Summary: An ancient Hebrew inscription on a stalactite found in a cave near Ein Gedi sheds light on the location of the ‘Valley of Salt’ in the Bible.
But Amaziah took courage and led out his people and went to the Valley of Salt…– 2 Chronicles 25:11 (ESV)
Hebrew Inscription Re-photographed
An earlier Thinker Update reported on the discovery of Roman swords in a desert cave about 20 miles southeast of Jerusalem. Now, we can update that story with a re-interpretation of a Hebrew inscription found in the same cave that provides new insights on a Biblical location.
Ariel University lecturer Dr. Asaf Gayer made an expedition to re-photograph a known ancient Hebrew inscription written on a stalactite in a cave near Ein Gedi, close to the Dead Sea. New advanced photography called multispectral imaging had already been helpful to reveal invisible text on pottery sherds and other engravings. Gayer wanted to see if any additional information would be revealed using it on the cave inscription. He was not disappointed, as we shall see.
After the pictures were taken, he decided to quickly search the cave’s nooks and crannies before leaving. His exploration proved well worthwhile. Hidden in a tight crevice, he found the first of four extremely rare, 1,900-year-old Roman swords.
“When one goes into a cave, there’s always a feeling that you’re going to find something,” Gayer told reporters at the unveiling of the swords’ discovery. “Realizing you have a piece of history in your hand is simply wonderful… you feel your heart beat faster, your blood pressure goes up… This is why we’re in this business.”
As reported previously, experts believe the Roman swords were captured by Judean rebels during the Bar Kokhba revolt. This links them to a critical time in the history of Israel that may confirm Biblical prophecies.
The Bar Kokhba Revolt, AD 132-135, was a Jewish rebellion against Roman rule in Judea that briefly established an independent Jewish state. Led by Simon Bar Kokhba, it was the last of three major Jewish-Roman wars. Archaeologists believe that it was during this time that the swords were hidden in the cave.
In addition to the swords, ornate handles made of wood and metal with leather strips were discovered along with pieces of carved wood that turned out to be parts of a scabbard, a sheath used for holding an edged weapon.
“We’re talking about an extremely rare find, the likes of which have never been found in Israel. Four swords, amazingly preserved, including the fine condition of the metal, the handles, and the scabbards,” said Dr. Eitan Klein, one of the directors of the Judean Desert Survey by the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) in a video announcing the discovery.
First Discovery of the Inscription
While the discovery of the ancient swords immediately grabbed attention, Gayer’s new reading of the First Temple period inscription has taken a little more time and may be even more noteworthy. The goal of the cave expedition was to take more and better pictures of the 7th century BC inscription, painted on a stalactite with carbonite ink, that had been found 50 years earlier.
The nine-line inscription was first discovered in 1973 by Ofra Aharoni, an instructor at the Ein Gedi Field School. The inscription was about 5 by 6 inches in size, written in exceptionally rare black ink. Typically, inscriptions from this time period were carved rather than inked. The cursive handwriting was obviously the product of a trained hand.
A short excavation of the desert cave followed in 1974. Pictures of the inscription were taken by members of the Criminal Identification Unit of the National Police Headquarters. At that time, the swords were missed entirely, hidden safely in secret nooks of the cave.
The inscription was published in 1975 by Polish-born Israeli archaeologist Pessach Bar-Adon in the Israel Exploration Journal. Being fragmentary, most of the text was unable to be deciphered. Bar-Adon’s translation of the text was as follows:
- Cursed be he who will efface
- ……………….]nh[…………..
- ……………….]yh[……………
- Blessed be YHW[…………..
- ……………….]wb[…………..
- Blessed be BGY[……..] king
- Blessed be ‘DNY[………….
- ……………………………….
- ……………………………….
In his report, Bar-Adon pointed out Prof. [Benjamin] Mazar’s suggestion that, “those who wrote the cave inscription were influenced by the blessings and the curses in Deuteronomy 27-28.”
It is interesting to note that the 7th century BC was a time when the southern kingdom of Judah was under pressure from the Assyrians and later the Babylonians who ultimately destroyed the kingdom and deported many of its people.
Bar-Adon concluded his paper with:
- Who wrote our inscription? He may have been a refugee seeking shelter in the cave from the wars and invasions so frequent in this period, as has been suggested in the case of other cave inscriptions. However, the fact that he brought with him writing materials—ink and pen or brush—shows in my opinion that his motives were of a more personal nature. He may have been an inhabitant of En Gedi—perhaps a scribe in view of the elegant handwriting—who sought solitude and peace of mind in the cave. While contemplating the primeval landscape spread out before him, he may have been inspired to write words of praise and thanksgiving to the Lord.
Re-deciphering the Message
Gayer wanted to re-study the stalactite with modern high-tech imaging to see if there were more letters that could be revealed from the message. He brought his colleagues, geologist Boaz Langford and IAA photographer Shai Haleviany, on the expedition.
Photographs were taken from numerous angles to overcome the rock’s rough and curved surface. With the new photos, Gayer was able to clearly decipher the Hebrew letters bet, gimmel and yud following the second word “Blessed.” He also noticed a dot that was used to divide words in the First Temple era. Gayer translated the word as “in the valley,” pointing out that it was a variant spelling that appears several times in the Bible.
Gayer reconstructed other partial letters after tedious manual imaging, revealing the letters heh, mem, lamed, het, translated as “the salt.” The phrase for the region ‘Valley of Salt’ appears in various biblical texts (2 Samuel 8:13; 2 Kings 14:7; 1 Chronicles 18:12; 2 Chronicles 25:11; Psalm 60).
2 Samuel 8:13 records King David as battling in the Valley of Salt. “And David made a name for himself when he returned from striking down 18,000 Edomites in the Valley of Salt.”
Psalm 60 begins with the explanation of the song being about Joab fighting in the Valley of Salt. “A Miktam of David; for instruction; when he strove with Aram-naharaim and with Aram-zobah, and when Joab on his return struck down twelve thousand of Edom in the Valley of Salt.” In the psalm, King David gives thanks to God for his acts that led to victory.
The locations of many Biblical place-names are tenuous, sometimes creating disagreements among scholars, especially when there are few references to the spot from other sources. The general consensus among Biblical scholars is that the Valley of Salt is a reference to the region of the Dead Sea, but “having an external source that tells us about the area right above the Dead Sea” is significant, said Gayer to the Times of Israel.
Conclusion
First Temple era inscriptions are some of the most thrilling finds in biblical archaeology. This discovery helps corroborate the general view about the location of the Bible’s ‘Valley of Salt.’ In speculation about the author of the inscription, Gayer echoed Bar-Adon saying, “Maybe it is in thanksgiving for surviving in this rough region.”
We look forward to additional details about the stalactite inscription to be published by Gayer and his team in the future and that inspires us to Keep Thinking!
TOP PHOTO: An image of a First Temple period inscription painted on a stalactite in a cave near Ein Gedi. (credit: Boaz Langford)
