Archaeology

Bullae of Gemariah & Jucal

Era: late 7th – early 6th c. BC
Location: City of David, Jerusalem
Discovered: 1982 / 2005

Two clay seal impressions ("bullae") naming Gemariah son of Shaphan and Jucal son of Shelemiah — the very officials who appear in Jeremiah's narrative.

The find

The Gemariah bulla was found by Yigal Shiloh in the City of David in 1982 in a burnt destruction layer; the Jucal (Jehucal) bulla was found by Eilat Mazar in 2005, with a second seal of Gedaliah son of Pashhur (Jeremiah 38:1) nearby in 2008. All three names appear together in Jeremiah 36–38 as officials interacting with the prophet. The clustering of these bullae in the destruction debris of Jerusalem fits the late pre-exilic period the book describes.

Why it matters

We're not talking about famous kings here — these are secondary characters in the book of Jeremiah. Finding their names on official seals gives direct material confirmation of the everyday bureaucratic world Jeremiah moved through in the last years of Judah.

Cross-linked Scripture

Doctrine check

Sources