The 'Isaiah' Bulla
Seal impression reading 'Yesha'yah[u] nvy[?]' — the prophet, or a man named Navi?
Found 2009 — Eilat Mazar (Hebrew University), Ophel excavations; published February 2018
Where Ophel, Yerushalayim (Jerusalem) (Israel)
Dates from c. 750–675 BCE (by script style) · Iron Age IIB · Reign of Chizkiyahu (Hezekiah); ministry of Yeshayahu (Isaiah)
Now at Israel Antiquities Authority state collection (Ophel excavation finds); exhibited in 2018 at Armstrong Auditorium, Edmond, Oklahoma
Names a biblical person Isaiah (reading 'prophet' (nvy[']) debated; identification uncertain)
How The 'Isaiah' Bulla was found
Recovered by wet-sifting the same refuse layer that produced the Hezekiah bulla, about 3 m away.
What it is
A damaged clay bulla about 12 mm wide. The top register shows a grazing doe; the middle reads 'l-Yesha'yah[u]' (belonging to Isaiah); the bottom reads 'nvy' with the edge broken off where a final letter alef would make 'navi', prophet.
Why it matters for the Bible
If the missing letter is alef, this is the personal seal of the prophet Yeshayahu (Isaiah), found a few metres from the seal of the king he advised. But 'Navi' or 'Nobai' is also attested as a personal or family name, and the broken edge cannot settle it. Most epigraphers treat it as intriguing but unproven; it should be presented as a possibility, not a confirmation.
The Hebrew word: nah-VEE
נָבִיא
נָבִיא is pronounced nah-VEE and means prophet (Strong's H5030).
People this discovery connects to
- Isaiah — יְשַׁעְיָהוּ (ye-shah-YAH-hoo) — YHVH is salvation
Places
- Ophel — עֹפֶל (OH-fel) — mound, citadel
Events
Isaiah's counsel to Hezekiah during the Assyrian crisis
The 'Isaiah' Bulla in Scripture
2 Kings 19:2 First mention of Isaiah in Scripture.
2 Kings 19:20 Isaiah son of Amoz delivers YHVH's answer to Hezekiah; the two men's seals were found metres apart.
Isaiah 37:2 Hezekiah's officials go to 'Isaiah the prophet' — the title the bulla may carry.
Questions people ask
What is The 'Isaiah' Bulla?
A damaged clay bulla about 12 mm wide. The top register shows a grazing doe; the middle reads 'l-Yesha'yah[u]' (belonging to Isaiah); the bottom reads 'nvy' with the edge broken off where a final letter alef would make 'navi', prophet.
When was The 'Isaiah' Bulla discovered?
It was found in 2009 by Eilat Mazar (Hebrew University), Ophel excavations; published February 2018, at Ophel, Yerushalayim (Jerusalem).
Where is The 'Isaiah' Bulla today?
Israel Antiquities Authority state collection (Ophel excavation finds); exhibited in 2018 at Armstrong Auditorium, Edmond, Oklahoma.
Which Bible verses does The 'Isaiah' Bulla relate to?
2 Kings 19:2, 2 Kings 19:20, Isaiah 37:2.
Is The 'Isaiah' Bulla authentic?
The bulla is genuine and excavated, but the reading 'prophet' depends on a missing letter; 'Navi' as a name is equally possible.
Related discoveries
- מֶלֶךְ יְהוּדָהRoyal Bulla of Hezekiah'Belonging to Hezekiah [son of] Ahaz, king of Judah' — the king's own seal impression
- יְשׁוּעָהGreat Isaiah Scroll (1QIsaa)The only complete biblical book among the Dead Sea Scrolls, copied around 125 BCE
- אֲשֶׁר עַל־הַבַּיִתRoyal Steward Inscription (Shebna's Tomb?)'This is the tomb of ...yahu who is over the house' — a Jerusalem tomb Isaiah may have condemned
- מִקְוֶהSouthern Steps and Temple MikvaotThe pilgrim staircase to the Huldah Gates and the ritual baths beside it
- מֶלֶךְ יְהוּדָהBulla of Ahaz, King of Judah'Belonging to Ahaz (son of) Jehotham, king of Judah' — a royal seal impression with no findspot
- קֶבֶרSilwan Necropolis and the Tomb of the Royal StewardRock-cut tombs of Jerusalem's elite, including the tomb Isaiah condemned Shebna for carving
Sources
- E. Mazar, 'Is This the Prophet Isaiah's Signature?', BAR 44:2 (2018)
- Wikipedia, 'Isaiah bulla'
- BAS, 'On View: Seals of Isaiah and King Hezekiah Discovered'