habiru

W: You told me in some of our correspondence that you don't think the theory of habiru as the original Hebrews is going to get anywhere, and yet now you seem to be saying it was the origin.

The Common Origin of and Split Between Arabs and Jews - An Interview with Professor George E. Mendenhall 2006

W: The term 'apiru is transmuted by some scholars into habiru.

The Common Origin of and Split Between Arabs and Jews - An Interview with Professor George E. Mendenhall 2006

W: So, you could not say the term 'apiru or habiru became related to Hebrews in the sense of either being identified as a distinct ethnic group, could you?

The Common Origin of and Split Between Arabs and Jews - An Interview with Professor George E. Mendenhall 2006