A Prayer (?) from Kuntillet Ajrud
Late 9th–Early 8th Century BCE
[ . . . May] He lengthen their days and may they be sated . . . recount to YHWH of Teman and His asherah . . .
[ . . . because(?)] YHWH of the Teman, has shown them(?) favor, has bettered their da[ys . . .
Notes
[YHWH of Teman and His asherah—Teman is a place in the Sinai-Negev wilderness. Another inscription from Kuntil-let Ajrud mentions “YHWH of Samaria.” These epithets presumably refer to centers of YHWH’s worship or places where he revealed himself. Some scholars believe that asherah refers to the Canaanite fertility goddess Asherah and that the prayer for blessing is addressed to her, too. But the following verb, “bettered,” is singular and asherah here more likely refers to a sacred pole or tree, also called asherah, that sometimes stood near the altar in sanctuaries (a practice forbidden in Deuteronomy 16:21). Blessings invoking sacred objects are known in the ancient Near East—Eds.]
Credits
Published in: The Posen Library of Jewish Culture and Civilization, vol. 1.