Home Christian News Earliest Mention of ‘Yahweh’ Found in Archaeological Dump

Earliest Mention of ‘Yahweh’ Found in Archaeological Dump

The inscription reads: “Cursed, cursed, cursed — cursed by the God YHW. You will die cursed. Cursed you will surely die. Cursed by YHW – cursed, cursed, cursed.”

Stripling was joined by Museum of the Bible CEO Harry Hargrave, who noted, “This little artifact helps us understand better the history, story, and impact of the Bible — all within one square inch.”

Gabriel Barkay had helped Stripling learn the wet-sifting technique in Jerusalem’s Temple Mount. Barkay made the remarkable discovery in 1979 of the Ketef Hinnom scrolls, which contain the earliest biblical text discovered (circa seventh century B.C.).

The Mount Ebal tablet’s text provides context outside the biblical canon but sheds light on the historical context six centuries earlier.

“Our discovery of a Late Bronze Age inscription stunned me,” Stripling said.

The dirt around the area of the discovery was discarded over 30 years ago. It had been dry-sifted before Stripling’s decision to run it through again using the wet-sifting technique.

This article originally appeared on ReligionNews.com.