Wadi el-Hol Inscriptions

The earliest alphabetic writing, left by Semites on a desert road in Egypt itself

Egypt & the Exodus · inscription · Accepted by scholars · found 1994

Line drawing of early alphabetic pictographic signs — Photo: immediate source: http://www.maarav.com/current.shtml BRUCE ZUCKERMAN IN COLLABORATION WITH LYNN SWARTZ DODD Pots and Alphabets: Refractions of Reflections on Typological Method (MAARAV, A Journal for the Study of the Northwest Semitic Languages and Literatures, Vol. 10, p. 89) · Public domain · via Wikimedia Commons — Drawing of the two Wadi el-Hol alphabetic inscriptions.

Found 1994 — John Coleman Darnell and Deborah Darnell (Yale Theban Desert Road Survey); published 1999 and 2005

Where Wadi el-Hol, western desert northwest of Luxor (Egypt)

Dates from c. 1850–1700 BCE · Middle Kingdom (late 12th–13th Dynasty) · Sojourn; Semitic soldiers or workers in Egyptian service

Now at In place (rock face at Wadi el-Hol)

How Wadi el-Hol Inscriptions was found

Found while surveying ancient desert tracks between Thebes and Abydos. Two short texts were cut into a rock face among hundreds of Egyptian graffiti.

What it is

Two lines of picture-alphabet signs, one horizontal and one vertical, carved into limestone. The signs are the same early alphabet seen at Serabit el-Khadim but in a slightly older, more Egyptian-looking form.

Why it matters for the Bible

Wadi el-Hol shows the alphabet was invented inside Egypt, not in Sinai or Canaan, by Semitic speakers living and working among Egyptians, most likely in the Middle Kingdom. That fits the Bible's picture of a Semitic population inside Egypt during the Sojourn, some of them serving in the Egyptian army or on state projects. The texts are too short to be read with confidence.

The Hebrew word: SEH-fer

סֵפֶר

סֵפֶר is pronounced SEH-fer and means book, scroll, written document (Strong's H5612).

Places

Egypt — מִצְרַיִם (mits-RAH-yim) — Egypt

Events

Hebrews living in Egypt during the Sojourn

Wadi el-Hol Inscriptions in Scripture

Exodus 17:14 YHVH tells Moshe to write in a book; the alphabet Moshe could have used was already being scratched on Egyptian rocks centuries earlier.

Genesis 46:6-7 Yaakov's family enters Egypt; Wadi el-Hol shows Semitic speakers present in Egypt in this general period.

Questions people ask

What is Wadi el-Hol Inscriptions?
Two lines of picture-alphabet signs, one horizontal and one vertical, carved into limestone. The signs are the same early alphabet seen at Serabit el-Khadim but in a slightly older, more Egyptian-looking form.

When was Wadi el-Hol Inscriptions discovered?
It was found in 1994 by John Coleman Darnell and Deborah Darnell (Yale Theban Desert Road Survey); published 1999 and 2005, at Wadi el-Hol, western desert northwest of Luxor.

Where is Wadi el-Hol Inscriptions today?
In place (rock face at Wadi el-Hol).

Which Bible verses does Wadi el-Hol Inscriptions relate to?
Exodus 17:14, Genesis 46:6-7.

Related discoveries

Sources

Darnell et al., 'Two Early Alphabetic Inscriptions from the Wadi el-Hol', AASOR 59 (2005)
Wikipedia: Wadi el-Hol inscriptions

Open Wadi el-Hol Inscriptions in Hebrew Explorer →

Part of Biblical Archaeology — 533 discoveries that run alongside the biblical story · Egypt & the Exodus

Open Hebrew Explorer — 30+ free study tools →