Bible & Christianity › Exodus, Law & the Promised Land › Joshua and the conquest of Canaan
Merneptah Stele: earliest mention of 'Israel'
c. 1208 BC (Egypt)· Council, creed or writing· Books & writings
Historical recordConfirmed by archaeology, outside sources or contemporary records.
An Egyptian victory inscription of c. 1208 BC containing the oldest known mention of 'Israel' outside the Bible.
See it on the Bible & Christianity map →What it is
Pharaoh Merneptah, son of Ramesses II, set up this granite slab, about 3 meters tall, boasting of his campaigns, mostly against Libyans. Near the end it lists foes in Canaan: 'Israel is laid waste, his seed is not.' The hieroglyphs mark Ashkelon, Gezer and Yenoam as places, but tag Israel with the sign for a people. Flinders Petrie found it at Thebes in 1896.
Why it matters
It proves a group called Israel existed in Canaan by about 1208 BC, a fixed anchor for dating Israel's beginnings.
Sources and history
The stele itself, now in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, with a clear inscription from a well-dated reign. Almost all Egyptologists accept the reading 'Israel'.
Questions and debates
Where this Israel lived, how large it was, and whether Karnak temple reliefs show its people are debated. A disputed inscription in Berlin may name Israel earlier.
Connections (2)
▸Merneptah Stele: earliest mention of 'Israel' gives a 'no later than' date for Joshua and the conquest of CanaanHistorical record
The connection
The stele shows that by about 1208 BC a group called Israel was in Canaan, important enough for Pharaoh to boast of defeating it. That fits the 13th-century setting many give for Joshua, but it fits equally well with Israel slowly forming inside Canaan.
When and where
Carved for Pharaoh Merneptah c. 1208 BC; found by Flinders Petrie at Thebes (modern Luxor) in 1896.
Historical evidence
The inscription is genuine and well dated. What it confirms is limited: Israel's existence as a people, not a conquest or its details.
Questions and debates
Merneptah claims Israel was wiped out, a typical royal boast. Whether 'Israel' then was a tribal alliance, herders or settled villagers is debated.
▸Merneptah Stele: earliest mention of 'Israel' first names the people Genesis traces to Jacob, renamed IsraelMostly agreed by scholars
The connection
Genesis says Jacob was renamed Israel and his descendants became 'the children of Israel'. The Merneptah Stele, about 1208 BC, is the first outside source to name that people, linking the biblical name to a real group in Canaan.
When and where
Thebes, Egypt; inscribed c. 1208 BC under Merneptah and found in 1896.
How do we know?
The name matches, and the hieroglyphic sign marks a people, not a city. It confirms the people, not Jacob as an individual.
Questions and debates
Whether 'Israel' first named a tribe, a group devoted to the god El (the name contains 'El'), or a remembered ancestor is debated.