Merneptah Stele

Dated to 1208 B.C., and erected during the 5th year of Pharaoh Merneptah, this stone plaque stands more than 10 feet high and depicts the people of Israel as a notable power in the land of Canaan. Believed to have been inscribed during the time of the Judges, Egypt boasted of a victorious confrontation with Israel and wrote, “Israel is laid waste.”

The inscription regarding Israel is highlighted below.