DISCOVERED: Seal Impression of King Hezekiah in Jerusalem

EILAT MAZAR, PHOTO: OURIA TADMOR


Kings and ProphetsThe latest in biblical archaeology is making the presses today! A seal impression of King Hezekiah of Judah was found in an excavation in Jerusalem near the Temple Mount. Approximately 2,700 years old, this seal was most likely set in a ring and reads “Belonging to Hezekiah [son of] Ahaz king of Judah.” The seal also depicts a winged sun and two ankh symbols, important symbols in Assyrian culture that denote protection from God and life, respectively.
A vassal of the Assyrian empire, King Hezekiah was the son of King Ahaz and experts estimate that he ruled the Southern Tribes from about 715-686 BC. Click here for a full chart of the Kings and Prophets of the Old Testament.
Seal impressions like this have surfaced before, so what makes this so groundbreaking? Well, this is the first time that a seal impression like this has been scientifically documented: Eliat Mazar of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem announced, “This is the first time that a seal impression of an Israelite or Judean king has ever come to light in a scientific archaeological excavation.”
So what does this all mean? King Hezekiah is mentioned throughout the book of 2 Kings. This seal impression historically verifies existence of a king named Hezekiah at the same time that the Bible claims he lived and reigned! King Hezekiah is also listed in the genealogy of Jesus, so there’s yet another implication! Pretty cool, right?
Read more here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-34988649
Want to learn more about Bible archaeology?

FREE “10 Important Bible Archaeological Finds” eChart

Sign up for Rose Publishing’s email list to download this eChart now!

10 Important Bible Archaeological Finds eChart

This “10 Important Bible Archaeological Finds” eChart highlights 10 of the most significant archaeological finds that give evidence for events and customs described in the Bible. This eChart describes the find, includes a picture, and explains the find’s importance for our understanding of biblical people and places.

This FREE eChart contains 10 out of 50 archaeological finds included in the pamphlet 50 Proofs for the Bible: Old Testament. The full pamphlet includes finds, such as The Tel Dan Inscription, which proves King David’s existence; the Nuzi Tablets, which describe customs and stories similar to those found in Genesis 15-31; Merneptah Stele, which provides the earliest evidence of the nation of Israel (apart from the Bible); and Shishak’s military invasion record, which refers to the events in I Kings 14.

Comments

comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Post Navigation

%d bloggers like this: