In 1979, archaeologists from the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) discovered a collection of ancient clay tablets in the City of David, Jerusalem. The tablets, which are now known as the “Priests’ Blessing Tablets,” are inscribed with a blessing that was recited by priests in the First Temple period.
The tablets are made of clay and are inscribed with black ink. They are about the size of a credit card and are inscribed with a blessing that begins with the words “May the Lord bless you and keep you.” The blessing then goes on to list a number of other blessings, including protection, prosperity, and peace.
The Priests’ Blessing Tablets are significant because they provide a rare glimpse into the religious practices of the First Temple period. The tablets also provide evidence of the close ties that the Kingdom of Judah had with other cultures in the region, including Egypt and Mesopotamia.
The Priests’ Blessing Tablets are currently on display in the Israel Museum in Jerusalem.
Here are some additional details about the Priests’ Blessing Tablets:
- The tablets are dated to the 8th-7th centuries BCE, the time of the First Temple.
- The tablets were found in a building that was destroyed in the Babylonian conquest of Jerusalem in 586 BCE.
- The tablets are made of clay and are inscribed with black ink.
- The tablets are about the size of a credit card.
- The tablets are inscribed with a blessing that begins with the words “May the Lord bless you and keep you.”
- The blessing then goes on to list a number of other blessings, including protection, prosperity, and peace.
- The Priests’ Blessing Tablets are significant because they provide a rare glimpse into the religious practices of the First Temple period.
- The tablets also provide evidence of the close ties that the Kingdom of Judah had with other cultures in the region, including Egypt and Mesopotamia.
[…] Yahweh Tzv
the god
Gad[L Shemer]
The covenant and
[The] kindness to love
[and] and preserve [Mz
And nothing from the lost
And the Elam […
A blessing from everyone
H and from evil
Because in him Gal
Because Jehovah
[Y/H]Shivanu [Y/F]
Create a river
Yahweh [and]
Yishmarach [Y
A]r Yahweh
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