Amulets from Sepphoris


Archaeology Odyessey Summer 1998*

Bronze Amulet – “May He smite! He is the Holy One.”


  1. May He smite! He is the holy one. (Magic name)
  2. With a rod, he will crush. Holy, Holy
  3. By his holy name, he gives light. With a hempcord he lies in wait.
  4. Quickly! YH YHW YHWH YHW
  5. Quickly O Holy one [s]! Execute judgment, execute judgment quickly!
  6. Quickly execute judgment, execute judgment, YAH is his name.
  7. May he rebuke the murmurer. With a plumb line he plumbs.
  8. I will be YH. YH I will be.
  9. I adjure YH. Halt my misfortune.
  10. YH is his name.
  11. His name is YH. YH majestic is his name (letters reversed
  12. His dwelling…The mark of his foundation is trustworthy
  13. [YH] draws near. He is YHW. YYY is holy
  14. YH strikes, thrusts, bellows, and squeezes.

Silver Amulet – “An Amulet Against Fever”


  1. An Amulet against fever
  2. protracted that burns
  3. and does not cease
  4. (three magic signs)
  5. (one magic sign) NN(final)N WHYHAW
  6. AAA___
  7. An amulet against fever
  8. protracted that burns
  9. and does not cease (one magic sign)
  10. (three magic signs)
  11. NN(final)N WHYH (one magic sign)
  12. AWAAA
  13. __[__]

Photo: Israel Antiquities Authority, Zev Radovan
Drawing: Ada Yardeni
Translations: Tom McCollough/Beth Glazier McDonald
*Reprinted with permission from all authors and from Archaeology Odyssey

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