Well, since I did a post about archaeological finds for the New Testament, it seems kind of unfair to ignore the Old Testament. Here are some fun archaeological findings you might not know about that give us insight into the Old Testament world. I think you will find these exciting. I know I do...but maybe that's just because I'm a Bible nerd. heart


The Ketef Hinnom Scrolls

Discovered in 1979, the Ketef Hinnom Scrolls are two small, silver scrolls inscribed with an excerpt from Aaron's blessing in Numbers 6:24-26, among other Old Testament passages. This finding is extremely significant, because it's the oldest written quotation from the Old Testament that we have, and it dates to around the seventh century, roughly to the time of Jeremiah and King Josiah. That's before the Babylonian exile, guys!

It is likely that these scrolls were worn as amulets, probably as a form of magical protection during Iron Age Judah. This is a practice that people still do with Scripture today, whether you believe in its efficacy or not. Some things never change, huh?

If you want to read more, here are some articles:

Tyndale House

Biblical Archaeology


The Sennacherib Prism

An artifact discovered by Colonel Robert Taylor in 1830 and received by the British Museum in 1855, this ancient Mesopotamian prism details the conquests of King Sennacherib and corroborates the Biblical account of King Hezekiah's rebellion and the exact tribute given. However, the prism omits any defeat, in contrast with the Biblical account. This is pretty typical of ANE royal propaganda, so don't feel dismayed. The value of this prism is in the extra-biblical evidence it provides for the Assyrian campaign against Judah.

You can view the artifact on the British Museum webpage here.

You can also read the translation from the Akkadian cuneiform here. To find pertinent information about Hezekiah and Judah, go to iii 38 and read from there. heart


The Tel Dan Stele

This one is totally awesome! Did you know that there is evidence that points to a historical King David?

Now, let me be clear. This is not evidence that proves the exact Biblical account. But it does point to a historical King David. And considering that even in popular discourse today, there are many who believe that King David is an entirely legendary (fictional) figure, this is huge.

Discovered in 1993, this stele commemorates the victory of an Aramean king over two kings - the "King of Israel" and "the king of the House of David". While there continue to be skeptics, especially regarding the exact interpretation of the Aramaic, most scholars agree that the reference "bytdwd" is best translated as "house of David".

While "house of David" could still refer to a legendary "David", this is very unlikely in the ANE context. What is most likely is that the stele refers to a king of the "house of David", and that this David was a real, historical person. As to the accuracy of the Biblical account and the splendor of David's reign, or of Solomon's - that is an entirely different question, and one that the Tel Dan Stele cannot answer.

Want more? Here's an article from Biblical Archaeology.


The Merneptah Stele

The Merneptah Stele is a stele detailing the conquests of Pharaoh Merneptah of Egypt. The stele is dated from around 1205 B.C. and mentions Israel as a people group. This is important because it is the earliest mention of Israel as a distinct group of people. And it's from 1200 B.C. Significantly, the Israelites were already in Canaan by this time. The stele reads as follows:

The princes are prostrate, saying ‘Shalom!’
Not one of the Nine Bows [foreigners] raises his head:
Seized is Libya, Hatti pacified,
Plundered is The Canaan, entirely woe.
Carried off is Ashkelon, captured is Gezer,
Yanoam is made as nothing,
Israel is desolate, its seed is no more,
Syria now a widow because of Egypt.
All lands together are pacified.

Congratulations, Merneptah, though I suppose I'm 3000 years too late.

Anyway, this gives us a distinct historical placement for the people of Israel. They were, at the very least, in existence and recognized by a world power at this time and were likely significant enough to be bragged about as being conquered.

If you want to read more, here are a couple of articles:

Tyndale House

Biblical Archaeology (this article actually posits a potential earlier reference)


So, I hope you enjoyed these! If you like these posts and you want more, or you want me to go deeper or dive into more complex topics, let me know!

In Christ - love you lots! heart