A breakthrough in the research of
the Hebrew Scriptures has shed new light on the period in which the Bible books
of the Prophets were written. Professor Gershon Galil of the Department of
Biblical Studies at the University of Haifa has deciphered an inscription
dating from the 10th century BCE (the period of King David’s reign) and has proven
the inscription to be ancient Hebrew, thus making it the earliest known example
of Hebrew writing.
The significance of this
breakthrough relates to the fact that at least some of the Biblical scriptures
are now proven to have been composed hundreds of years before the dates
presented today in research and that the Kingdom of Israel already existed at
that time.
The inscription itself, which was
written in ink on a 15x16.5cm trapezoid pottery shard, was discovered a year
and a half ago at excavations that were carried out by Professor Yosef
Garfinkel near the Elah valley, south of Jerusalem, and west of Hevron.
The researchers dated the
inscription back to the 10th century BCE, which was the period of King David’s
reign, but the question of the language used in this inscription remained
unanswered, making it impossible to prove whether it was in fact Hebrew or
another Semitic language.
Professor Galil’s deciphering of
the ancient writing testifies to it being authentic Hebrew based on its use of
verbs particular to the Hebrew language and content specific to Hebrew culture
not adopted by other regional cultures at the time.
“This text is a social statement,
relating to slaves, widows and orphans. It uses verbs that were characteristic
of Hebrew, such as "asah" (did) and "avad" (worked), which
were rarely used in other regional languages. Particular words that appear in
the text, such as "almana" (widow) are specific to Hebrew and are
written differently in other local languages. The content itself was also
unfamiliar to all the cultures in the region besides the Hebrew society: The
present inscription provides social elements similar to those found in the
Biblical prophecies and very different from prophecies written by other
cultures postulating glorification of the gods and taking care of their
physical needs”
Galil added that once this
deciphering is received at research centers, the inscription will become the
earliest Hebrew inscription to be found, testifying to Hebrew writing abilities
as early as the 10th century BCE. This stands opposed to the dating of the
composition of the Bible in much current academic research, which does not
recognize the possibility that the Bible or parts of it could have been written
during this ancient period.
Galil also noted that the
inscription was discovered in a provincial Judean town, explaining that if
there were scribes in the periphery, it can be assumed that those inhabiting
the central region and Jerusalem were even more proficient writers. “It can now
be maintained that it was highly reasonable that during the 10th century BCE,
during the reign of King David, there were scribes in Israel who were able to
write literary texts and complex historiographies such as the books of Judges
and Samuel.” He added that the complexity of the text, along with the
impressive fortifications revealed at the site, refute theories that attempt to
deny the existence of the Kingdom of Israel at that time.
The contents of the text express
social sensitivity to the fragile position of weaker members of society and the
inscription testifies to the presence of strangers within the Israeli society
as far back as this ancient period, calling on native Hebrews to provide
support for these strangers. It advocates care for widows and orphans and
encourages the king – who at that time had the responsibility of curbing social
inequality – to be involved in improving Israeli society. This inscription is
similar in its content to Biblical scriptures (Isaiah 1:17, Psalms 72:3, Exodus
23:3, and others), but according to Galil it is not copied from any Biblical
text.
The deciphered text:
1' ’l t‘Å› w‘bd ’[t ….…]
2' špt [‘]b[d] w’lm[n] špt yt[m]
3' [w]gr [r]b ‘ll rb [d]l w
4' ’[l]mn šqm ybd mlk
5' ’[b]yn [w]‘bd šk gr t[mk]
1' you shall not do [it], but
worship the [Lord].
2' Judge the sla[ve] and the
wid[ow] / Judge the orph[an]
3' [and] the stranger. [Pl]ead for
the infant / plead for the po[or and]
4' the widow. Rehabilitate [the
poor] at the hands of the king.
5' Protect the po[or and] the slave
/ [supp]ort the stranger.
