BIBLE HISTORY DAILY

Ancient Seal Impression May Connect to Biblical Figure

Who was Yeda’yah son of Asayahu?

Does this seal impression, discovered during the Temple Mount Sifting Project, record the name of a biblical figure? The small seal impression, affixed to a piece of dried clay called a bulla, is one of dozens that have been discovered in the area of the ancient Temple Mount and the City of David over the years, several of which have been connected to biblical figures.

---

---

Identifying a Biblical Figure

While sifting through material previously dumped into the Kidron Valley from the area of the ancient Temple Mount, archaeologist Mordechai Ehrlich made an exciting discovery: a small clay bulla with the seal impression of a man named Yeda’yah, son of Asayahu. According to a press release by the Temple Mount Sifting Project, marks on the back of the bulla indicate it was used to seal a bag or other storage container. Impressed onto the front of the bulla was Yeda’yah’s seal, which presumably marked that the container was sealed under his authority. Based on the inscription’s paleography (the shape of its letters), the archaeologists dated the bulla to the late seventh or early sixth century BCE.

While you will not find Yeda’yah in the Bible, you might find his father, Asayahu, whose name also appears on the seal impression. In the narrative of Josiah’s discovery of the Book of the Law (possibly Deuteronomy), both 2 Kings 22:12 and 2 Chronicles 34:20 record that the king sent a small group of officials to ask the advice of Huldah the prophetess. Among the group of officials that Josiah sent was Asaiah (a short form of Asayahu), the king’s attendant.

---

Become a BAS All-Access Member Now!

Read Biblical Archaeology Review online, explore 50 years of BAR, watch videos, attend talks, and more

---

Although it is impossible to know for certain if Yeda’yah was the son of that Asayahu, the fact that the seal impression was discovered in material from the area of the ancient Temple Mount indicates that the seal’s owner was likely a high-ranking official. And if Yeda’yah was an official, his father Asayahu probably was too. Thus, given that the seal impression dates to around the time of Josiah or shortly after, it is possible that the father of Yeda’yah was indeed the same Asayahu who is mentioned in the Bible.

---

Related reading in Bible History Daily

Clay Seals Give Clues to Wealth of Biblical Jerusalem

Cylinder Seals: A Better Impression

All-Access members, read more in the BAS Library

Seals of Jeremiah’s Captors Who Urged Imprisonment

Royal Seal of King Hezekiah Comes to Light in Jerusalem Excavation

King Hezekiah’s Seal Revisited