Scribal Tools in Ancient Israel: A Study of Biblical Hebrew Terms for Writing Materials and Implements...

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Philip Zhakevich

Scribal Tools in Ancient Israel

A Study of Biblical Hebrew Terms for Writing Materials and Implements

Philip Zhakevich

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English

Eisenbrauns
09 September 2025

Language: history & general works; Palaeography (history of writing); Biblical archaeology

Series: History, Archaeology, and Culture of the Levant

In this book, Philip Zhakevich examines the technology of writing as it existed in the southern Levant during the Iron Age II period, after the alphabetic writing system had fully taken root in the region. Using the Hebrew Bible as its corpus and focusing on a set of Hebrew terms that designated writing surfaces and instruments, this study synthesizes the semantic data of the Bible with the archeological and art-historical evidence for writing in ancient Israel.

The bulk of this work comprises an in-depth lexicographical analysis of Biblical Hebrew terms related to Israel’s writing technology. Employing comparative Semitics, lexical semantics, and archaeology, Zhakevich provides a thorough analysis of the origins of the relevant terms; their use in the biblical text, Ben Sira, the Dead Sea Scrolls, and ancient Hebrew inscriptions; and their translation in the Septuagint and other ancient versions. The final chapter evaluates Israel’s writing practices in light of those of the ancient world, concluding that Israel’s most common form of writing (i.e., writing with ink on ostraca and papyrus) is Egyptian in origin and was introduced into Canaan during the New Kingdom.

Comprehensive and original in its scope, Scribal Tools in Ancient Israel is a landmark contribution to our knowledge of scribes and scribal practices in ancient Israel. Students and scholars interested in language and literacy in the first-millennium Levant in particular will profit from this volume.

By: Philip Zhakevich
Imprint: Eisenbrauns
Country of Publication: United States [Currently unable to ship to USA: see Shipping Info]
Dimensions: Height: 229mm, Width: 152mm, Spine: 16mm
Weight: 340g
ISBN: 9781646020638
ISBN 10: 1646020634
Series: History, Archaeology, and Culture of the Levant
Pages: 228
Publication Date: 09 September 2025
Audience: Professional and scholarly , Undergraduate
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Philip Zhakevich is Lecturer in Hebrew at Princeton University.

Reviews for Scribal Tools in Ancient Israel: A Study of Biblical Hebrew Terms for Writing Materials and Implements

“Scribal Tools in Ancient Israel makes a singular, useful contribution that will be consulted and used by scholars for generations to come.” —William Schniedewind, University of California, Los Angeles “This book is a satisfying, methodical study that will appeal to readers interested in the areas of Hebrew lexicography, literacy, and scribal culture.” —Lindsey A. Askin Journal for the Study of the Old Testament