Qumran Cave 12 (2017)
A newly excavated scroll cave, looted in antiquity but proving the caves still hold secrets
Found 2017 — Oren Gutfeld (Hebrew University) and Randall Price (Liberty University), with Ahiad Ovadia, under the Israel Antiquities Authority's 'Operation Scroll' survey
Where Cliffs west of Khirbet Qumran (West Bank (Palestinian Territories))
Dates from c. 1st century BCE – 1st century CE · Late Second Temple · Late Second Temple
Now at Finds with the Israel Antiquities Authority, Jerusalem
How Qumran Cave 12 (2017) was found
Excavation of a cave in the cliffs west of Qumran in early 2017 found scroll jars, lids, linen wrappings, a leather strap and one blank rolled parchment, plus 1950s pickaxe heads left by looters.
What it is
A natural cave with a narrow entrance where broken storage jars and lids of the classic 'scroll jar' type were found, along with a small rolled piece of blank parchment and cloth in which scrolls had been wrapped.
Why it matters for the Bible
It was the first new scroll cave identified in over sixty years, though its scrolls had been taken by looters in the mid-20th century. The find shows that the Bedouin discoveries of 1947–56 did not exhaust the cliffs and encouraged the systematic survey that has since continued, including the 2021 discovery of Greek Minor Prophets fragments in the Cave of Horror farther south. It also reminds readers that the Dead Sea Scrolls market is still fed by looting, which is how forgeries enter it.
The Hebrew word: me-ah-RAH
מְעָרָה
מְעָרָה is pronounced me-ah-RAH and means cave (Strong's H4631).
Places
- Salt Sea (Dead Sea) — יָם הַמֶּלַח (yahm hah-MEH-lach) — sea of salt
Events
Hiding of scrolls in the Judean desert caves
Qumran Cave 12 (2017) in Scripture
Genesis 14:3 First mention of Salt Sea in Scripture.
1 Samuel 24:3 David hides in a cave by En-gedi, in the same desert cliffs where scrolls were later hidden.
Jeremiah 32:14 Jeremiah orders a deed placed in a clay jar 'so that it may last many days'; scroll jars in the caves did just that.
Questions people ask
What is Qumran Cave 12 (2017)?
A natural cave with a narrow entrance where broken storage jars and lids of the classic 'scroll jar' type were found, along with a small rolled piece of blank parchment and cloth in which scrolls had been wrapped.
When was Qumran Cave 12 (2017) discovered?
It was found in 2017 by Oren Gutfeld (Hebrew University) and Randall Price (Liberty University), with Ahiad Ovadia, under the Israel Antiquities Authority's 'Operation Scroll' survey, at Cliffs west of Khirbet Qumran.
Where is Qumran Cave 12 (2017) today?
Finds with the Israel Antiquities Authority, Jerusalem.
Which Bible verses does Qumran Cave 12 (2017) relate to?
Genesis 14:3, 1 Samuel 24:3, Jeremiah 32:14.
Is Qumran Cave 12 (2017) authentic?
The excavation is genuine; some scholars question calling it 'Cave 12' since no inscribed scrolls were recovered from it.
Related discoveries
- מְגִלָּהDiscovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls (Qumran Cave 1)The 1947 find that gave the world Hebrew Bibles a thousand years older than any known before
- כִּכָּרCopper Scroll (3Q15)A treasure list engraved on copper, the strangest of the Dead Sea Scrolls
- מִקְדָּשׁTemple Scroll (11QTa)The longest Dead Sea Scroll, a rewritten Torah describing an ideal Temple and its laws
- בְּנֵי אוֹרWar Scroll (1QM)The 'War of the Sons of Light against the Sons of Darkness', a battle plan for the end of days
- תְּהִלִּיםGreat Psalms Scroll (11QPsa) with Psalm 151A Cave 11 psalter in a different order, with Psalm 151 and other hymns unknown to the Hebrew Bible
- טוֹטָפֹתTefillin and Mezuzot from QumranLeather prayer-capsules and doorpost scrolls, the oldest physical witnesses to Deuteronomy 6:8-9 in practice
Sources
- Hebrew University press release, 8 February 2017: 'Hebrew University archaeologists find 12th Dead Sea Scrolls cave'
- Wikipedia: Qumran Caves