New Findings Confirm Ancient Israelite Worship of ‘Yahweh’
By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
JERUSALEM/PRAQUE/BUDAPEST (Worthy News) – Test results on a small lead amulet found in an archeological project linked to Joshua’s Altar on Mount Ebal, named after the Biblical leader has confirmed that it contains the oldest known proto-Hebraic inscription of the divine name “Yahweh” (in Hebrew יְהוָה ), sources tell Worthy News.
The findings discovered in northern Samaria in the West Bank pre-date by some 600 years the “priestly blessing” silver amulets from the time of King Hezekiah found on Bible Hill in Jerusalem, Israel’s capital.
The latest findings follow an ancient engraving of “Yahweh,” the Hebrew name of God used in the Bible, in Egyptian hieroglyphics found decades ago in northern Sudan (then-Upper Egypt). “The latest lead pendant provides further evidence that Israelite worship of this Creator God has been around for a long time, just as the Bible says,” noted the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem (ICEJ), the well-informed institute supporting Israel.
The divine name “Yahweh” is used thousands of times in the Hebrew Bible, and it is usually translated as LORD, Adonai, or Jehovah. However, the text indicates it was first revealed to Moses in the burning bush experience, specifically in Exodus 3:15. “Since then, God’s ineffable name has been written and inscribed on many pages, walls, and amulets,” the ICEJ explained.
Mount Ebal, where the discovery was made, is one of the highest peaks in the West Bank and rises to 940 m (3,080 feet) above sea level.
The small, folded amulet was found in 2019 “among spoil material taken from a dig many years earlier at Joshua’s Altar on Mount Ebal,” the ICEJ said.
Yet “its two leaves were too brittle to open and read. So, the find was transferred to the Institute of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics in the Czech Republic. Extensive X-ray imaging was used to decipher the etched words inside and outside the locket.”
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The discovery illustrated that Israelites worshipped Yahweh even earlier than historical findings so far suggested. ICEJ said it was another confirmation of Bible verses such as Psalm 83:18: “That men may know that thou, whose name alone is JEHOVAH, art the most high over all the earth.”
The amulet reportedly contained 40 proto-alphabetic letters reading: “You are cursed by the god yhw—cursed. You will die, cursed, you will surely die.”
“This correlates with the events recorded in Deuteronomy 27:11-13, when the twelve tribes of Israel were commanded to divide in half and stand on two opposite hillsides – Mount Gerizim (“the Mountain of Blessing”) and Mount Ebal (“the Mountain of Cursing”) – and recite aloud divine blessings and curses to each other,” the ICEJ said.
The late Israeli archaeologist Adam Zertal excavated a large stone platform on Mount Ebal in 1980 and identified it as Joshua’s Altar.
“Zertal’s discoveries have often stirred controversy in academic circles because he preferred to publish his findings in books rather than in peer-reviewed journals where scholars could critique his work. However, the recent test results on the “curse” amulet have only added to the evidence that the location is indeed the authentic site of Joshua’s Altar,” according to an ICEJ assessment.
The site on Mount Ebal also contained pottery shards and scarab seals of Pharoh Ramesses II, dating back to circa 1200 BC – around the time of Israel’s entry into the Land of Canaan under Joshua.
“The un-hewn stones that make up the altar and the ramp leading up to it, instead of steps, all fit the Biblical instructions for building the altar of the Lord in Exodus 20:25-26 and Joshua 8:31.,” the ICEJ said. The original dig also turned up charred bones of only kosher animals, as was required in Israelite sacrifices to Yahweh.
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