Nathan-Melech, Servant of the King Bulla
Seal of an official named in the story of Josiah's reform
Found 2019 — Yiftah Shalev (Israel Antiquities Authority) and Yuval Gadot (Tel Aviv University), Givati Parking Lot excavations; read by Anat Mendel-Geberovich (Hebrew University); announced 31 March 2019
Where Givati Parking Lot, City of David, Yerushalayim (Jerusalem) (Israel)
Dates from late 7th–early 6th century BCE · Iron Age IIC · Reign of Yoshiyahu (Josiah) to the fall of Jerusalem
Now at Israel Antiquities Authority (City of David excavations)
Names a biblical person Nathan-Melech (name and title match 2 Kgs 23:11; identification probable)
How Nathan-Melech, Servant of the King Bulla was found
Found in the burnt debris of a large public building destroyed in 586 BCE, together with a bluish agate seal of 'Ikkar son of Matanyahu'.
What it is
A 1 cm clay bulla with two lines of paleo-Hebrew: 'l-Netan-Melekh eved ha-melekh' — belonging to Nathan-Melech, servant of the king. No father's name is given, a sign of a well-known man.
Why it matters for the Bible
2 Kings 23:11 says Josiah removed the horses dedicated to the sun 'by the chamber of Nathan-Melech the official'. The name appears nowhere else in the Bible, so a bulla with that rare name, title 'servant of the king', and date in the right generation is a strong match. It also shows the Givati building was a royal administrative centre until the Babylonians burned it.
The Hebrew word: EH-ved ha-MEH-lech
עֶבֶד הַמֶּלֶךְ
עֶבֶד הַמֶּלֶךְ is pronounced EH-ved ha-MEH-lech and means servant (minister) of the king (Strong's H5650 + H4428).
People this discovery connects to
- Nathan-Melech — נְתַן־מֶלֶךְ (ne-tahn-MEH-lech) — the king has given
- Josiah — יֹאשִׁיָּהוּ (yoh-shee-YAH-hoo) — YHVH supports
Places
- City of David — עִיר דָּוִד (eer dah-VEED) — city of David
Events
Josiah's reform (622 BCE) · Destruction of Jerusalem (586 BCE)
Nathan-Melech, Servant of the King Bulla in Scripture
2 Kings 23:11 The only biblical mention of Nathan-Melech, an official whose chamber stood by the Temple entrance.
Questions people ask
What is Nathan-Melech, Servant of the King Bulla?
A 1 cm clay bulla with two lines of paleo-Hebrew: 'l-Netan-Melekh eved ha-melekh' — belonging to Nathan-Melech, servant of the king. No father's name is given, a sign of a well-known man.
When was Nathan-Melech, Servant of the King Bulla discovered?
It was found in 2019 by Yiftah Shalev (Israel Antiquities Authority) and Yuval Gadot (Tel Aviv University), Givati Parking Lot excavations; read by Anat Mendel-Geberovich (Hebrew University); announced 31 March 2019, at Givati Parking Lot, City of David, Yerushalayim (Jerusalem).
Where is Nathan-Melech, Servant of the King Bulla today?
Israel Antiquities Authority (City of David excavations).
Which Bible verses does Nathan-Melech, Servant of the King Bulla relate to?
2 Kings 23:11.
Related discoveries
- רָעָבGivati Parking Lot Mansion ('Queen Helena's Palace')A grand first-century building in the Lower City, proposed as the palace of the convert queen of Adiabene
- עֹפֶלJerusalem's Rock-Cut Northern MoatA 9-metre-deep trench that cut the City of David off from the Temple Mount, identified in 2023
- מְצוּדָהThe Seleucid Akra (Givati Parking Lot)Fortification and Seleucid weapons in the City of David identified as the Akra of 1 Maccabees
- שָׂרַף בָּאֵשׁCharred Beams of Jerusalem's 586 BCE Destruction (Givati, 2026)Tree-ring-dated timbers from the Babylonian burning of the city
- עֵין גֶּדִיEn-Gedi (Tel Goren) Stratum VA royal perfume village by the Dead Sea, burned in the Babylonian conquest
- אֲשֵׁרָהJudean Pillar FigurinesThousands of little clay women from Judah's homes — Asherah, prayer aids or charms?
Sources
- Israel Antiquities Authority press release, 31 Mar 2019
- Shalev, Gadot et al., 'A Bulla and a Seal from the Givati Parking Lot', IEJ (2019)
- Times of Israel, 'Tiny First Temple find could be first proof of aide to biblical King Josiah' (31 Mar 2019)
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