A tablet inscribed with an early Hebrew version of the biblical Ten Commandments is scheduled to be auctioned by Sotheby’s in New York on December 18.
The auction house announced that the tablet will be open for public exhibition starting December 5, and described it as “the oldest known version” of the Ten Commandments made in stone.
According to the Jerusalem Post, Dating back to the Byzantine era, the tablet is approximately 1,500 years old, weighing 52 kilograms and standing around 60 centimeters high. Engraved in Paleo-Hebrew, the stone features twenty lines of text that align with biblical verses recognized in both Christian and Jewish traditions.
Interestingly, while the tablet includes the Ten Commandments, it omits one from the Book of Exodus: “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.” Sotheby’s pointed out that the missing commandment instead instructs to pray on Mount Gerizim, a sacred site for Samaritans.
“This remarkable tablet is not only a historical artifact of enormous importance, but a tangible link to the beliefs that helped shape Western civilization,” said Los Andes, Sotheby’s Global Director of Books and Manuscripts. “Encountering this shared piece of cultural heritage is traveling through millennia and connecting with cultures and beliefs told through one of humanity's oldest and most enduring moral codes,” the director added.
The tablet was uncovered in 1913 during railway construction along the southern coast of present-day Israel. At the time, its significance was not recognized, and it remained unnoticed for decades, serving as a paving stone at a house entrance with the inscription exposed to foot traffic.
In 1943, a scholar acknowledged the tablet’s significance and purchased it, recognizing it as an important Samaritan Decalogue containing fundamental divine precepts for several religions. However, its fate after the scholar's acquisition remains unknown.
The original location of the slab is believed to have been a synagogue that was either destroyed by the Romans during their invasions between 400-600 AD or during the 11th-century Crusades, as noted by experts.
Before the auction, the slab will be on public display starting December 5, and it is expected to fetch between one and two million dollars.
