A find, and what it shows
The Ketef Hinnom Amulets
The Ketef Hinnom Amulets are two tiny rolled silver scrolls found near Jerusalem, inscribed with a form of the priestly blessing of Numbers 6. They touch the antiquity of the biblical text itself.
“The LORD bless thee, and keep thee:”Numbers 6:24
The find
The find. The Ketef Hinnom Amulets are two small scrolls of thin silver, discovered in the modern era in a burial cave at Ketef Hinnom, on a slope overlooking the valley just outside the old walls of Jerusalem. Originally rolled up tightly, most likely worn as protective amulets, they had to be carefully unrolled by specialists before their delicate inscriptions could be read. Scratched into the silver in an early form of Hebrew script are words that correspond to the priestly blessing found in the book of Numbers, the blessing in which the Lord is asked to bless and keep his people, to make his face shine upon them, and to give them peace. The amulets are generally dated by their script and archaeological context to a period before the Babylonian exile, making them very old indeed, among the oldest known artifacts bearing words that also appear in the Hebrew Bible. They are physically tiny, easy to overlook, yet they carry a portion of Scripture in a form that predates by centuries most other surviving biblical manuscripts.
What it does and does not show
What it does and does not show. The amulets show that words of the priestly blessing were in circulation, treasured, and inscribed on precious metal to be carried close, at a very early date. This is significant for the antiquity of the biblical text. It demonstrates that at least this portion of what became Scripture existed in written form long before the periods to which some had assigned the composition of such material, and that it was already meaningful enough to wear as a blessing over the dead or the living. The wording is close to the biblical blessing, showing continuity between the ancient inscription and the text handed down. What the amulets cannot show is that the whole of the biblical books existed in final form at that time, nor that the blessing they carry is true, only that it was written, valued, and old. The honest statement is that they push the documented antiquity of a piece of Scripture back to a very early period and reveal how it was used in daily piety. They confirm that the words were ancient and cherished; they say nothing about whether the God invoked in them keeps the promise the blessing asks. That remains, as always, a matter of faith rather than of silver.
Where it points
Where it points. The blessing on the silver asks the Lord to make his face shine upon his people and give them peace, and Christians read that longing as answered in Christ, in whom Paul says the light of the knowledge of the glory of God shines in the face of Jesus Christ. The amulets show that this ancient blessing was carried close to the body, a prayer for the presence and peace of God worn as a hope. The silver confirms the antiquity and the yearning; it cannot confirm the fulfillment. The shining face the ancient wearer longed for is met, the church confesses, in the risen Lord who is our peace. The tiny scrolls point to a very old prayer, and the answer to that prayer is received not from metal but from Christ.
Questions people ask
Why are the Ketef Hinnom Amulets significant?
They are two tiny silver scrolls inscribed with a form of the priestly blessing from Numbers 6, dated to before the Babylonian exile. They are among the oldest known artifacts bearing words that also appear in the Hebrew Bible, pushing the documented antiquity of a portion of Scripture back to a very early period.
Do the amulets prove the Bible is true?
No. They show that words of the priestly blessing were written, treasured, and worn at a very early date, which speaks to the antiquity of the text. Whether the blessing's God keeps his promise is a matter of faith that no inscription can settle.