A new discovery from Israel involving an ancient tablet could be one of the most significant archaeological finds in modern history, not only affirming the biblical text but supporting a traditional, conservative understanding of the Old Testament timeline.
The discovery, by Scott Stripling of the Archaeological Studies Institute at The Bible Seminary in Katy, Texas, involves a folded lead tablet with 40 letters of Hebrew inscription that apparently references events mentioned in Deuteronomy 27:15-26 and Joshua 8:30. There, the Israelites learn they will be cursed if they disobey God.
The tablet – which mentions God’s name twice – was discovered at the site of Mt. Ebel. More significantly, though, the lead tablet’s text is centuries older than any known Hebrew inscription from ancient Israel.
A lab in Prague scanned the tablet. The text reads, “Cursed, cursed, cursed – cursed by the God YHW. You will die cursed. Cursed you will surely die. Cursed by YHW – cursed, cursed, cursed.”
Stripling said at a press conference of the discovery, “On a scale of one to 10, this is a 10. It doesn’t get any bigger than this. … If the [biblical] text were true, this is what you would anticipate finding. And indeed, it is what we found.”