LMLK--LMRA

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This seal impression is listed on the Personal Seals page (685-22c) since that is the concensus among scholars.  However, this unique seal (found in stratum 5 of En Gedi) contains an icon tremendously similar to that of the 2-winged LMLK seals (compare to Type S2DR in particular), & its inscription may be interpreted as either "Belonging to Nera" (like personal seals 686, 687, & 688) or "Belonging to the lord" in Aramaic that may be referring to a foreign (i.e., non-Judean) ruler such as Nebucadnezzar, king of Bablylon or a Judean governor such as Gedaliah (2Kings 25:22).  Note:  Both the 2nd (M or N) & 4th (A or T) letters are unclear, so it could be read as LMRA, LNRA, LMRT, or LNRT. Photos of impression & restored jar fragment below are from IEJ vol. 45 #1 (published by The Israel Exploration Society), in which Gabriel Barkay discusses the reasons why it should be interpreted as a personal seal in the same typological family of LMLK seals instead of a successor to the LMLK seals during a later era: Note:  This impression also appears in: "En-Gedi Excavations in 1961-1962" by B. Mazar, T. Dothan, & I. Dunayevsky "Corpus of West Semitic Stamp Seals" by Nahman Avigad (revised & completed by Benjamin Sass) "Truly your God is the God of gods, the Lord of kings, & a revealer of secrets..."--Daniel 2:47

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This page was created on March 25, 2002, & last updated on July 3, 2002