The Royal Seal of King Hezekiah (Bulla)
Sources: Wikipedia + Biblical Archaeology Society + ScienceDaily
URLs:
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_Hezekiah_bulla
- https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/news/king-hezekiah-in-the-bible-royal-seal-of-hezekiah-comes-to-light/
- https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/12/151202132519.htm
Artifact Summary
- Artifact: Clay bulla (seal impression)
- Date: Reign of Hezekiah, c. 716–686 B.C.E.
- Discovered: 2009–2010 in the Ophel excavations, Jerusalem; announced in 2015
- Excavator: Dr. Eilat Mazar (Hebrew University / Israel Antiquities Authority)
- Current location: Israel Antiquities Authority / Israel Museum
- Language: Paleo-Hebrew
- Biblical connection: King Hezekiah son of Ahaz, king of Judah (2 Kings 18–20; Isaiah 36–39; 2 Chronicles 29–32)
Key Points
- The bulla measures about 13 × 12 mm and reads in Paleo-Hebrew:
> “Belonging to Hezekiah, [son of] Ahaz, king of Judah.”
- The seal iconography shows a two-winged sun disk flanked by two ankh (life) symbols.
- It was found in a refuse dump next to a 10th-century B.C.E. royal/administrative building in the Ophel, along with 33 other bullae.
- Earlier Hezekiah seal impressions were known from the antiquities market, but this was the first discovered in a controlled scientific excavation.
What It Corroborates
- Hezekiah was a real king of Judah with a functioning royal administration in Jerusalem.
- Jerusalem had a sophisticated bureaucratic system capable of sealing official documents in the late 8th century B.C.E.
- Judahite royal iconography drew on Egyptian and Assyrian motifs (ankh, winged sun), reflecting international connections.
Status
The bulla is widely accepted as authentic. It is the first royal seal impression of an Israelite or Judean king found in a scientific excavation, making it a landmark discovery for biblical archaeology.
KJV Connection
- 2 Kings 18:1–20:21
- Isaiah 36:1–39:8
- 2 Chronicles 29:1–32:33