Silver Bowl of 'Qainu son of Geshem, King of Qedar'
An Arabian votive bowl from the Egyptian delta naming the son of Nehemiah's enemy Geshem
Found 1947 — Found by local diggers (exact year unrecorded, before 1954); three bowls acquired by the Brooklyn Museum in 1954 and a fourth in 1957; published by Isaac Rabinowitz (1956)
Where Tell el-Maskhuta (biblical Pithom area), Wadi Tumilat (Egypt)
Dates from late 5th century BCE · Achaemenid Persian · Nehemiah and 'Geshem the Arab'
Now at Brooklyn Museum, New York
Names a biblical person Geshem (Geshem named as father of Qainu)
How Silver Bowl of 'Qainu son of Geshem, King of Qedar' was found
Part of a hoard of silver vessels apparently dedicated at a shrine of the Arabian goddess Han-Ilat in the eastern Nile Delta, where Qedarite Arabs served the Persian frontier.
What it is
A shallow silver bowl with a short Aramaic dedication scratched on the rim: 'That which Qainu son of Geshem, king of Qedar, brought as an offering to Han-Ilat.' Other bowls from the same hoard carry Arabian names.
Why it matters for the Bible
Nehemiah names three enemies: Sanballat, Tobiah and 'Geshem the Arab'. The bowl shows a Geshem who was king of Qedar, the powerful Arab tribal confederation that controlled trade routes from Arabia to Egypt and Gaza under Persian oversight. That explains why an 'Arab' could threaten Jerusalem's governor. The identification of the bowl's Geshem with Nehemiah's is accepted by most scholars because the name, date and region all fit.
The Hebrew word: hah-ahr-VEE
הָעַרְבִי
הָעַרְבִי is pronounced hah-ahr-VEE and means the Arab (Geshem's title in Nehemiah) (Strong's H6163).
People this discovery connects to
- Geshem — גֶּשֶׁם (GEH-shem) — rain (Hebrew); Arabic Jasham
Places
- Kedar — קֵדָר (kay-DAHR) — dark, swarthy; an Arabian tribe descended from Ishmael
Events
Geshem's opposition to Nehemiah's wall · Qedarite control of the Arabian trade under Persia
Silver Bowl of 'Qainu son of Geshem, King of Qedar' in Scripture
Isaiah 60:7 The flocks of Kedar are promised to Zion; Qedar was the Arab kingdom Geshem ruled.
Nehemiah 2:19 'Geshem the Arab' first mocks the building of the wall. (First mention of Geshem.)
Nehemiah 6:1-2 Geshem joins the plot to lure Nehemiah to Ono; the bowl shows Geshem as a king of Qedar with real power.
Questions people ask
What is Silver Bowl of 'Qainu son of Geshem, King of Qedar'?
A shallow silver bowl with a short Aramaic dedication scratched on the rim: 'That which Qainu son of Geshem, king of Qedar, brought as an offering to Han-Ilat.' Other bowls from the same hoard carry Arabian names.
When was Silver Bowl of 'Qainu son of Geshem, King of Qedar' discovered?
It was found in 1947 by Found by local diggers (exact year unrecorded, before 1954); three bowls acquired by the Brooklyn Museum in 1954 and a fourth in 1957; published by Isaac Rabinowitz (1956), at Tell el-Maskhuta (biblical Pithom area), Wadi Tumilat.
Where is Silver Bowl of 'Qainu son of Geshem, King of Qedar' today?
Brooklyn Museum, New York.
Which Bible verses does Silver Bowl of 'Qainu son of Geshem, King of Qedar' relate to?
Isaiah 60:7, Nehemiah 2:19, Nehemiah 6:1-2.
Related discoveries
- סֻכּוֹתTell el-MaskhutaNaville's 'Pithom' of 1883, now dated mainly to the 7th century and later
- חַג הַמַּצּוֹתElephantine PapyriAramaic letters of a Jewish garrison in Egypt that name Sanballat, Johanan the priest and a temple of YHW
- הָעֶבֶד הָעַמֹּנִיQasr al-Abd and the 'Tobiah' InscriptionsThe Tobiad family estate east of the Jordan, with the name Tobiah carved over its caves
- פַּחַת יְהוּדָהPersian-Period Jerusalem: Bullae, Seals and the Small CityThe scanty but telling remains of the Jerusalem Ezra and Nehemiah knew
- חוֹמָהNehemiah's Wall in the City of DavidA Persian-period wall and tower on the eastern slope, proposed as the wall Nehemiah rebuilt in 52 days
- בִּירָהPalace of Darius at Susa (Shushan)The royal citadel where the book of Esther is set, with its Apadana and garden court
Sources
- Rabinowitz, 'Aramaic Inscriptions of the Fifth Century B.C.E. from a North-Arab Shrine in Egypt', JNES 15 (1956)
- Brooklyn Museum collection
- COJS: Tel el-Maskhuta Libation Bowl, late 5th century BCE
- Encyclopaedia Judaica (Encyclopedia.com): Geshem, Gashmu
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