Tiny First Temple seal impression found with name of Bible-era royal steward

Almost Heaven

Well-Known Member
A minuscule 7th century BCE clay sealing reading “Belonging to Adoniyahu, the Royal Steward,” was recently discovered in the City of David’s sifting project.
In earth excavated from the foundations of the Western Wall under Robinson’s Arch in 2013, a national service volunteer some three weeks ago unearthed the one-centimeter inscribed letter sealer bearing the ancient Hebrew name of a character found several times in the Hebrew Bible, Adoniyahu, literally, “The Lord is my Master.”

According to archaeologist Eli Shukron, this inscription is unique and “of utmost importance.” The role of the Royal Steward (Asher al Habayit), he said, appears several times in the Bible and is used for the highest-level minister in the royal court. For example, the title of Royal Steward was used in the Book of Genesis for Joseph’s high-powered position in Egypt

The clay sealing, or bulla, was used in the First Temple period to seal important documents, said Shukron.
In March, another rare bulla was published by the City of David bearing the inscription “(belonging) to Nathan-Melech, Servant of the King” (LeNathan-Melech Eved HaMelech). Nathan-Melech is named in 2 Kings as an official in the court of King Josiah. And in February 2018, another, partial clay sealing was discovered, which may spell out “Belonging to Isaiah,” (l’Yesha’yah) and is arguably tied to the Prophet Isaiah.

The new Adoniyahu inscription gives a potential link to a 150-year-old mystery: a First Temple, 7th century BCE rock cave grave, which is also inscribed with “Asher al Habayit.” The inscription, today found in the British Museum, has a partial name ending with the same three Hebrew letters as that of the new clay bulla.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/tiny-...-inscribed-with-biblical-royal-stewards-name/
 

Chris

Administrator
Staff member
2,600-year-old Hebrew seal found near Western Wall
According to the City of David Foundation, there are three people with the name Adoniyahu in the Bible, the most famous being King David’s son.
By LEON SVERDLOV
September 9, 2019

A 2,600-year-old seal bearing a Hebrew name was uncovered in dirt excavated in 2013 near the Western Wall, the the archeologist Eli Shukron said on Monday. The seal is inscribed with the name of "Adenyahu Asher Al HaBayit," meaning "Adenyahu by Appointment of the House," the most prominent role in the king's court in the Kingdom of Judea that appears for the first time on the list of ministries of Solomon.

The one-centimeter-wide bulla, which was used to sign documents, and dates to the 17th century BCE – the period of the Kingdom of Judea – bears a term widely used throughout the Bible to describe the most senior minister serving under kings of Judea or Israel. "This is the first time this kind of archaeological discovery has been made in Jerusalem," said Shukron, who conducted the initial excavations at the foundation stones of the Western Wall north of Silwan on behalf of the Israel Antiquities Authority. "The biblical term 'Asher Al HaBayit' was the highest ranking ministerial position beneath the king during reigns of the kings of Judea and Israel, it is undoubtedly of great significance."

"This tiny bulla has immense meaning to billions of people worldwide," said Doron Spielman, vice president of the City of David Foundation which operates the site where the bulla was discovered. "The personal signet of a senior official to a biblical king from the First Temple period. This is another link to a long chain of Jewish history in Jerusalem that is being uncovered and preserved at the City of David on a daily basis."

According to the City of David Foundation, there are three people with the name Adoniyahu in the Bible, the most famous being King David’s son, as mentioned in the Book of Kings. The bulla was uncovered three weeks ago as part of the City of David's volunteer Archaeological Experience by an Israeli teenager named Batya Howen. "I began shifting through the bucket of dirt by washing it under a stream of water, and suddenly I recognized a small black-colored piece of metal," Howen recalled. "To hold such a significant find from 2,600 years ago, from the time of the Kingdom of Judah, is an amazing thing."

https://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/2600-year-old-Hebrew-seal-found-near-Western-Wall-601118
 

Released

Member
I keep hearing from 'scholars' how there was no King David or his dynasty. Well, how did we get here? As I read I and II Kings, I am impressed by so many changes and corruption to take place, yet we are finding this evidence 3000 years later. Those people are truly blind, or willingly ignorant.
 

Endangered

Well-Known Member
There are 3 physical proofs the Bible is spot on:
- Fulfilled prophesy
- Scientific truths written thousands of years before being verified
- Archeological discoveries that sync with the Bible
The Bible was written over a 2000 year time period (Job to Revelation) by a whole bunch of different authors and they all deliver the same message of God's grace and his extension to us of salvation.
If the 3 points above are 100% accurate, that is reason enough for me to believe in things that are not proven such as eternal life and forgiveness.
 
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