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January 17, 2019

An Ancient Hebrew Inscription Supports the Traditional Spelling of “Jerusalem”

A “jot” makes all the difference.

Last fall, archaeologists discovered a column with a Hebrew inscription, dating from the 1st century CE, reading “Hananiah son of Dodalos of Jerusalem.” Most interesting to philologists was the fact that the Hebrew word for the city was spelled with the letter yud before the final mem, reflecting the modern orthography and pronunciation: Y’rushalayim. This spelling is found in the later books of the Bible, such as Chronicles and Esther, whereas the earlier books omit the yud, suggesting the pronunciation Y’rushalem. As Robert Cargill explains, the inscription is the oldest extant example of the newer spelling:

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January 17, 2019

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  4. An Ancient Hebrew Inscription Supports the Traditional Spelling of “Jerusalem”

    A “jot” makes all the difference.

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