Ketef Hinnom (Hebrew: כָּתֵף הִינוֹם katef hinom, "shoulder of Hinnom") is an archaeological site southwest of the Old City of Jerusalem, adjacent to St. Andrew's Church, now on the grounds of the Menachem Begin Heritage Center.
The site consists of a series of rock-hewn burial chambers based on natural caverns. In 1979 two tiny silver scrolls, inscribed with portions of the well-known apotropaic Priestly Blessing from the Book of Numbers and apparently once used as amulets, were found in one of the burial chambers. The delicate process of unrolling the scrolls while developing a method that would prevent them from disintegrating took three years. They contain what may be the oldest surviving texts from the Hebrew Bible, dating from around 600 BCE.
A major re-examination of the scrolls was therefore undertaken by the University of Southern California's West Semitic Research Project, using advanced photographic and computer enhancement techniques which enabled the script to be read more easily and the paleography to be dated more confidently. The results confirmed a date immediately prior to the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians in 586/7 BCE.[5] Dr. Kyle McCarter of Johns Hopkins University, a specialist in ancient Semitic scripts, has said the study should "settle any controversy over [the date of] these inscriptions".[6
The 2004 team described the scrolls as "one of most significant discoveries ever made" for biblical studies.[7] Apart from their significance for our knowledge of the development of the Hebrew alphabet, the scrolls "preserve the earliest known citations of texts also found in the Hebrew Bible and ... the earliest examples of confessional statements concerning Yahweh." The reference to Yahweh as "Rebuker of Evil," found in later incantations and amulets associated with Israel, is evidence that these artifacts were also amulets.[6]
Dr. Wayne Pitard has stated that although evidence for the antiquity of the Priestly Blessing is now compelling, this does not necessarily mean that the Book of Numbers already existed at that time.[6] Dr. James R. Davila has similarly pointed out that the idea that the scrolls are "proof that the Five Books of Moses were in existence during the First Temple period" (as described in an article in the Israeli newspaper Ha'aretz) is "an overinterpretation of the evidence." He nonetheless acknowledged that the find proves that at least "some of the material found in the Five Books of Moses existed in the First Temple period."[8]
The scrolls[edit]
The scrolls are known as KH1 and KH2. They are written in Paleo-Hebrew characters,[9] not the Aramaic square script more familiar to most modern readers. Text below in square brackets represents informed deduction.
KH1 (27 x 97 mm; 1.0 x 3.75 inches)[edit]
- [Top line(s) broken]
- ...] YHW ...
- [...]
- the grea[t ... who keeps]
- the covenant and
- [G]raciousness towards those who love [him] and (alt: [hi]m;)
- those who keep [his commandments ...
- ...].
- the Eternal? [...].
- [the?] blessing more than any
- [sna]re and more than Evil.
- For redemption is in him.
- For YHWH
- is our restorer [and]
- rock. May YHWH bles[s]
- you and
- [may he] keep you.
- [May] YHWH make
- [his face] shine ...
- [Bottom line(s) broken.]
Compare lines 3-6 to:
- Exodus 20:6 – showing mercy to thousands of them that love Me and keep My commandments
- Deuteronomy 5:10 – showing mercy to thousands of them that love Me and keep My commandments
- Deuteronomy 7:9 – keeping covenant and mercy with them that love Him and keep His commandments to a thousand generations
- Daniel 9:4 – keeping covenant and mercy to them that love Him, and to them that keep His commandments
- Nehemiah 1:5 – keeping covenant and mercy for them that love Him and observe His commandments
The omission of "thousands" may have originally appeared on line 7 as in Deuteronomy 7:9.
Sefer Torah "Bamidbar" (Number) Chapter 6 verse 6:24 to 6:26 6:24 The LORD bless you, and keep you; 6:25 The LORD make His face shine on you, And be gracious to you; 6:26 The LORD lift up His countenance on you, And give you "peace".
KH2 (11 x 39 mm; 0.5 x 1.5 inches)[edit]
A photograph of KH2 and a transcription of the letters is shown below, followed by an analysis of the text.
.
- [Top line(s) broken: For PN xxxx]
- -h/hu. May be blessed h/sh-
- -[e] by YHW[H,]
- the warrior/helper and
- the rebuker of
- [E]vil: May bless you,
- YHWH,
- keep you.
- Make shine, YH-
- -[W]H, His face
- [upon] you and g-
- -rant you p-
- -[ea]ce.
- [Bottom line(s) broken.]
Compare lines 7-13 to:
- Numbers 6:24—Yahweh bless you and keep you;
- Numbers 6:25—Yahweh make his face shine upon you, and be gracious to you;
- Numbers 6:26--Yahweh lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace.
(Note that the two bold italicized phrases above are not present on this scroll; also note that all of Numbers 6:25-26 may have appeared on KH1 after line 18 where the scroll has disintegrated).
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