Archaeology
Royal Steward (Shebna) Inscription
- Era
- late 8th c. BC
- Location
- Silwan, Jerusalem
- Discovered
- 1870
A paleo-Hebrew tomb lintel from Silwan denouncing a royal steward "…yahu who is over the house" — very likely the Shebna condemned in Isaiah 22:15–19.
The find
Discovered in 1870 and deciphered by Nahman Avigad in 1953, the lintel curses anyone who disturbs the tomb of an official "who is over the house" — the exact title Isaiah uses for Shebna. The end of the name (…yahu) is preserved; the start is broken, but the title, period, and high-status burial location all match Isaiah's denunciation: "What right do you have here, that you have cut out a tomb for yourself here?" (Isaiah 22:16).
Why it matters
It's a rare direct artifactual link to a named, second-tier biblical figure — and to the specific oracle Isaiah delivered against him.
Cross-linked Scripture
Doctrine check
Sources
Image: British Museum / Wikimedia Commons
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