Thursday, December 9th, 2015. A team of archaeologists from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, has deciphered a seal found in Jerusalem couple years ago, the seal impression had the name of the biblical King Hezekiah; whose reign dates back to the eighth century B.C. The incident occurred in the Ophel excavations near the Temple Mount in the Old City of Jerusalem; scientists found an object being a centimeter long, decorated with Egyptian-style motifs.
At first it was cataloged and stored in a closet, after a first inspection will fail to establish its identity. Five years later, a team member returned to analyze it with a magnifying glass and appreciated some points that helped spread the word and its meaning seeing clearly.
The oval stamp seal was printed on a piece of clay three millimeters thick with the headings לחזקיהו [בן] אחז מלך יהדה (Belongs to Hezekiah [son] Ahaz king of Judah) and a sun two wings, back down flanked by two ankh symbols that symbolize life. The ancient Jews used the solar disk to refer to the Almighty and arched wings can denote an expression of Hezekiah: “My power is thanks to the protection of God”; He explained Dr. Eilat Mazar, head of the excavation.
King Hezekiah is mentioned in the Bible in the Second Book of Kings, chapter 18, verse five (II Kings 18: 5); in the following context: “After him was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor among those who were before him.”
Hezekiah ruled around the years 715 and 686 BC, during its mandate; Judah was invaded by the Assyrian Empire, and the capital Jerusalem was besieged by the army of King Sennacherib (king of Assyria from 705 BC until his death in 681.); It is also one of the kings mentioned in the genealogy of Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew.
Hezekiah in the southern kingdom of Judah, took place during the conquest and forced resettlement of the northern kingdom of Israel; at which he absorbed many refugees from the northern kingdom. This King the following is known: he buried the springs outside the city; He fortified town; he organized his army; and he built an underground aqueduct.
Mazar believes the object is the closest finding that could have belonged to King Hezekiah, and expands what is already known in the Bible about him. The seal was used on a papyrus scroll. According to the researcher, it is the first time a stamp impression belonging to an Israelite king of Judah, comes to public light in a scientific archaeological excavation
ALFA