Israelis Excited over Hezekiah Inscriptions – Old and New

By: Annaliese Johnson, ICEJ Staff Writer

An Israeli professor recently caused waves among archaeologists by claiming he had discovered new ancient Hebrew inscriptions in Hezekiah’s tunnel in Jerusalem that mirror passages in the Old Testament. The debate over these inscriptions comes as Israel is celebrating 75 years of independence amid rising hopes that the original “Siloam Inscription”— found in the same man-made water channel and carted off by the Ottomans more than a century ago—may be returned by Turkey during this special anniversary year.

Prof. Gershon Galil recently announced that he has identified and deciphered these new Hebraic inscriptions carved in the walls of King Hezekiah’s tunnel in the ancient City of David, located in the Silwan neighborhood of Jerusalem. He explained the inscriptions were there in plain sight all along but needed a trained eye to distinguish the ancient lettering from ordinary chisel marks.

Galil claimed the carved letters not only repeat the Siloam Inscription, which describes the digging of the underground water tunnel connecting the Gihon Spring to the Pool of Siloam, but they also give a more complete account of the reign of King Hezekiah. They date the tunnel’s completion to the second of Tammuz during his seventeenth year as king (709 BC) and reference other notable events under his rule, including reforms and “the wars against Philistia.” Several lines apparently repeat certain verses found in 2 Kings 18 and 20 almost verbatim.

If accurate, the finds would further verify the biblical account of Hezekiah’s kingship, strengthening the view that the biblical books on Israel’s kings are based on actual chronicles and royal inscriptions from that era.

However, critics insist Galil has failed to provide photos and other evidence for a proper peer review, a complaint common to several of his other recent far-reaching claims. Prof. Galil has responded that all his proofs will soon be published in an upcoming book.

If his claims are true, one expert said this would be “one of the most important archaeological discoveries in Israel of all time.” Most notably, it would replace the Ketef Hinnom silver amulets as the oldest Hebrew writings used to authenticate the Bible.

The Ketef Hinnom silver amulets, which date to 600 BC, contain roughly 100 Hebrew words in 12 lines that match the Aaronic blessing found in Numbers 6:24–26. In contrast, this latest discovery consists of 11 lines of inscriptions denoting Hezekiah as king of Judah and listing his main accomplishments.

The Siloam Inscription

Of course, King Hezekiah’s most enduring feat is the 533-meter tunnel cut in bedrock that bears his name. Visited by millions of people over recent decades, it is referenced in the famous “Siloam Inscription,” which dates back 2,700 years. Discovered in 1880, the Siloam Inscription is a stone slab with ancient Hebraic lettering that marks the spot where work ended on the extensive tunnel King Hezekiah had dug to protect the walled city of Jerusalem’s water supply during times of siege. The historic stone was taken to Istanbul during the waning days of Ottoman rule in the land several decades before the nation of Israel was reborn.
Siloam inscription

While previous discussions between Jerusalem and Ankara have failed to secure the return of the highly prized artifact, Israeli President Isaac Herzog broached the subject in his official state visit to Turkey last fall. Given Jerusalem’s relations with Turkey are on the mend, it has raised hopes that the Hezekiah stone may finally come home in time for Israel’s 75th anniversary in May.

Whether or not this national treasure is returned soon, we should all be grateful that Israel has been free to uncover its rich biblical heritage ever since Jewish sovereignty was restored in the land in 1948, leading to one incredible find after another in the exciting field of biblical archaeology. With any other sovereign in the land of Israel, these biblical gems likely would have remained buried or been sold on the black market and lost to history.

This was amply demonstrated by the saga of the Dead Sea Scrolls, first discovered near Qumran in the Judean wilderness in 1947—just before Israel’s rebirth. It was Israeli academics who first alerted the world to the enormity of their discovery and began collecting and preserving the Dead Sea Scrolls for proper examination. 

以色列人對希西家銘文感到興奮——舊與新

作者：Annaliese Johnson，ICEJ 特約撰稿人

一位以色列教授最近聲稱他在耶路撒冷希西家的隧道中發現了新的古希伯來語銘文，這些銘文反映了舊約中的段落，這在考古學家中引起了軒然大波。 關於這些銘文的爭論正值以色列慶祝獨立 75 週年之際，人們越來越希望原始的「西羅亞銘文」——在同一條人造水道中發現，並在一個多世紀前被奧斯曼人運走——可能會歸還給以色列。土耳其在這個特殊的周年紀念日。

格尚·加利爾教授最近宣布，他已經識別並破譯了這些新的希伯來文銘文，這些銘文刻在位於耶路撒冷西爾萬附近的古大衛城希西家王隧道的牆壁上。他解釋說，這些銘文一直都清晰可見，但需要訓練有素的眼睛才能區分古代字母和普通的鑿痕。

加利爾聲稱，這些雕刻的字母不僅重複了西羅亞銘文，描述了連接基訓泉和西羅亞池的地下水隧道的挖掘，而且還更完整地描述了希西家王的統治。 他們將隧道的竣工日期定為搭模斯二世即位國王第十七年（公元前 709 年），並提到了他統治下的其他重大事件，包括改革和「對非利士的戰爭」。 幾行詩顯然幾乎逐字重複了列王紀下18章和20章中的某些經文。

如果準確的話，這些發現將進一步驗證聖經中對希西家王權的記載，強化這樣的觀點：聖經中有關以色列王的書籍是基於那個時代的真實編年史和皇家銘文。

然而，批評者堅稱加利爾未能提供照片和其他證據來進行適當的同行評審，這是他最近其他幾項影響深遠的主張的常見抱怨。加利爾教授回應說，他的所有證明很快就會在一本即將出版的書中出版。

如果他的說法屬實，一位專家表示這將是「以色列有史以來最重要的考古發現之一」。 最值得注意的是，它將取代 Ketef Hinnom 銀辟邪物，成為用於驗證聖經的最古老的希伯來文字。

Ketef Hinnom 銀辟邪物可追溯至公元前 600 年，包含 12 行約 100 個希伯來語單詞，與民數記 6:24-26 中的亞倫祝福相匹配。 相比之下，這一最新發現由 11 行銘文組成，表明希西家是猶大王，並列出了他的主要成就。

西羅亞銘文

當然，希西家王最令人記得的功績是在基岩上開鑿的一條以他的名字命名的 533 米長的隧道。 近幾十年來，有數百萬人參觀過這裡，著名的「西羅亞銘文」中提到了它，其歷史可以追溯到 2,700 年前。 西羅亞銘文於 1880 年被發現，是一塊刻有古代希伯來文字的石板，標誌著希西家王在圍困期間為保護耶路撒冷城牆城的供水而挖掘的寬闊隧道的施工結束地點。 這塊具有歷史意義的石頭被帶到了伊斯坦布爾，當時正值奧斯曼帝國統治的衰落時期，也就是以色列國重生之前的幾十年。
西羅亞銘文

雖然耶路撒冷和安卡拉之前的討論未能確保歸還這件珍貴的文物，但以色列總統赫爾佐格在去年秋天對土耳其進行正式國事訪問時提出了這個話題。 鑑於耶路撒冷與土耳其的關係正在改善，希西家之石最終可能會在以色列 5 月建國 75 週年之際及時歸還。

無論這一國寶是否會很快歸還，我們都應該心存感激，自從 1948 年猶太人在這片土地上恢復主權以來，以色列一直可以自由地發掘其豐富的聖經遺產，從而在令人興奮的領域取得了一個又一個令人難以置信的發現。 聖經考古學。 如果以色列土地上有任何其他主權國家，這些聖經寶石很可能會被埋葬或在黑市上出售並消失在歷史中。

死海古卷的傳奇故事充分證明了這一點，死海古卷於 1947 年（就在以色列重生之前）首次在朱迪亞荒野的庫姆蘭附近被發現。以色列學者首先提醒世界注意其發現的重要性，並開始收集和保存死海古卷以供適當檢查。