Does Archaeology Confirm the Existence of Specific People Mentioned in the Bible?
On virtually every page of the Bible you will find the name of a person or
place.
Since the Bible claims to be real history, its credibility rests on its
historical accuracy. If the people, places and events mentioned in the
Bible are part of factual accounts, we should expect to find evidence to
support those accounts. So what does the evidence show? Do archaeology
and history confirm the Bible or disprove it?
As archaeologists have excavated the ancient lands of the Bible, they
have uncovered inscriptions and other evidence that prove the existence
of dozens of persons mentioned in the Bible. Historians poring over ancient
records have found still more.
Among biblical figures whose existence has been attested by archaeology
or other preserved ancient records are the following:
Old Testament
Ahab, king of Israel
Ahaz (Jehoahaz), king of Judah
Artaxerxes, king of Persia
Ashurbanipal, king of Assyria
Azaliah, scribe
Azariah, grandfather of Ezra
Baruch, scribe of the prophet Jeremiah
Balaam, Moabite prophet
Belshazzar, coregent of Babylon
Benhadad, king of Aram
Cyrus II, king of Persia
Darius I, king of Persia
David, king of Israel
Esarhaddon, king of Assyria
Evil-merodach, king of Babylon
Gedaliah, governor of Judah
Gemariah, scribe
Geshem, Nabatean dignitary
Hazael, king of Aram
Hezekiah, king of Judah
Hilkiah, high priest
Hophra (Apries), pharaoh of Egypt
Hoshea, king of Israel
Jehoiachin, king of Judah
Jehu, king of Israel
Jehucal (Jucal), court official
Jerahmeel, prince of Judah
Jezebel, wife of king Ahab of Israel
Johanan, grandson of the high priest Eliashib
