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The Ketef Hinnom Scrolls

Discovered in 1979 by Gabriel Barkay in the Hinnom Valley in Jerusalem, the Ketef Hinnom scrolls are two rolled silver strips inscribed in Paleo-Hebrew. Dating from the end of the 7th or the beginning of the 6th century BC, they contain the priestly blessing of Numbers 6,24-26 and are the oldest known fragments of biblical texts, earlier than the Dead Sea Scrolls. Kept at the Israel Museum, they attest to the existence of written biblical texts from the First Temple period.

2 min Ketef Hinnom scrolls priestly blessing biblical archaeology Paleo-Hebrew First Temple

The Ketef Hinnom Scrolls

The Ketef Hinnom scrolls are two small silver fragments, in the form of scrolls, discovered in 1979 to the west of Jerusalem, in a tomb located in the Hinnom Valley. Here are some key pieces of information about them:

Discovery

Date: They were discovered in 1979 by the Israeli archaeologist Gabriel Barkay and his team.
Location: They were found in a chamber of Cave 24 at Ketef Hinnom, an archaeological site located southwest of the Old City of Jerusalem.

Composition

Text: The scrolls contain a version of the priestly blessing found in the book of Numbers (Numbers 6.24-26) and are written in Paleo-Hebrew.
Form: The scrolls are extremely small, the longer one measuring about 9.5 cm long and 2.5 cm wide.
Importance
Age: They date from the end of the 7th century or the beginning of the 6th century BC, which makes them the oldest known biblical fragments.
Significance: They are considered one of the greatest archaeological discoveries for biblical studies, since they prove the existence of biblical texts from the First Temple period.

The Ketef Hinnom scrolls are displayed at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem and continue to be studied by researchers to better understand the history and transmission of the biblical texts.