Why’s the Mt. Ebal Curse Tablet so Important?
I’m Dr. Shawn Nelson with Geeky Christian. And this is the place for curious Christians! Do you like hearing about archaeology that confirms the Bible? Then you’re in the right place!
This tiny tablet could be the greatest biblical discovery of our time!
Why Mount Ebal Tablet is Important
Here are the top 3 reasons why this discovery is important.
1. It was discovered at Mt. Ebal
The tablet was found by sifting through the dump piles of the Mt. Ebal dig site.
The Hebrew inscription reflects the same language found in the bible about what happened at Mt. Ebal when Joshua entered the Promised Land.
He put half the tribes on Mt. Ebal and half on Mt. Gerizim. The tribes on Mount Gerizim declared blessings would come if the nation kept the covenant. The tribes on Mt. Ebal declared curses would come they disobeyed the covenant. This is found in Deut. 27, 28 and Joshua 8.
Not only was it found at Mt. Ebal, but at a location called Joshua’s Altar which is mentioned in Joshua 8.
2. It’s the earliest mention of the name of Israel’s God in Hebrew.
Here’s what the tablet says:
“Cursed, cursed, cursed – cursed by the God YHW.
You will die cursed.
Cursed you will surely die.
Cursed by YHW – cursed, cursed, cursed.”
The pottery found with the tablets can be dated as far back as 1400 BC. If these dates are accurate, this would be the earliest time in history where we see the name YHW in Hebrew outside the Bible.
3. It proves Moses could be the author of the first 5 books of the Bible.
Now, if you’ve been following me, you probably already believe the Old Testament is reliable.
So when it says in Deuteronomy 31 Moses wrote down the law, then you believe it.
But liberal critical scholars don’t believe Moses existed. They believe the Jews made up Moses and the Old Testament stories around 586 BC. There’s no way a guy named Moses could have written down the Law they say because Hebrew didn’t exist as a written language yet.
This little tablet delivers a HUGE blow to that theory because it contains a very early form of Hebrew called proto-Hebrew.
And if the early dates are accurate, it shows that Moses himself could be the author of the Torah just as the Bible describes.
When you put all three points together—it’s location at Mt. Ebal—that it contains the name Yahweh—in the earliest known Hebrew ever discovered—this is a compelling case that the Bible is accurate. And the Exodus and Conquest really did happen as the Bible describes.
Forthcoming Report
The team reporting the discovery is promising to release a peer-reviewed article by the end of 2022. We will have to wait and see how other archaeologists counter these claims. But it is something to watch for!
Bibliography
– “ABR Researchers Discover the Oldest Known Proto-Hebrew Inscription Ever Found.” Associates for Biblical Research. Last modified March 24, 2022. Accessed April 2, 2022. https://biblearchaeology.org/current-events-list/4896-abr-researchers-discover-the-oldest-known-proto-hebrew-inscription-ever-found
– Law, Steve. “Hebrew Tablet Deciphered – Mentions Israel’s God.” Patterns of Evidence. Last modified April 1, 2022. Accessed April 2, 2022. https://patternsofevidence.com/2022/04/01/hebrew-tablet-deciphered-mentions-israels-god/
– Oldest Known Proto-Hebrew Inscription From Mount Ebal Discovered. Associates for Biblical Research, 2022. Accessed April 2, 2022. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GUzBXZdpfLo&t=0s