A group of archaeologists in Israel has found what appears to be the royal seal of an Old Testament prince who opposed the prophet Jeremiah.  The discovery was made earlier this year in ruins considered to include the Palace of David, about 600 feet south of the Temple Mount.

It is identified as the official seal of prince Gedaliah, the son of Pashur, who served in King Zedekiah court in the final days before Jerusalem was conquered by Babylon’s King Nebuchadnezzar in 586 B.C. Gedaliah is mentioned Jeremiah 38:1 as one of those who opposed the prophet and had him thrown into a well.

Archaeologist Dr. Eilat Mazar of Jerusalem’s Hebrew University says the imprint is astonishingly well-preserved:

"How absolutely fantastic and special this find is can only be realized when you hold in your hand this magnificent one-centimeter piece of clay and know that it survived 2,600 years in the debris of the destruction, and came to us complete and in perfect condition."

“It’s not often that such discoveries happen in which real figures of the past shake off the dust of history and so vividly revive the stories of the Bible.”

Three years ago in the same area, Dr Mazar discovered a similar seal of another one of Jeremiah’s enemies- Jehucal the son of Shelemiah, also named in Jeremiah 38:1.

Response:  This is an incredible verification of the Book of Jeremiah.  Gedaliah and Jehucal are two names listed in Jeremiah 38:1. Now we have proof that these princes actually did exist and their seals were found in what is believed to be the Davidic palace which was utterly destroyed by King Nebuchadnezzar in 586 B.C.— 2,594 years ago.

Just a minor discovery, but another in a whole line of archaeological finds in the last 100 years that support the Bible.            *Top