including Beth-Lehem. Even more importantly what does Bochim mean? It is clear that this means weeping but is used as a name. The reference to Rachel weeping for her children is lost in the Hebrew text because Bethel has been removed from the text. Bochim is within the hippodrome-circle of the Yabbok crossing wherein is also Bethel.
Jeremiah 31:15-17 KJV
15 Thus saith the LORD; A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation, and bitter weeping; Rahel weeping for her children refused to be comforted for her children, because they were not.
16 Thus saith the LORD; Refrain thy voice from weeping, and thine eyes from tears: for thy work shall be rewarded, saith the LORD; and they shall come again from the land of the enemy.
17 And there is hope in thine end, saith the LORD, that thy children shall come again to their own border.
The above passage is a cryptic reference to Bochim, the place of weeping, not only where Rachel must have died but likewise the statement of Jeremiah, Rachel weeping for her children, which is quoted in Matthew 2:18 concerning these things. The OP is therefore blind as a bat, and cannot even be sure of his own understanding of Josephus, that is, when Josephus uses the word hippodrome. :chuckle: