A tiny clay seal bearing a clear inscription of the name of an official from the Bible has been found on Jerusalem’s Temple Mount. A team of archaeologists, the Temple Mount Sifting Project, have been working for 20 years to find items in debris at the site.
The tiny seal bears the wording “Belonging to Yed[a‛]yah (son of) Asayahu” in ancient Hebrew the Temple Sifting Project reports. The father’s name appears in the account of the news of the discovery of God’s word reaching the young king of Judah, Josiah. This name appears as the king’s attendant or minister in parallel accounts in the history books of 2 Chronicles and 2 Kings.
“Hilkiah the priest found the Book of the Law of the Lord that had been given through Moses. Hilkiah said to Shaphan the secretary, “I have found the Book of the Law in the temple of the Lord.” He gave it to Shaphan.
Then Shaphan took the book to the king and reported to him: “Your officials are doing everything that has been committed to them. They have paid out the money that was in the temple of the Lord and have entrusted it to the supervisors and workers.” Then Shaphan the secretary informed the king, “Hilkiah the priest has given me a book.” And Shaphan read from it in the presence of the king.
When the king heard the words of the Law, he torehis robes. He gave these orders to Hilkiah, Ahikam son of Shaphan, Abdon son of Micah, Shaphan the secretary and Asaiah the king’s attendant: “Go and inquire of the Lord for me and for the remnant in Israel and Judah about what is written in this book that has been found. Great is the Lord’s anger that is poured out on us because those who have gone before us have not kept the word of the Lord; they have not acted in accordance with all that is written in this book.”” 2 Chronicles 34:14–21
“’This is only the second time since the Temple Mount Sifting Project began over 20 years ago that we’ve uncovered a sealing with such a complete inscription — nearly every letter is clearly legible,’ said archaeologist Zachi Dvira, who co-directs the project alongside Dr. Gabriel Barkay,” Times of Isreal (ToI) reports.
The version of the name inscribed on the sealing, “Asayahu” contains an extra letter Vav, a type of suffix that was often added to ancient Hebrew names to testify to their connection with God (Y-H-V-H).
“The longer and shorter versions of the name were often used interchangeably,” Dvira said.
The ToI report explains that during the First Temple period, clay impressions, also known by their Latin name bullae, were used for the management of storehouses. Seals were pressed into lumps of clay over a knot that secured a door or vessels.Dozens of such clay sealings have been unearthed in Jerusalem, at times carrying names that also appear in the Bible.
“Obviously, we are not sure that the Asayahu mentioned on the sealing is the same that appears in the Bible,” Dvira told ToI. “However, several such artifacts found in the area of the Temple Mount carry biblical names, and it does make sense, because these were not objects used by common people.”
The Shifting Project description says “Given his prominent role, it is reasonable to assume that his son, Yeda‛yah, may have also served in a prominent position, either at the same time or shortly thereafter.”
Image: Temple Mount Sifting Project archaeologist Mordechai Ehrlich holds a First Temple period clay sealing reading “Yed[a‛]yah (son of) Asayahu” found in July 2025. Image credit: Temple Mount Sifting Project