Esther Eshel

An Inscribed Bulla with Grazing Doe from Tel ʿEton

In the 2008 excavation season at Tel ʿEton an inscribed bulla was found inside an eighth century BCE building. This chapter briefly presents the bulla within its archaeological context, and discusses its significance. A meticulous survey on the tel preceded the excavations, and was followed by shovel tests. Later, three excavation areas were opened on the tel . Area A, in which the bulla was found, is located on the highest part of the tel , and the chapter discusses the result of the excavations in this area and the archaeological context of the ends. The bulla depicts a grazing doe facing to the right. Tree bullae with inscriptions including a similar motif were reported by Avigad and Sass, and an additional one was found at the City of David. Keywords: grazing doe; inscribed bulla; Tel ʿEton

Isaiah 11:15: A New Interpretation Based on the Genesis Apocryphon

A variety of explanations have been suggested for the hapax legomenon μy[b, found in Isa. 11:15. After surveying the interpretations put forth by the ancient translations, medieval commentaries, and modern scholars, this paper proposes a new understanding of this difficult passage based on the appearance of a similar term in the Genesis Apocryphon, as well as a possible emendation of the verse. Isaiah 11:15–16, part of a prophecy aimed at the future returnees to Zion, reads as follows:

A Document from “Year 4 of the Destruction of the House of Israel”

The article presents a document, a receipt of a ketubba and a waiver of claims, that bears the date “Year 4 of the Destruction of the House of Israel.” The counting is from after the suppression of the Bar Kokhba revolt, and the document thus would date to 140 c.e. The discussion consists of text, translation, notes on readings, commentary, and palaeographical description.