House of Bullae and the Gemariah son of Shaphan Bulla
Fifty-one seal impressions baked hard in the fire of 586 BCE, one naming a scribe from Jeremiah 36
Found 1982 — Yigal Shiloh (Hebrew University), City of David excavations, Area G
Where City of David, Area G, Yerushalayim (Jerusalem) (Israel)
Dates from c. 600–586 BCE · Iron Age IIC · Reigns of Yehoyakim (Jehoiakim) and Tsidkiyahu (Zedekiah); fall of Jerusalem
Now at Israel Museum, Jerusalem
Names a biblical person Gemariah, Shaphan (also Azariah son of Hilkiah bulla; Baruch not named)
How House of Bullae and the Gemariah son of Shaphan Bulla was found
In a burnt room of Stratum 10 (the 586 destruction), 51 clay bullae were found in a layer of ash. The papyri they sealed had burned away, but the fire baked the clay and preserved the impressions.
What it is
Small clay lumps stamped with personal seals in paleo-Hebrew, mostly two-line inscriptions of the form 'belonging to X son of Y'. The best known reads 'l-Gemaryahu [ben] Shafan' — belonging to Gemariah son of Shaphan. Another names Azariah son of Hilkiah, possibly a priestly family.
Why it matters for the Bible
Jeremiah 36 describes Baruch reading Jeremiah's scroll 'in the chamber of Gemariah son of Shaphan the scribe' in 604 BCE. A bulla with that exact name and patronymic, found in an archive room destroyed a few years later, is very likely his seal. The building was clearly an official archive, giving physical form to the 'scribes' chamber' of Jeremiah's story and to the fiery end the prophet predicted.
The Hebrew word: soh-FEHR
סֹפֵר
סֹפֵר is pronounced soh-FEHR and means scribe (Strong's H5608).
People this discovery connects to
- Gemariah — גְּמַרְיָהוּ (ge-mar-YAH-hoo) — YHVH has accomplished
- Shaphan — שָׁפָן (shah-FAHN) — rock hyrax
- Baruch — בָּרוּךְ (bah-ROOCH) — blessed
Places
- City of David — עִיר דָּוִד (eer dah-VEED) — city of David
Events
Reading of Jeremiah's scroll (604 BCE) · Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem (586 BCE)
House of Bullae and the Gemariah son of Shaphan Bulla in Scripture
2 Kings 25:9 Nebuchadnezzar's army burns the houses of Jerusalem — the fire that baked these bullae.
Jeremiah 36:10 Baruch reads the scroll in the chamber of Gemariah son of Shaphan the scribe — the man named on the bulla.
Jeremiah 36:12 Gemariah sits among the princes who hear the reading.
Questions people ask
What is House of Bullae and the Gemariah son of Shaphan Bulla?
Small clay lumps stamped with personal seals in paleo-Hebrew, mostly two-line inscriptions of the form 'belonging to X son of Y'. The best known reads 'l-Gemaryahu [ben] Shafan' — belonging to Gemariah son of Shaphan. Another names Azariah son of Hilkiah, possibly a priestly family.
When was House of Bullae and the Gemariah son of Shaphan Bulla discovered?
It was found in 1982 by Yigal Shiloh (Hebrew University), City of David excavations, Area G, at City of David, Area G, Yerushalayim (Jerusalem).
Where is House of Bullae and the Gemariah son of Shaphan Bulla today?
Israel Museum, Jerusalem.
Which Bible verses does House of Bullae and the Gemariah son of Shaphan Bulla relate to?
2 Kings 25:9, Jeremiah 36:10, Jeremiah 36:12.
Related discoveries
- חוֹתָםGedaliah son of Pashhur BullaSeal of a second official from Jeremiah 38, found beside the Jehucal bulla
- שַׂרJehucal son of Shelemiah BullaSeal of the royal official who was sent to Jeremiah and later had him thrown in a cistern
- הַסֹּפֵרBaruch son of Neriah Bulla (unprovenanced)'Belonging to Berekhyahu son of Neriyahu the scribe' — Jeremiah's secretary, if genuine
- מִלּוֹאStepped Stone StructureA giant stone rampart on the slope of the City of David, perhaps the biblical Millo
- עָלָהPilgrimage Road (Stepped Street)The 600-meter stepped street from the Pool of Siloam up to the Temple Mount, built under Pilate
- בָּמָהCity of David Rock-Cut Sanctuary RoomsEight bedrock chambers near the Gihon with an altar, olive press and winepress, sealed in the 8th century BCE
Sources
- Shiloh, 'A Group of Hebrew Bullae from the City of David', IEJ 36 (1986)
- Shoham, 'Hebrew Bullae', in Excavations at the City of David VI (2000)
- Armstrong Institute, ''House of Bullae' and the Book of Jeremiah'
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