“Priestly Benediction” on amulets

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Israelite & Persian Periods
“Priestly Benediction” on amulets

“Priestly Benediction” on amulets

Ketef Hinnom, Jerusalem

6th century BCE

Silver

H: 3.9-9.7; W: 1.1-2.7 cm

Israel Antiquities Authority

IAA:

1980-1495, 1980-1496

Archaeology/Israelite & Persian Periods

Photo © Israel Museum, Jerusalem, by Nahum Slapak

These two silver amulets bear the oldest copies of biblical text known to us today. They are some five hundred years older than the Dead Sea Scrolls.
The 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.

From the Israel Museum publications:

The Israel Museum, Publisher: Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 2005

Zalmona, Yigal, ed., The Israel Museum at 40: Masterworks of Beauty and Sanctity, The Israel Museum, Jerusalem, 2005

Beauty and Sanctity: the Israel Museum at 40. A Series of Exhibitions Celebrating the 40th Anniversary of the Israel Museum, Jerusalem, Zalmona, Yigal, 2006

3x50@50: IMJ Collection Highlights, The Israel Museum, Jerusalem, 2015

Exhibitions:

The Beauty of Sanctity: Masterworks from Every Age, Israel Museum, Jerusalem, 29/03/2005 - 12/11/2005

Digital presentation of this object was made possible by:

The Ridgefield Foundation, New York, in memory of Henry J. and Erna D. Leir