In 1979 two tiny silver amulets, inscribed with ancient Hebrew script, were found rolled into tiny scrolls in a burial cave in Jerusalem. They were incised with a sharp, thin stylus, no thicker than a hair’s breadth, and thus deciphering the inscription was difficult. The lower part of the inscription has been identified as a version of Numbers 6:24–26: “The Lord bless and protect you. The Lord deal kindly and graciously with you. The Lord bestow his favor upon you and grant you peace.” This formula, which found its way into the Jewish liturgy, is known as the Priestly Benediction.
The Two Scrolls on Display at the Israel Museum
These two silver amulets bear the oldest copies of biblical text known to us today. They contain the oldest surviving texts from the Hebrew Bible, dating from around 600 BCE.
Gabriel Barkay at Ketef Hinnom
The scrolls were found in 1979 in Chamber 25 of Cave 24 at Ketef Hinnom (i.e. the shoulder of Hinnom), during excavations conducted by a team under the supervision of Gabriel Barkay, who was then professor of archaeology at Tel Aviv University.
These two silver amulets are currently located at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem.
