And folded
inside the tablet was a message that scholars say they have been able to
reveal with a CAT scan.
According to Scott Stripling, the head of the team from
Associates for Biblical Research, the tablet has Hebrew writing that
reads,
“Cursed, cursed, cursed—cursed by the God YHW. You will be
cursed. Cursed you will surely die. Cursed by YHW—cursed, cursed,
cursed.”
---The two uses of the divine name and the chiastic structure are
remarkable, and the text could also be the oldest existing example of
Hebrew writing by several hundred years.
---The curse tablet appears to
date from 1200 to 1400 B.C., which would link it roughly to the time
that Joshua built an altar on Mount Ebal and pronounced a curse on those
who turn from God and worship idols ( Then Joshua built an altar unto the LORD God of Israel in mount Ebal,....And afterward he read all the words of the law, the blessings and cursings...Joshua 8:30,34)."
BiblicalArchaeology