Newly Unveiled Seal Impression Attests Another Biblical Figure

It’s a rare thrill when an ancient artifact turns up bearing the name of a person mentioned in the Bible. In the newly revealed group of bullae, four are imprinted with the seals of high officials in Hezekiah’s court. Three bear the inscription “servant of Hezekiah,” a term that does not denote a particular office but indicates that the seal’s owner is an elite member of the king’s court.¹ Of these three, one bulla now allows us to add a name to the short (but growing) list of archaeologically attested Biblical figures.²

The Book of Chronicles (2 Chronicles 31) tells what happened after the pillars, sacred posts, shrines and altars outside Jerusalem had been smashed and destroyed as part of Hezekiah’s religious reforms: The people from the countryside brought large quantities of “grain, wine, oil, honey and all kinds of agricultural produce” (2 Chronicles 31:5) to the Temple in Jerusalem, along with tithes of cattle and sheep. So much was brought that special storehouses were established in the city. The keeper of the East Gate, Kore, was placed in charge of these freewill offerings, with several men under him “in offices of trust.” One of these men was named Amariah, or in Hebrew, Amaryahu (2 Chronicles 31:15).