Book Reviews | 229

on the various attempts to “read” the celebrated Qeiyafa ostracon and then
reconstruct one line as “guilt, revenge, a king will be lost,” which they sug-
gest may be a prophecy in opposition to King David (pp. 122–23). There
can be no doubt that the Qeiyafa ostracon is an important find, and one
that will continue to generate quite a lot of interest, justifiably so. But it is

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too early, and the claims too bold, to assert anything with confidence about
the contents of the inscription. (More cautious readings of this inscription
may be found in the studies of Alan Millard, TynBul 62 [2011]:1–13, and
Christopher Rollston, TA 38 [2011]: 67–82).
Whether the results of this important work can be stated with unreserved
confidence such as one finds throughout the book will no doubt continue to
be debated for years to come. But we can agree with the authors of this im-
pressive volume that the material remains of KQ are compelling, real-world
evidence. Their work, bold as it is, simply cannot be ignored.
The site also yielded a layer of settlement from the time of Alexander the
Great of Macedon, a layer probably dated 350–270 BC, attested by import-
ant numismatic artifacts. To complete the picture of the excavations at KQ,
the authors have provided a helpful appendix on the finds of that period as
well (pp. 204–14).
Bil l T . AR no l d
Asbury Theological Seminary
doi: 10.5325/bullbiblrese.29.2.0227

Yosef Garfinkel, Saar Ganor, and Michael G. Hasel. Khirbet

Qeiyafa, vol. 4: Excavation Report 2009–2013: Art, Cult and
Epigraphy.
Edited by Martin G. Klingbeil. Jerusalem: Israel Exploration Society and the
Khirbet Qeiyafa Expedition, 2018. Pp. xxiii + 360. ISBN 978-965-221-119-4.
$70.00 cloth.

Volume 4 of this series of excavation reports brings together the data of the
final seasons of work at Khirbet Qeiyafa. It is well-produced with numerous
figures, tables, and full-color photographs. The main focus of the volume
(5 out of 6 parts) is on materials found at Iron Age IIA Qeiyafa, which
provides well-stratified contexts of some of the earliest expressions of cult
materials associated with the early 10th-century kingdom of Judah. While
many would argue against a Judahite entity so early (e.g., Finkelstein et al.),
the authors of the volume rightly infer a central organization to facilitate the
construction of such a site.
230 | BU L LET I N FOR BI BLI CA L RE SEA RC H

Part 1 deals with the three architectural cultic structures. Two of these
appear to have been for some kind of public use (D100 and C10), while the
third appears to have had a more domestic orientation (C3). Inferences for
cultic use derive from the pervasive presence of standing stones, offering
tables, benches, basins, elaborate cultic-type vessels, and the presence of por-

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table cultic shrines designed to accommodate some kind of artifact.
Part 2 studies the cultic paraphernalia, most notably the portable clay
shrines. These range from fairly simple to quite complex. Regretfully, in-
terpretations of the function of these vessels have varied wildly from toys to
cultic objects, but given the presence of these artifacts in what otherwise
appears to be clearly cultic-oriented contexts prompts the interpretation to-
ward a cultic function rather than something more mundane. Rather unique
in the collection of portable shrines is one made of limestone. This shrine
preserves a series of triglyphs along the front lintel of the artifact, while a
triple-recessed doorway provides access to the interior (where there appears
to be a small depression that may have been designed to accommodate some
kind of “sacred symbol” (p. 103). The authors trace these last two features to
a number of cultic and/or palatial structures throughout the eastern Medi-
terranean basin. They further suggest that this motif helps explain (1) some
aspects of the Solomonic temple description from Kings and (2) the fact
that there was a precedence for such a design before the Solomonic temple’s
construction (pp. 121–22).
A surprising presence among the artifacts (although from a public build-
ing in the central part of the site and not from a shrine area) is the por-
trayal of a male head. Human representations are quite rare in the 10th–9th
centuries BC. With the advent of the 8th–7th centuries BC, the prepon-
derance is of female figurines of various kinds, although there are males
represented sitting on horse figures. The closest parallel to the male head
figurine that was found at Qeiyafa is from the site of Motza in the valley just
west of Jerusalem and dating from the 9th century BC. These were found
in what has uniformly been identified as a temple shrine. Exactly how to
understand the presence of this artifact at Qeiyafa is the subject of much of
the discussion.
Part 3 is devoted to the cultic vessels, many of which are quite unique.
There is a “tradition” in archaeology to interpret unusual pieces as cultic.
This inference, however, seems justified, since these were found in conjunc-
tion with an array of other artifacts and features that also point to a cultic
significance (e.g., the architecture, the standing stones, etc.). Seals and scar-
abs are the subject of part 4.
The two famous inscriptions are the focus of the discussion on part 5.
One is an ostracon that has been suggested to be early Hebrew, while others
 Book Reviews | 231

argue that it is from some other Northwest Semitic group (e.g., Moabite
or Phoenician). The authors argue reasonably for a Hebrew connection,
recognizing that there are variables that one needs to accommodate.
The second inscription is an incision in the shoulder of a large storage jar
that reads “Eshbaal son of Bedaʿ.” Eshbaal is a variation of Ishbaal, the son of

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Saul who briefly reigned after Saul’s death. The authors do not identify the
Eshbaal of Qeiyafa with Saul’s son—the inscription clearly precludes that—
but they do affirm that that the presence of such a name fits perfectly well
with the Bible’s description of the use of the name during the early 10th
century BC—the time of David. Furthermore, this is the only chronological
context (at this point in time) in which we have evidence for the use of Es-
hbaal/Ishbaal, either biblically or archaeologically! Only part 6 is devoted to
the art and cult of the Late Persian and Early Hellenistic periods.
It is impossible to summarize the contents of the volume within the
confines of this review. However, the authors and contributors have not
only presented the raw data of their findings but have worked admirably
to explain them within the larger context of cultural development. They
are certainly conscious of the varying interpretations and arguments that
scholars have leveled against their earlier proposals and have sought either
to modify or reinforce their lines of reasoning. Furthermore, they are to
be commended for the speed with which they have produced this and
the accompanying volumes of the project. The data and explanations
are well presented, and the discussions flow well, so that nonspecialists
should be able to follow the arguments with relative ease. I noted only
one item that needed correction: there is a reference on p. 6 to a table 1.2
(which also appears in the list of tables, p. xxiii), but the table is missing
in the text.
dAl e w. M A no R
Harding University
doi: 10.5325/bullbiblrese.29.2.0229

Tremper Longman III and John H. Walton. The Lost World of

the Flood: Mythology, Theology and the Deluge Debate.
Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2018. Pp. x + 189. ISBN 978-0-8308-5200-0.
$18.00 paper.

Authors Longman and Walton are two of the most credible evangelicals
writing today in OT scholarship. In The Lost World of the Flood: Mythology,
Theology and the Deluge Debate, they present a humble, conscientious, and