Ancient Bible World

A Glimpse into First Temple Period Hebrew

Believe it or not, we can actually get glimpses of ancient Hebrew from the First Temple period. Thanks to inscriptions discovered across Israel and the surrounding region that preserve early forms of Hebrew and related Northwest Semitic scripts we can get an idea about what kind go Hebrew kings like David, Solomon and Hezekiah may have used.

The evolution of the alphabet in the ancient Semitic world tells an incredible story, one that directly connects to the history of biblical Hebrew. M. Liverani’s chart (above) traces this development from Proto-Sinaitic (15th century BCE) and Ugaritic (14th century BCE) to the influential Phoenician script (8th century BCE). This progression helped standardize the 22-letter consonantal alphabet that would give rise to both Hebrew and Aramaic writing. Interestingly, while Ugaritic used an alphabetic system, it retained the cuneiform style, demonstrating how alphabetic principles spread even within Mesopotamian-influenced scribal cultures. Various inscriptions like the Gezer Calendar (Hebrew) and the Kilamuwa Stele (Old Aramaic) reveal how these scripts were diverse yet deeply interconnected.

So first Temple period inscriptions can help scholars bring not only history, but also the ancient language to life. For example, the Siloam Inscription, carved into Hezekiah’s tunnel in Jerusalem, records an impressive engineering feat in flowing Hebrew prose. The Mesha Stele (Moabite) recounts a Moabite king’s revolt against Israel, echoing biblical events. The Tel Dan Inscription (Aramaic) even mentions the “House of David,” providing the earliest extra-biblical reference to David’s dynasty while showing a unique glimpse of first temple period script. Written in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Moabite, these inscriptions descend from Proto-Sinaitic and were standardized through Phoenician, preserving notable similarities in letter form and sound—especially in letters like bēt, mēm, and lamed.

We’ll explore inscriptions like these and more here on our Artifacts Page, highlighting how they illuminate ancient writing and amazing historical accounts that are biblically relevant. Together, they reflect a vibrant Northwest Semitic scribal culture spanning the Late Bronze Age to the Iron Age, where writing served not only administrative needs but also identity, politics, and theology.

References:

Liverani, Mario. The Ancient Near East: History, Society and Economy. Translated by Soraia Tabatabai. Abingdon: Routledge, 2014.

Pritchard, James B., ed. Ancient Near Eastern Texts Relating to the Old Testament with Supplement. 3rd ed. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1969.