Proto-Sinaitic Inscriptions, Serabit el-Khadim
Semitic workers in Sinai writing the world's first alphabet
Found 1905 — W. M. Flinders Petrie (with Hilda Petrie); partially deciphered by Alan Gardiner (1916)
Where Serabit el-Khadim, southwestern Sinai (Egypt)
Dates from c. 1850–1500 BCE · Middle Bronze Age–Late Bronze Age (12th–18th Dynasty) · Sojourn; Semitic laborers working for Egypt near Sinai
Now at Some in place; others in the Egyptian Museum, Cairo, and the British Museum
How Proto-Sinaitic Inscriptions, Serabit el-Khadim was found
Petrie's 1904–1905 survey of the turquoise mines and Hathor temple recorded strange signs on rock faces and small objects. Gardiner recognized the sequence l-b-'-l-t, 'to the Lady' (Baalat), and showed the signs were an alphabet based on Egyptian pictures.
What it is
About 40 short texts scratched on mine walls, stelae and small statues, using around 25–30 picture-signs. Each sign stands for the first sound of the Semitic word for the picture (ox head = 'aleph', house = 'bet'). This is the ancestor of the Hebrew, Greek and Latin alphabets.
Why it matters for the Bible
The inscriptions were written by Semitic-speaking Canaanites working in Egyptian turquoise mines in Sinai, at a date within the biblical Sojourn. They show that ordinary Semitic laborers in Egyptian service could write, which is relevant to the question of whether Moshe's generation could have produced written records. Claims that specific texts mention Moshe or the Exodus (Douglas Petrovich, 2016) are not accepted by specialists.
The Hebrew word: kah-TAV
כָּתַב
כָּתַב is pronounced kah-TAV and means to write (Strong's H3789).
People this discovery connects to
- Moses — מֹשֶׁה (moh-SHEH) — drawn out
Places
- Sinai — סִינַי (see-NAI) — the wilderness/mountain of the covenant
Events
Israelites laboring for Egypt · Moshe writes the words of YHVH
Proto-Sinaitic Inscriptions, Serabit el-Khadim in Scripture
Exodus 1:11 Hebrew laborers under Egyptian taskmasters; the Serabit texts were left by Semitic workers in an Egyptian mining operation.
Exodus 3:1 First mention of Sinai in Scripture.
Exodus 24:4 Moshe writes down all the words of YHVH; the Sinai alphabet shows a simple Semitic script was already in use near this very region.
Questions people ask
What is Proto-Sinaitic Inscriptions, Serabit el-Khadim?
About 40 short texts scratched on mine walls, stelae and small statues, using around 25–30 picture-signs. Each sign stands for the first sound of the Semitic word for the picture (ox head = 'aleph', house = 'bet'). This is the ancestor of the Hebrew, Greek and Latin alphabets.
When was Proto-Sinaitic Inscriptions, Serabit el-Khadim discovered?
It was found in 1905 by W. M. Flinders Petrie (with Hilda Petrie); partially deciphered by Alan Gardiner (1916), at Serabit el-Khadim, southwestern Sinai.
Where is Proto-Sinaitic Inscriptions, Serabit el-Khadim today?
Some in place; others in the Egyptian Museum, Cairo, and the British Museum.
Which Bible verses does Proto-Sinaitic Inscriptions, Serabit el-Khadim relate to?
Exodus 1:11, Exodus 3:1, Exodus 24:4.
Related discoveries
- עֵגֶלHathor Temple, Serabit el-KhadimAn Egyptian mining temple in Sinai where Semitic workers served alongside Egyptians
- עַבְדִּיאֵלTomb of the Vizier Aper-ElA Semitic-named vizier of Egypt under Amenhotep III and Akhenaten
- עַיִןMaqna 'Springs of Moses' (Arabian Elim and Marah claims)Palm-oasis springs on the Gulf of Aqaba offered as the twelve wells of Elim
- צוּרThe 'Split Rock of Horeb' near Jabal MaqlaA giant cleft boulder in Saudi Arabia claimed as the rock Moshe struck
- עָרֵי מִסְכְּנוֹתPi-Ramesses (Qantir)The Delta capital of Ramesses II, the 'Rameses' of Exodus 1:11
- פִּסְגָּהMount Nebo: The Memorial of MosesByzantine basilica and mosaics on the peak where Moshe viewed the Land
Sources
- Petrie, Researches in Sinai (1906)
- Gardiner, 'The Egyptian Origin of the Semitic Alphabet', JEA 3 (1916)
- Wikipedia: Proto-Sinaitic script
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