The First Mention of the Sabbath
The Mezad Hashavyahu Ostracon, circa 650 BCE. Inscribed on the Ostracon is the first mention of the Sabbath, outside of biblical text. Ostraca are pottery sherds that were reused after the pot was broken as a writing surface. Written on this piece is the appeal of a farm worker whose garment was confiscated by a supervisor as collateral, on the grounds that the worker failed to meet his daily quota of grain harvesting and owed the rest. The worker claims that he did meet the quota.
"Let my lord, the governor, hear the word of his servant! Your servant is a reaper. Your servant was in Hazar Asam, and your servant reaped, and he finished, and he was storing up (the grain) during these days before the Sabbath.”
The ostracon was excavated from a small Iron Age fortress just south of modern-day Tel Aviv
Overview
Mezad Hashavyahu Ostracon
"Let my lord, the governor, hear the word of his servant! Your servant is a reaper. Your servant was in Hazar Asam, and your servant reaped, and he finished, and he was storing up (the grain) during these days before the Sabbath.”
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