(WATCH JERUSALEM) Bethlehem is a significant city in the Hebrew Bible. Mentioned more than 40 times, Bethlehem was the place of Rachel’s death and burial, the home of Boaz and Ruth, and the birthplace of Israel’s greatest king: David. And yet, until the year 2012, there was no extra-biblical proof that Bethlehem existed during biblical times.
In an archaeological excavation in the City of David, Jerusalem, a small clay seal was found near the Gihon Spring. The bulla, measuring about 1.5 centimeters, contains three lines of Hebrew text. The inscription reads:
In the seventh [year]
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[B]ethlehem
[To the Ki]ng
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Recently, the City of David Foundation featured the Bethlehem seal impression as part of its new video series detailing discoveries in ancient Jerusalem.
