1
Literal Translation / Primary Inscription
Epigraphic RecordTablet Bab 28186 rev. 38 reads: '10 (sila of oil) to the king of Judah, Ya'u-kinu; 2 1/2 sila to the five sons of the king of Judah.'
Jehoiachin's Rations Tablets (Weidner Tablets)
Neo-Babylonian administrative cuneiform receipts documenting oil rations provided to exiled King Jehoiachin of Judah
Direct Archaeological Attestation 96%
c. 592–569 BC
Discovery Excavation: Vaulted building near Ishtar Gate, Babylon, Iraq (Robert Koldewey, 1900–1904)
Current Museum / Accession: Vorderasiatisches Museum, Berlin (Bab 28186)
Four administrative clay cuneiform tablets discovered in the royal palace complex of Babylon detailing food and oil allowances allocated to royal captives and foreigners during the reign of Nebuchadnezzar II.
Archival Museum & Excavation Photography
Vorderasiatisches Museum, Berlin / Wikimedia Commons
Corroboration Distribution for Connected Passages (18 records)
94% Confidence
18 sources
83.33%
Direct Archaeology 15 (83.33%)
Ancient Historians 1 (5.56%)
Dead Sea Scrolls & Manuscripts 1 (5.56%)
Scholarly Consensus 1 (5.56%)
Debated & Traditional 0 (0%)
Claim-by-Claim Epistemic Verification Breakdown
Rigorous 4-part empirical analysis separating ancient text from bias and consensus
2
Biblical Corroboration & Cross-References
Scriptural HarmonyCorroborates 2 Kings 25:27–30 ('and for his allowance, a regular allowance was given him by the king, according to his daily need, as long as he lived') and acknowledges Jehoiachin by royal title while in exile.
Corroborated Passages:
3
Scholarly Debate, Historiography & Modern Consensus
Critical NuanceScholars emphasize that the Babylonians continued to address Jehoiachin as 'king of Judah' (shar mati Ya-a-hu-du) rather than Zedekiah, explaining why the Jewish exiles dated events by Jehoiachin's exile (`EZK.1:2`).
4
Ancient Author Bias, Royal Propaganda & Perspective
Ideological ContextMundane administrative warehouse record; 100% free of imperial propaganda, rendering its historical evidential weight exceptionally objective.
Corroborated Scripture Passages
Attested Figures & Kings
Excavations & Ancient Geography
Scholarly Editions & Critical Publications
- Weidner, E.F. (1939). 'Jojachin, König von Juda, in babylonischen Keilschrifttexten'. Mélanges Syriens.
- ANET 308