Seal of Jotham

Provides a possible connection to King Jotham of Judah and confirms Judahite administrative presence at the important Red Sea port of Elath, consistent with 2 Kings 15:32-38.

The seal known as the Seal of Jotham was discovered in 1940 during excavations at Tell el-Kheleifeh, located near the modern city of Eilat at the northern tip of the Gulf of Aqaba. The excavations were conducted by Nelson Glueck, the American rabbi, archaeologist, and president of Hebrew Union College, who worked at the site between 1938 and 1940 as part of a larger survey of the Negev and Transjordan.

The artifact is a copper signet ring with an engraved bezel. The seal face depicts a horned ram and bears the inscription "LYWTM" meaning "Belonging to Jotham." The engraving is relatively simple but clear, and the ram motif is consistent with seal designs found across the Levant in the eighth century BCE.

The identification of this Jotham with King Jotham of Judah (c. 750-735 BCE) has been debated since the seal's discovery. The name Jotham (Yotam) was not uncommon in ancient Israel and Judah, so the inscription alone does not prove a royal connection. However, several factors support the possibility. Tell el-Kheleifeh was under Judahite control during the mid-eighth century BCE. Second Kings 14:22 records that King Azariah (Uzziah), Jotham's father, rebuilt Elath and restored it to Judah. Jotham inherited this strategic port city when he succeeded his father.

Glueck initially identified Tell el-Kheleifeh as the biblical Ezion-Geber, the port from which Solomon's fleet sailed (1 Kings 9:26). Later scholarship has been more cautious about this identification, but the site was clearly an important administrative and commercial center in the Negev region during the Iron Age. The presence of a seal bearing a name associated with the Judahite royal family at this location supports the biblical account of Judahite control of the area.

King Jotham is described briefly in 2 Kings 15:32-38 and more extensively in 2 Chronicles 27:1-9. The Bible says he "did what was right in the eyes of the LORD" and carried out building projects, including work on the upper gate of the Temple and the construction of the wall of Ophel in Jerusalem. Second Chronicles 27:3-4 adds that "he built cities in the hill country of Judah, and he built fortresses and towers on the wooded hills." This description of active construction and territorial administration is consistent with maintaining an administrative seal presence at a frontier post like Elath.

The seal was found in a stratum associated with the mid-eighth century BCE, matching the chronological range of Jotham's co-regency and sole reign. The stratigraphic evidence places it in a period when Judah controlled the Elath area, before King Rezin of Aram recaptured the city during the Syro-Ephraimite War (2 Kings 16:6), which occurred during or shortly after Jotham's reign.

Glueck's excavations at Tell el-Kheleifeh also revealed a fortified structure that he interpreted as a copper smelting facility, though later reassessments by Pratico and others have reinterpreted it as a fortified storehouse or administrative center. Regardless of its exact function, the site was clearly an important node in the Judahite administrative network controlling trade routes through the Negev to the Red Sea.

The seal ring as an artifact type is significant. In the ancient Near East, signet rings were used to impress seals onto clay bullae or directly into wet clay on documents and containers. A copper ring was a relatively modest material compared to the gold or silver rings used by the wealthiest individuals, but it was durable and functional. The use of a ring rather than a stamp seal suggests the owner carried it on his person, consistent with its use for regular administrative purposes.

While the Jotham seal cannot be definitively linked to the king, it remains an important artifact from the era of the Judahite monarchy. It provides evidence for administrative activity at Elath during the period when the Bible says Judah controlled the city, and the name it bears corresponds to one of the kings who would have overseen that control.

• Copper signet ring inscribed 'Belonging to Jotham' with a horned ram motif
• Discovered at Tell el-Kheleifeh (near modern Eilat) by Nelson Glueck in 1940
• Dates to the mid-eighth century BCE, matching the reign of King Jotham of Judah
• Found at a site under Judahite control during the period of Uzziah and Jotham
• The name Jotham was not uncommon, so royal identification remains possible but not certain
• Provides evidence for Judahite administrative presence at the Red Sea trade route
• Tell el-Kheleifeh served as a fortified administrative center in the Negev

Second Kings 15:32-33 introduces Jotham as the son of Uzziah who reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. The seal was found at Elath, the Red Sea port that Jotham's father Uzziah (Azariah) rebuilt and restored to Judah according to 2 Kings 14:22. The presence of a seal bearing Jotham's name at this location is consistent with continued Judahite administration of the port. Second Chronicles 27:3-4 describes Jotham's construction projects, including "cities in the hill country of Judah" and "fortresses and towers on the wooded hills." This building activity suggests an active, well-organized administration that maintained a presence across Judah's territory, including frontier posts like Elath. The seal also provides context for 2 Kings 16:6, which records that King Rezin of Aram recovered Elath for Aram (or Edom) during the Syro-Ephraimite War, near the end of Jotham's life. The seal may represent the last phase of Judahite administration at Elath before this loss.