Israel : Discovery of an inscription dating from around 3,100 BC that refers to a biblical character

Wednesday July 14, 2021

Israel : Discovery of an inscription dating from around 3,100 BC that refers to a biblical character

On Tuesday July 13, Israeli archaeologists announced the discovery of a rare inscription dating from around 3,100 BC.

Israeli archaeologists yesterday announced in a Facebook post the discovery of an inscription that refers to a Bible figure in the Book of Judges during archaeological excavations in Khirbet el Rai.

According to specialists, the inscription came from a ceramic carafe that contained products considered "precious" such as oil, perfume and medicinal plants.

The inscription mentions the name "Yerubaal", a name found in the Book of Judges in the Bible. The researchers see it as a reference to Gideon, one of Israel's greatest judges also known as Jerubaal as explained by Professor Yossef Garfinkel and Sa’ar Ganor, who led the excavations :

“The name Jerubbaal is known from passages in the Book of Judges as a nickname for Judge Gideon ben (son of) Yoash, who fought against idolatry by breaking an altar dedicated to Baal and cutting down an Asherah pole. In biblical tradition, Gideon is remembered for triumphing over the Midianites, who crossed the Jordan River to plunder the crops."

However, archaeologists have pointed out that there is no certainty that this jug actually belonged to the biblical figure Gideon. It is very likely that this inscription is linked to someone with the same name.

True or not, Yossef Garfinkel told CBN News that the discovery was "exciting". The researcher explains that this is the first time they have found a "significant inscription" from this period about which archaeologists know little.

“This is the first time that we have had an inscription from the Judges' era with meaning. And in this case, the same name appears on both the inscription and the Bible tradition."

Additionally, this finding contributes "greatly" to an understanding of how "alphabetic script has spread" over time. It also helps establish a correlation between history and biblical narrative, as Ben Tsion Yitschoki, a first year archeology student, asserts.

“[Garfinkel] does a great job proving that the Bible is in fact a historical narrative and not just mythology. I believe there will be a lot more to come. I believe that there are already a lot of finds, a lot of things that correspond to the Bible more than you think."

Sarah Bordin

Source (Christian Info)