Tefillin and Mezuzot from Qumran
Leather prayer-capsules and doorpost scrolls, the oldest physical witnesses to Deuteronomy 6:8-9 in practice
Found 1949 — Cave 1 excavation (Harding and de Vaux, 1949); most from Cave 4 (1952) and Cave 8 (1955); published by Milik (DJD 6, 1977) and Yadin (1969)
Where Qumran Caves 1, 4, 5, 8 and Wadi Murabba'at (West Bank (Palestinian Territories))
Dates from c. 100 BCE – 68 CE · Hasmonean to early Roman · Late Second Temple Torah observance
Now at Israel Antiquities Authority and Shrine of the Book, Israel Museum, Jerusalem
How Tefillin and Mezuzot from Qumran was found
Tiny folded parchment slips, some still inside their stitched leather capsules, were found in the cave debris in the 1950s; nine unopened capsules were identified in IAA storage in 2013–14 and opened and read later.
What it is
About 45 tefillin slips and 10 mezuzah slips, some the size of a postage stamp, written in minute Hebrew. The leather head-capsule has four compartments as in later Jewish law. Their texts include Exodus 13, Deuteronomy 6 and 11, and sometimes the Ten Commandments and Deuteronomy 32.
Why it matters for the Bible
Deuteronomy commands Israel to bind YHVH's words 'as a sign on your hand and between your eyes' and write them on the doorposts. The Qumran finds prove these commands were being carried out literally before the time of Yeshua (Jesus), who criticized those who made their phylacteries broad (Matthew 23:5). They also show that the choice of passages was not yet fixed, some including the Decalogue as the Nash Papyrus does.
The Hebrew word: to-tah-FOTE
טוֹטָפֹת
טוֹטָפֹת is pronounced to-tah-FOTE and means frontlets, bands between the eyes (the word behind tefillin) (Strong's H2903).
Events
Daily Torah observance in the Second Temple period · Yeshua's criticism of showy phylacteries
Tefillin and Mezuzot from Qumran in Scripture
Exodus 13:9 The Exodus passages found in the tefillin slips give this verse's 'sign on your hand' as their reason.
Exodus 13:16 First mention of Frontlets (tefillin) in Scripture.
Deuteronomy 6:8-9 The command to bind the words on hand and forehead and write them on doorposts; these are the earliest objects made to obey it.
Questions people ask
What is Tefillin and Mezuzot from Qumran?
About 45 tefillin slips and 10 mezuzah slips, some the size of a postage stamp, written in minute Hebrew. The leather head-capsule has four compartments as in later Jewish law. Their texts include Exodus 13, Deuteronomy 6 and 11, and sometimes the Ten Commandments and Deuteronomy 32.
When was Tefillin and Mezuzot from Qumran discovered?
It was found in 1949 by Cave 1 excavation (Harding and de Vaux, 1949); most from Cave 4 (1952) and Cave 8 (1955); published by Milik (DJD 6, 1977) and Yadin (1969), at Qumran Caves 1, 4, 5, 8 and Wadi Murabba'at.
Where is Tefillin and Mezuzot from Qumran today?
Israel Antiquities Authority and Shrine of the Book, Israel Museum, Jerusalem.
Which Bible verses does Tefillin and Mezuzot from Qumran relate to?
Exodus 13:9, Exodus 13:16, Deuteronomy 6:8-9.
Related discoveries
- כִּכָּרCopper Scroll (3Q15)A treasure list engraved on copper, the strangest of the Dead Sea Scrolls
- מְעָרָהQumran Cave 12 (2017)A newly excavated scroll cave, looted in antiquity but proving the caves still hold secrets
- 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
- 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
Sources
- Yadin, Tefillin from Qumran (1969)
- Milik, 'Tefillin, Mezuzot et Targums', DJD 6 (1977)
- Times of Israel (2014): Uncovered in Jerusalem, 9 tiny unopened Dead Sea Scrolls