Archaeology
Ketef Hinnom Silver Scrolls
- Era
- late 7th c. BC
- Location
- Jerusalem
- Discovered
- 1979
Two tiny rolled silver amulets inscribed in paleo-Hebrew, containing the Priestly Blessing of Numbers 6:24–26 — the oldest surviving fragment of biblical text.
The find
Excavated in 1979 by Gabriel Barkay in a burial chamber on the slopes of the Hinnom Valley, the scrolls were so fragile they took three years to unroll. The text closely parallels Numbers 6:24–26 ("The LORD bless you and keep you…"). They also contain the earliest extra-biblical use of the divine name YHWH found in Jerusalem, and confirm the antiquity of priestly liturgy long before the Babylonian exile.
Why it matters
They pre-date the Dead Sea Scrolls by roughly 400 years and demonstrate that biblical Torah text was already in liturgical use in pre-exilic Judah — long before critics said Israel's Scriptures were even composed.
Cross-linked Scripture
Doctrine check
Sources
Image: Israel Museum / Wikimedia Commons
Discuss with AI