A few days ago, Israeli portals reported a spectacular discovery. It is about ... a plate measuring 2 by 2 cm. Why is she so special?
Dr. Scott Stripling, who leads the international team of researchers, presented the details at a press conference in Houston. It's about a sign that was found on top of Ebal. Its uniqueness is due to several things. First, has the name of God written on it . Second - because of its estimated age. And third, because she is somewhat "cursed".
Ancient curse
Let's start from the inside. It is estimated that the tablet dates back to the Bronze Age, around 1200 BC Why is it so important? Because if it were confirmed, it would radically “set aside the watches” of literacy knowledge of the peoples of ancient Israel. Moving on to the name of God: it is written on the tablet as YHWH. Why this way? Well, it is the so-called protoalphabetic notation in which consonants and long vowels are recorded. The oldest known record of the name of God in Israel to date is "younger" by about 500 years, so it would be significant to go back the hands and the clock.
photo:Michael C. Luddeni / Associates for Biblical Research The tablet dates back to the Bronze Age, around 1200 BC.
The text on the tablet itself is also interesting. It contains 40 Hebrew letters. The text explains why why the sign was hailed as "cursed" . Most likely, the translation reads:“Cursed, cursed, cursed - cursed by God YHW. You will die damned . Cursed you will surely die. Cursed by YHW - cursed, cursed, cursed. ”
Anyway, the very place where the plate is found has its own significance. Mount Ebal, according to the Book of Deuteronomy of the Old Testament, is ... a cursed place! It remains to be hoped that nothing bad will happen to the members of the archaeological team in the near future ...
Sources
- Borschel-Dan, Archaeologist claims to find oldest Hebrew text in Israel, including the name of God , www.timesofisrael.com, accessed 03/31/2022.
- Heinrich, Archaeologists believe they found the oldest Hebrew text in Israel - including the name of God , www.allisrael.com, accessed March 31, 2022.