Merneptah Stele

Merneptah Stele 

The Merneptah Stele dates to approximately 1207 BCE, during the reign of Egyptian Pharaoh Merneptah (1213–1203 BCE). It is famous for containing the earliest known extra-biblical reference to "Israel" and was discovered in 1896 at Thebes by archaeologist Flinders Petrie.  
Date: The inscription is dated to about 1207 BCE. 

Ruler: The stele was created during the reign of Pharaoh Merneptah, who ruled from 1213 to 1203 BCE. 

Significance: It is the earliest known mention of "Israel" in an inscription outside of the Bible. 
Discovery: It was discovered in 1896 by Flinders Petrie in Thebes.  

 

 

The Merneptah Stele, also known as the Israel Stele or the Victory Stele of Merneptah, is an inscription by Merneptah, a pharaoh in ancient Egypt who reigned from 1213 to 1203 BCE. Discovered by Flinders Petrie at Thebes in 1896, it is now housed at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.[1][2] 

 

The Merneptah Stele, also known as the Israel Stele or the Victory Stele of Merneptah, is an inscription by Merneptah, a pharaoh in ancient Egypt;

It was created during Merneptah's reign, which was from 1213–1203 BCE. ;

The stele is the earliest known extra-biblical reference to the name Israel. It lists Israel as a people group in Canaan that was defeated in battle, stating that Israel was "laid waste". ;

This inscription demonstrates that by the late 13th century BCE, "Israel" was a recognizable entity among other groups in the region, though it was not yet a fixed political state.

The Merneptah Stele says that the people of Israel were "laid waste, bare of seed" after being defeated by the Egyptian pharaoh Merneptah in battle around 1207 BCE. This inscription, dated to the late 13th century BCE, is the earliest extra-biblical mention of Israel and indicates it was a distinct, recognizable group in Canaan at the time. The stele does not provide details on Israel's origins or structure, only that it was a people group that the Egyptians fought against and overcame. 

 

 

The text is largely an account of Merneptah's victory over the ancient Libyans and their allies, but the last three of the 28 lines deal with a separate campaign in Canaan, then part of Egypt's imperial possessions. It is sometimes referred to as the "Israel Stele" because a majority of scholars translate a set of hieroglyphs in line 27 as "Israel". 

 

Libyans (Tjeḥenu) are described by determinatives: foreign person + people + foreign country (=state/country of Libyan people) 

 

A portion of line 27, translated as "Israel [foreign people]"

Closeup of the Merenptah Stele, mentioning ysrỉꜣr ("Israel") on Line 27

 

ysrỉꜣr refers to the Is Ra El of the Lower AEgyptian Delta which is the Mauritanian AEgypt River Lower Delta

Israel is laid waste—its seed is no more;   1208 - 1207 BCE 

Israel reference
Petrie called upon Wilhelm Spiegelberg, a German philologist in his archaeological team, to translate the inscription. Spiegelberg was puzzled by one symbol towards the end, that of a people or tribe whom Merneptah (also written Merenptah) had victoriously smitten – I.si.ri.ar? Petrie quickly suggested that it read "Israel!" Spiegelberg agreed that this translation must be correct.[1] "Won't the reverends be pleased?" remarked Petrie. At dinner that evening, Petrie, who realized the importance of the find, said: "This stele will be better known in the world than anything else I have found." The news of its discovery made headlines when it reached the English papers.[1]

The line which refers to Israel is below (shown in reverse to match the English translation; the original Egyptian is in right-to-left script): 

 

 

ysrỉꜣr    fk.t    bn    pr.t    =f
Israel    waste    [negative]    seed/grain    his/its

 

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merneptah_Stele