A black stone seal was found at the base of the temple mount in the City of David. On it is depicted a winged creature, possibly a genie or deity who was a protector of the wearer (see first picture below). This shows evidence of neo-Assyrian influence in the Judaean kingdom during the eighth–seventh century BC.
We would expect to see this as we are told in the Bible that the neo-Assyrian king Sennacherib conquered the northern kingdom of Israel in 701 BC. We read about this king in 2 Kings 18:13–19:37 and how Hezekiah (king of the southern kingdom of Judah) paid Sennacherib off with a large sum of money. Sennacherib also wrote: “Hezekiah himself like a caged bird within Jerusalem, his royal city I shut in” (see second picture).
This inscription provides extra-biblical evidence for this interaction as well. We see that the influence of the Assyrians was prevalent in Judah and even shows up in administrative seals used during the reign of King Hezekiah (see third picture). For centuries, it has been common for civilizations to adopt the deities and artistic styles of other conquering nations.
© Eliat Mazar, Photo: Ouria Tadmor
This newly found artifact is no different. Above the winged genie motif is an inscription in Paleo-Hebrew that reads “Joazir son of Josiah.” This could have been an aristocrat’s seal that he used to mark important documents, but it is interesting that these are Hebrew names with a neo-Assyrian image. It is beautiful how once again the biblical account is confirmed by this new find in Jerusalem.
The name Yeho’ezer or “Joazir” is found in its abbreviated Hebrew form in the Bible as Yo’ezer in 1 Chronicles 12:7. He is one of King David’s mighty men. This shows that the name was in use from the time of David into the time of the neo-Assyrian conquest of Israel. It is possible that the Paleo-Hebrew names were added after the engraving of the genie since they are more roughly done.
It’s exciting how archaeology is constantly confirming what we’d expect when we start with the Word of God.
It’s exciting how archaeology is constantly confirming what we’d expect when we start with the Word of God. We will be powerfully highlighting this in our upcoming Jerusalem model at the Ark Encounter (coming 2026). Our artists, designers, and fabricators are hard at work, and it’s coming along beautifully. This will be the most accurate and up-to-date model in the world. This model won’t be open to the public until 2026, but it is going to be a fantastic new attraction at the Ark Encounter.
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