Have We Found Moses’ Signature? Ancient Inscriptions in Egypt May Hold the First Written Link to the Bible

Arkeonews ^ | 29 July 2025 | Leman Altuntaş

[fidelis]

Mysterious Proto-Sinaitic inscriptions may point to Moses and Joseph as historical figures, sparking global scholarly controversy.

A groundbreaking proto-thesis by independent scholar Michael S. Bar-Ron suggests exactly that. After eight years of rigorous epigraphic analysis, Bar-Ron argues that two inscriptions found at Serabit el-Khadim, an ancient turquoise mining site on Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, contain the Semitic phrase “This is from MŠ” — a possible early rendering of the name Moses (Moshe).

The inscriptions, dated to Egypt’s late 12th Dynasty during the reign of Pharaoh Amenemhat III, are written in Proto-Sinaitic, considered one of the world’s earliest alphabetic scripts. According to Bar-Ron, this writing system reflects an early Northwest Semitic dialect remarkably close to Biblical Hebrew, but with traces of Aramaic structure.

“If correct, this could be the first inscriptional evidence of Moses as a historical individual,” Bar-Ron states. “And the implications for our understanding of the Exodus traditions are enormous.”

[fidelis]

Personally, I find the evidence of a connection here to the Moses of the Bible rather slim, but the Semitic writing in an ancient Egyptian context in that particular time period is interesting.

[chuckee]

You won’t find our American Moses’ signature simply because he used an autopen

[SunkenCiv]

• "This Is From Moses" Inscription Found in Sinai, Egypt, Sparks Debate [07/07/2025]

[Verginius Rufus]

But Grandma Moses didn’t use an autopen.

[SunkenCiv]

Also one of *those* topics.

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[frank ballenger]

It took years and years for someone to acknowledge that David existed because of a written reference to him. The Tel Dan Stele in 1993.

I remember a Bible show with an episode narrated by Leonard Nimoy. Someone had found a small pillar with the inscription “a Jew worshipped his God here.” Which coincided with travel by Moses.

Hard to get written records from ancient times.

[SunkenCiv]

...realizing that the sojourn of the Israelites in Egypt took place not during the New Kingdom but during the preceding Middle Kingdom, in order to find out whether the personality of Joseph or the patron of the early stage of his career, Potiphar, is referred to in the historical documents, we have to look into those of the Middle Kingdom. The task appears simple. According to the Book of Genesis Potiphar was "an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard." In the register of the private names to the Ancient Records of Egypt by James Breasted, we find the name Ptahwer.

Ptahwer was at the service of the Pharaoh Amenemhet III of the Twelfth Dynasty of the Middle Kingdom. According to an inscription of Ptahwer at Sarbut el-Khadem in Sinai dated in the forty-fifth year of Amenemhet III, his office was that of "master of the double cabinet, chief of the treasury." ...

The inscription records the successful accomplishment of some peaceful expedition. Since there is only one Ptahwer in the historical documents, and since he lived in the time when we expect to find him, we are probably not wrong in identifying the biblical Potiphar with the historical Ptahwer.

This being the conclusion concerning Potiphar, we are curious to find whether any mention of Joseph is found in historical documents, too. the fact that from the great and glorious age of the Middle Kingdom only a very few historical inscriptions are extant. Since a great famine took place in the days of Joseph, it is, of course, important to trace such a famine in the age of which we speak. In the days of Amenemhet III there occurred in Egypt a famine enduring nine long years...

Thus it seems that the Pharaoh in whose days was the seven years' famine was the successor of the Pharaoh in whose days began the rise of Joseph's career (if Yatu is Joseph). Potiphar, who lived under Amenemhet III, probably lived also under his successor.

Joseph and Potiphar | Immanuel Velikovsky | Collected Essays

[normbal]

Sort of like the “George Washington Slept Here” signs scattered throughout New England here in the states.

[normbal]

Sadly, Pharoah’s paparazzi didn’t record any events surrounding MS (Moishe, Moses - his friends called him Mo) on the walls of a tomb or pyramid somewhere.

I’ll just take The Word - old AND new - as historical fact until time travelers prove otherwise..

[Red Badger]

But does it say “THE Moses”?..............

[Texas Eagle]

Is Moshe a typical Egyptian name or a typical Hebrew name?

[faithhopecharity]

Sounds plausible

[Red Badger]

Moses is an Egyptian name. We don’t know his Hebrew birth name......................

[Red Badger]

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-14947429/First-words-Moses-inscribed-Egyptian-prove-Bible-true.html

[GreenHornet]

Evidence that the signature is genuine was further supported by the “Certificate of Authenticity” that was found at the site.

[madison10]

Good question! If Moshe is the Hebrew (Mr. Google said the name is of Hebrew origin) name, what is the Egyptian word for “drawn out of the water?” Does Egyptian have a language?

[madison10]

It depends where you look. Some places say Moses is the Hebrew name.

[PIF]

And Moses was an uncommon name in those days? Calling BS. “This from MS” could be reference to Microsoft just as easily.

[Pol-92064]

Moses means son of...

[Texas Eagle]

Thank you. That's what I thought. The article kind of confused me when it said the writing had Semitic roots. Ive always equated Semitism with Hebrew-ism . If that's a word.

There probably wasn't a whole lot of difference in whatever language Egyptians spoke and what language Hebrews spoke back then. I guess Moses could've been bilingual.