Paleo-Hebrew

(1) K'ShR TsWK • 'ShY

(2) HW • HMLK • LThTh • BYD

(3) Z]KRYHW • KSPh ThR

(4) ShSh • LBYTh YHWH [•]

(5) Sh ///

TRANSLATION

... that which AshYahu, the King, commanded you to give you, by the hand of ZekharYahu Tharshish-silver for the Beyth YHWH.

The origin of this ostracon is unknown. It was purchased from an antiquities market and is in the private collection of Shlomo Moussaieff. The dating of the Beyth (Beth) YHWH ostracon is between the 9^th and 7^th centuries BCE. Though not found in an archaeological dig with witnesses, the ostracon has been examined by a number of authorities, including paleographers, subjected to laboratory tests on the pottery, ink and patina and deemed authentic. While many would automatically state that this beyth (house) of YHWH refers to the temple in Jerusalem, there is no proof that is the house being referred to, since other temples and sacred sites were also referred to as the house of YHWH.

Another factor is that the king mentioned here, that of AshYahu, does not have an exact name in the king lists of Yisrael and Yahudah, according to the Hebrew text of the Tanak (Bible).

Kathryn QannaYahu