Lachish Letters (Lachish Ostraca)
Military dispatches from the last days of Judah: 'we cannot see the signals of Azekah'
Found 1935 — James Leslie Starkey, Wellcome-Marston Expedition; published by Harry Torczyner (Tur-Sinai) 1938
Where Tel Lachish (Tell ed-Duweir) (Israel)
Dates from c. 589–587 BCE · Iron Age IIC · Nebuchadnezzar's final campaign against Judah under Tsidkiyahu (Zedekiah)
Now at British Museum, London (most); Rockefeller Museum, Jerusalem (Letter 6 and others)
How Lachish Letters (Lachish Ostraca) was found
Eighteen ostraca found in January–February 1935 in the burnt guardroom of the outer gate, in the Level II destruction; three more in 1938.
What it is
Twenty-one potsherds inked in cursive paleo-Hebrew. Most are letters from a subordinate officer, Hoshayahu, to Yaush, commander at Lachish. Letter 3 mentions a prophet and a mission to Egypt; Letter 4 ends 'we are watching for the signals of Lachish... for we cannot see Azekah.'
Why it matters for the Bible
Jeremiah 34:7 says that when Nebuchadnezzar attacked, only Lachish and Azekah were left of Judah's fortified cities. Letter 4 seems to capture the moment Azekah went dark. The letters also use the same Hebrew idioms, personal names ending in -yahu, and even the same worries about prophets and Egypt found in Jeremiah, making them the closest thing we have to the prophet's own world in writing.
The Hebrew word: mas-EHT
מַשְׂאֵת
מַשְׂאֵת is pronounced mas-EHT and means fire signal, beacon (used in Letter 4 and Jeremiah 6:1) (Strong's H4864).
People this discovery connects to
- Zedekiah — צִדְקִיָּהוּ (tsid-kee-YAH-hoo) — YHVH is my righteousness
- Jeremiah — יִרְמְיָהוּ (yir-me-YAH-hoo) — YHVH exalts (or establishes)
Places
- Lachish — לָכִישׁ (lah-CHEESH) — uncertain
- Azekah — עֲזֵקָה (ah-zeh-KAH) — dug-over (ground)
Events
Babylonian conquest of Judah (588–586 BCE)
Lachish Letters (Lachish Ostraca) in Scripture
Joshua 10:10 First mention of Azekah in Scripture.
Jeremiah 6:1 Jeremiah calls for a fire signal (mas'et) to be raised — the same word the letters use.
Jeremiah 34:7 Only Lachish and Azekah remain; Letter 4 reports Azekah's signals can no longer be seen.
Questions people ask
What is Lachish Letters (Lachish Ostraca)?
Twenty-one potsherds inked in cursive paleo-Hebrew. Most are letters from a subordinate officer, Hoshayahu, to Yaush, commander at Lachish. Letter 3 mentions a prophet and a mission to Egypt; Letter 4 ends 'we are watching for the signals of Lachish... for we cannot see Azekah.'
When was Lachish Letters (Lachish Ostraca) discovered?
It was found in 1935 by James Leslie Starkey, Wellcome-Marston Expedition; published by Harry Torczyner (Tur-Sinai) 1938, at Tel Lachish (Tell ed-Duweir).
Where is Lachish Letters (Lachish Ostraca) today?
British Museum, London (most); Rockefeller Museum, Jerusalem (Letter 6 and others).
Which Bible verses does Lachish Letters (Lachish Ostraca) relate to?
Joshua 10:10, Jeremiah 6:1, Jeremiah 34:7.
Related discoveries
- שַׂרJehucal son of Shelemiah BullaSeal of the royal official who was sent to Jeremiah and later had him thrown in a cistern
- בָּמָהLachish Gate Shrine and Desecrated ToiletA gate sanctuary with broken altar horns and a stone latrine — Hezekiah's reform in action?
- סֹלְלָהLachish Level III: Assyrian Siege Ramp and Battle DebrisThe only surviving Assyrian siege ramp, with arrowheads, sling stones and a mass grave
- כִּנִּיםLachish Ivory Comb: The Earliest Canaanite SentenceA 3,700-year-old lice comb inscribed 'May this tusk root out the lice of the hair and the beard'
- בַּיּוֹם הַשֵּׁנִיLachish Level VI Destruction and the Fosse TempleA Canaanite city under Egypt, burned around 1150 BCE
- דָּרְיָוֶשׁThe Lachish 'Darius' Ostracon (2022)A 'first Darius inscription in Israel' that turned out to be a modern demonstration piece
Sources
- Wikipedia, 'Lachish letters'
- Torczyner, Lachish I: The Lachish Letters (1938)