Siloam Inscription
What Was Found
A Hebrew inscription discovered in 1880 inside Hezekiah's Tunnel (also called the Siloam Tunnel) in the City of David, Jerusalem. The inscription, carved into the rock wall of the tunnel approximately 6 meters from the Siloam Pool end, describes in six lines of ancient Hebrew how two teams of tunnelers working from opposite ends met in the middle: "...the tunnelers hacked each toward the other, pickaxe against pickaxe. And the water flowed from the spring to the pool for 1,200 cubits." The tunnel was cut through solid rock for approximately 533 meters (1,750 feet) to bring water from the Gihon Spring to the Pool of Siloam inside the city walls. This engineering feat matches the description in 2 Kings 20:20: "He made a pool, and a conduit, and brought water into the city," and 2 Chronicles 32:30: "This same Hezekiah also stopped the upper watercourse of Gihon, and brought it straight down to the west side of the city of David." The inscription was cut from the tunnel wall by vandals in 1890 and eventually came into the possession of the Ottoman authorities. It is now displayed in the Istanbul Archaeological Museum.
Why This Matters
One of the oldest known Hebrew inscriptions and a direct confirmation of the biblical account of Hezekiah's water tunnel. Demonstrates sophisticated engineering capabilities in the Kingdom of Judah during the 8th century BCE.
Acceptance Assessment
Universally Accepted
The inscription's authenticity, Hebrew script dating, and connection to Hezekiah's water project are universally accepted.
What Scholars Debate
The main historical debate is whether the tunnel was cut during Hezekiah's reign in preparation for Sennacherib's siege (701 BCE) or at an earlier date. Recent studies including uranium-thorium dating support the Hezekiah-era dating. There is ongoing discussion about the removal of the inscription to Istanbul and calls for its return to Israel.