Bethlehem’s Existence Proven

August 13, 2012

Three lines of ancient Hebrew script appear on it: Bishv'at [in the seventh], Bat Lechem [Bethlehem], [Lemel]ekh [to the king], believed to mean that a shipment was sent from Bethlehem to the king of Jerusalem in his seventh year. According to Eli Shukron, director of the excavation, “This is the first time the name Bethlehem appears outside the Bible in an inscription from the First Temple Period, which proves that Bethlehem was indeed a city in the Kingdom of Judah and possibly also in earlier periods.”

Source: From an Israel Antiquities Authority press release

Photo Credit: Israel Antiquities Authority