THE SEAL OF ISAIAH
A discovery that could be one of the most significant in the history of biblical studies has been made in Israel. Archaeologists believe they have found the seal of the prophet Isaiah…
the seal impression would read “[belonging] to Isaiah the prophet.”
Excavations in Jerusalem have unearthed what may be the first extra-Biblical evidence of the prophet Isaiah. Just south of the Temple Mount, in the Ophel excavations, archaeologist Eilat Mazar and her team have discovered a small seal impression that reads “[belonging] to Isaiah nvy.” The upper portion of the impression is missing, and its left side is damaged. Reconstructing a few Hebrew letters in this damaged area would cause the impression to read, “[belonging] to Isaiah the prophet.”
The artifact was found during excavations in 2009 in East Jerusalem, shortly after the discovery of a seal impression of King Hezekiah, who was king of Judah towards the end of the 8th century BC, approximately around the time of the prophet’s life.
In a research report, Dr. Eilat Mazar, head of the archaeological team, states that the name Isaiah can be seen on the seal impression, which could refer to the biblical prophet Isaiah, who also lived 2,700 years ago. If the seal did indeed belong to the prophet Isaiah, it “would be the first extra-biblical archaeological reference to the prophet Isaiah ever discovered, and the oldest,” said Robert Cargill, an archaeologist and professor of classics and religious studies at the University of Iowa.
The name Isaiah means “YHWH saves” or “Yahu saves.”
Reconstructed outline of the Isaiah bulla, based on the preserved border. Note that in the middle register the spacing indicates the presence of two more letters, and in the lower register, one
The Isaiah Bulla is divided into three registers. The remains of a grazing doe can be seen in the top register. Written in Hebrew, the name Isaiah appears in the middle register, and the letters nvy are visible in the lower register. The drawing shows several reconstructed letters in blue… If these letters were added, then the seal impression would read “[belonging] to Isaiah the prophet.”
Archaeological Analysis
Based on the findspot, this bulla dates to the late eighth century b.c.e., precisely the time that the Prophet Isaiah was on the scene. The bulla was found just outside the royal Ophel area, the very place where Isaiah served. And it lay barely 10 feet from the bulla belonging to King Hezekiah, a man Isaiah directly served alongside. These bullae were found in exactly the same assemblage and strata of soil. King Hezekiah and Isaiah, the prophet are mentioned together in 16 Bible verses. Their literal physical and biblical proximity is compelling.