Who Was Jerubaal? Unearthing a Biblical Name Near Kiryat Gat

A rare inscription from the time of the Judges, featuring the name "Jerubaal" in ancient script, has been uncovered during an archaeological dig at Khirbet el-Ra'i, near Kiryat Gat.

Dated to around 1,100 BCE, the inscription was written in ink on a pottery vessel found in a stone-lined storage pit dug into the ground.

The text was penned in ink on a jug—a small piece of personal pottery capable of holding a liter, likely used to store something valuable like oil, perfume, or medicine. As we might do today, the owner apparently inscribed their name on it to claim ownership.

Professor Christopher Rollston, an expert in epigraphy from George Washington University in Washington, D.C., deciphered the inscription. It clearly shows the letters yod (partially broken at the top), resh, bet, ayin, lamed, and additional letter fragments, suggesting the inscription was longer.

The excavation is conducted by the Institute of Archaeology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, the Israel Antiquities Authority, and Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia, under the direction of Professor Yosef Garfinkel, Saar Ganor, Dr. Kyle Keimer, and Dr. Gil Davies. Joey Silver, Aharon Levy, the Ruth Family Foundation from Sydney, and the Roger and Susan Hertog Center for Archaeology at the Hebrew University's Institute of Archaeology support the research.

According to Professor Garfinkel and Ganor, "The name Jerubaal is known in biblical tradition from the Book of Judges as the second name of the Judge Gideon ben Joash. Initially, Gideon is described as one who opposed idolatry, broke the altar of Baal, and cut down the Asherah pole. Later, he is known for leading 300 men to defeat the Midianites, who raided crops. Considering the geographical distance between the Shephelah and the Jezreel Valley, this inscription may reference a different Jerubaal, but we cannot rule out that it belonged to Gideon. Either way, the name Jerubaal reflects a custom from the era of the Judges when the name was in use."

It should be noted that inscriptions from the time of the Judges are extremely rare, with almost none found in Israeli archaeology. Previous findings contained a few letters, with no discernible connection. This discovery marks the first time "Jerubaal" appears in an archaeological context outside the Bible, traced to an archaeological layer dating around 1100 BCE, the time of the Judges.

The discovered inscription indicates that Khirbet el-Ra'i, about 4 km from Lachish and the area's principal site during the Judges period, preserved writing traditions transitioning from Canaanite culture to the Israelite and Judahite monarchies.

From the monarchic period in the 10th century BCE, additional inscriptions are known from the Shephelah region: two from Khirbet Qeiyafa and inscriptions at Tel Zafit and Tel Beit Shemesh.