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Tablets of Tel-el-Amarna

The tablets were discovered accidentally in 1887 by a local woman while digging for sebakh, "dry earth" used for fuel or fertilizer, now commonly called the Amarna Letters which consist of 300 cuneiform tablets. They were mostly written in Akkadian, the common formal language of the late Bronze Age employed in the ancient Near East, and revealed the diplomatic writings of the Pharaoh. The find signified the importance of the site, and promoted further investigation.

Others believe that Moses lived and had been reared in Egypt during this period and these tablets show the intensiveness of Egyptian knowledge to which he was exposed. The New Testament states that Moses was "educated in all wisdom of the Egyptians" and "mighty in words and deeds" (Acts 7:22). This leads some to question the reason for his unquestioning loyalty to the Jews after receiving so much from the Egyptians. A.G.H.


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Unger, Merrill F. Unger's Bible Dictionary. "Moses" 3rd. ed. Chicago. Moody Press. 1985. p.760