A small excavation of an Iron Age cemetery outside Jerusalem in 1980 unexpectedly discovered the oldest Bible text. The text engraved on two small sheets of silver approximates the Priestly blessing of Numbers 6:24-26 and was probably written during the seventh century BCE with an iron pen as described by Jeremiah.

And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto Aaron and unto his sons, saying, On this wise ye shall bless the children of Israel, saying unto them,

• The LORD bless thee, and keep thee:
• The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee:
• The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.

And they shall put my name upon the children of Israel, and I will bless them.

The simple and beautiful threefold petition mounts by gradual stages from the petition for material blessing and protection to that for Divine favor as a spiritual blessing, and in beautiful climax culminates in the petition for God’s most consummate gift, SHALOM, peace, the welfare in which all material and spiritual well being is comprehended. This Blessing was one of the most impressive features of worship in the Temple at Jerusalem.

The three lines consist of three, five and seven words in Hebrew. The fifteen words that constitute these three verses contain a world of trust in God and faith in God. The number of letters in each line is 15, 20, and 25 the sides of a right angle triangle 3, 4, and 5 multiplied by five.

Each Hebrew letter can also represent a number. Fifteen is formed by Yod, 10 and He, 5 as in Halleluyah, "Praise the Lord".

The Hebrew alphabet consists of 22 consonants of which five are written differently at the end of a word, Kaph (K), Mem (M), Nun (N), Pe (P) and Tzaddi (Tz). Three letters AMSh represent the Universe; Aleph (A) represents Air, Mem (M) represents Water and Shin (Sh) represents Fire. Five letters MYHLA from the word Elohim, the Name that signifies God as the Creator and Master of The Universe, is in the plural form to signify the forces that spread throughout Creation. Yet, despite their multiplicity, all these forces emanate from One God and are all connected by an underlying unity. The letter He stands for the numbers five also alludes to the five books of Moses. Seven letters, Beth (B), Gimel (G), Daleth (D), Kaph (K), Pe (P), Resh (R) and Tav (Th), are called "the Double ones", because their sound is often doubled.