Donors to YHW and Other Deities, from Elephantine

400 BCE

About This Entry

This is a seven-column list of more than one hundred men and women who, according to its first line, gave two shekels each to YHW (the usual spelling of YHWH, God’s name, in the Elephantine texts). According to the summation in the seventh column, the funds were divided among YHW and two other deities, Eshembethel and Anathbethel. This implies a degree of religious syncretism among the Jews of Elephantine, although its nature and extent are uncertain.

On the 3rd of Phamenoth, year 5. This is (= these are) the names of the Jewish garrison who gave silver to YHW the God, each person silver, [2] shekels—

Meshull[em]eth daughter of Gemar[ia]h son of Mahseiah: silver, 2 shekels

Zaccur [son of Oshe]a son of Zaccur: silver, 2 shekels

Seraiah[ daught]er of Hoshea son of Harman: silver, 2 shekels

All (told) 2[+l] (= 3).

Hoshea[ son of Beth]elnuri: he, silver, 2 shekels, to [him]/for[himself].

Hosh[aiah son of Nathan] son of Hoshaiah son of Zephaniah: silver, 2 shekels, to him/for himself.

Nathan s[on of . . . ]h: silver, 2 shekels, to him/for himself.

[PN son of A]nani [ . . . ]mtl: silver, 2 shekels, to him/ for himself.

[Mahsa]h son of Jehota[l: silver], 2 shekels, to him/ for himself.

[PN] son of Neha[b son of Mah]sah: [silver], 2 [shekels], to him/for himself.

[Na]than son of Anani so[n of PN: silver, 2 shekels, to him/for himself].

[ . . . ]i [dau]ghter of Zebadia[h: silver, 2 shekels, to him/for himself].

[PN daught]er of [PN: silver, 2 shekels, to him/for himself].

[PN dau]ghter of Pelul[iah: silver, 2 shekels, to him/ for himself].

[PN] daughter of [PN: silver, 2 shekels, to him/for himself].

[PN] da[ughter of PN: silver, 2 shekels, to him/for himself].

[PN] daughter of [PN: silver, 2 shekels, to him/for himself].

All the century of Siniddin[: 13].

The century of Nabuakab / Shallum son of Menahem: [silver, 2 shekels, to him/for himself . . . ] half. [ . . . ]

The silver which stood that day in the hand of Jedaniah son of Gemariah in the month of Phamenoth:

silver, 31 karsh, 8 shekels.

Herein: for YHW 12 karsh, 6 shekels;

for Eshembethel, 7 karsh;

for Anathbethel, silver, 12 karsh.

Micaiah son of Jehoishma: silver, 2 shekels

Oshea son of Nathan son of Hodaviah: silver, 2 shekels

Ahio son of Nathan son of Anani: silver, 2 shekels

Azaiah son of Hazzul: silver, 2 shekels

Jashobiah son of Berechiah: silver, 2 shekels

[PN son/daughter of . . . ia]h: silver, 2 shekels

Ci[lcel]iah daughter of Caiah: silver, 2 shekels

Translated by Bezalel Porten.

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Notes

[PN—indicates a personal name.

Karsh . . . shekels . . . hallurs—units of weight used as currency. The shekel was the basic unit; the karsh was ten shekels, and the hallur one-fortieth of a shekel. —Eds.]

Credits

Donors to YHW and Other Deities from Elephantine, in Bezalel Porten and Ada Yardeni, eds., Textbook of Aramaic Documents from Ancient Egypt, trans. Bezalel Porten (Winona Lake, Ind.: Eisenbrauns, 1999), C3.15, pp. 228, 234. Used with permission of Bezalel Porten.

Published in: The Posen Library of Jewish Culture and Civilization, vol. 1.